I'l  E>  R.ARY 

OF   THE 

U  N  I  VERSITY 
OF    ILLINOIS 


91T3I 


/.l 


JLLINOIS  HISTORY  SURVEY 
LIBRARY 


HISTORY   OF 

COOK  COUNTY 

ILLIJNCJlO— BEING  A  GENERAL  SUR- 
VEY OF  COOK  COUNTY  HISTORY,  INCLUDING 
A  CONDENSED  HISTORY  OF  CHICAGO  AND 
SPECIAL  ACCOUNT  OF  DISTRICTS  OUTSIDE 
THE  CITY  LIMITS;  FROM  THE  EARLIEST 
SETTLEMENT  TO  THE  PRESENT  TIME  :  : 


OC  EDITORS: 

WESTON  A.  GOODSPEED,  LL.  B. 
DANIEL  D.  HEALY 


Of  all  the  things  that  men  can  do  or  make 
here  below,  by  far  the  most  momentous,  wonder- 
ful and  worthy  are  the  things  we  call  books. 

— Ftntlon . 


IN    TWO    VOLUMES 
ILLUSTRATED 


VOLUME   I 


THE   GOODSPEED    HISTORICAL   ASSOCIATION 
CHICAGO 


V.\ 


COPYRIGHT 

BY 
GOODSPEED    HISTORICAL    ASSOCIATION 

1909 


HAMMOND    PRESS 

W.    B.   CONKEY   COMPANY 

CHICAGO 


THE   FIRST  COURT-HOUSE  AND  JAIL 


£ 

** 

J]  PREFACE 

o 


BEFORE  the  compilation  of  this  work  was  commenced  the  im- 
possibility of  presenting  the  detailed  history  of  Cook  county 
in  two  volumes  was  apparent  to  the  Editors  and  Publishers, 
and  hence  the  design  as  announced  in  the  Prospectus  was  only 
to  summarize  the  most  important  events.  An  examination  of  this 
work  will  show  that  much  of  the  matter  here  introduced  not  only 
pursues  an  entirely  different  path  of  thought  and  investigation  but 
supplies  a  wealth  of  comprehensive  and  valuable  material  never  be- 
fore presented  on  the  pages  of  Cook  county  history.  A  perusal  of  the 
chapters  will  prove  the  truth  of  this  statement.  We  believe  subscrib- 
ers will  appreciate  the  immense  amount  of  interesting  and  original 
matter  presented  and  the  critical  and  comparative  method  of  treat- 
ment. 

^  The  Editors  and  Publishers  in  their  laborious  researches  have 

(U  received  from  all  with  whom  they  have  come  in  contact  nothing 
but  courtesy  and  assistance.  Particularly  are  their  grateful  ac- 
knowledgments due  the  officers  and  attendants  of  the  Chicago  His- 
torical Society,  the  Chicago  City  Library,  the  Municipal  Library, 
the  Library  of  Congress,  the  War  Department  and  the  various  and 
numerous  city  and  county  departments.  To  Hon.  William  D.  Barge, 
<j  assistant  corporation  counsel,  and  Col.  Francis  A.  Eastman,  city 
statistician,  are  thanks  due  for  valuable  assistance  and  special  favors. 
After  all,  the  most"  important,  valuable  and  reliable  sources  of  infor- 
mation were  found  in  the  old  newspaper  files  wisely  preserved  and 
MJ.  guarded  in  the  Chicago  Historical  Society  Library  and  the  Chicago 
City  Library  and  kindly  submitted  to  our  writers  and  compilers  with- 
out any  restrictions. 

The  Publishers  hereby  cordially  thank  their  subscribers,  without 
whose  material  assistance  these  volumes  could  not  have  been  pre- 
pared. 

THE  PUBLISHERS. 

x  3 


H 

193880 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS 

VOLUME  I 


HISTORY 

CHAPTERS  PAGE 

FRENCH,  SPANISH  AND  ENGLISH  CLAIMS  ;  EXPLORATION,  ETC 33 

THE  INDIANS;  TREATIES  ;  RESERVATIONS  ;  INCIDENTS,  ETC 47 

COOK  COUNTY  BEFORE  ITS  FORMATION;  THE  NORTHERN  BOUNDARY;  HURON 

COUNTY;  LAND  SURVEYS,  ETC 58 

EARLY  COOK  COUNTY  AND  CHICAGO  ;  SETTLEMENT,  COMMERCE,  ETC 81 

COOK  COUNTY  AND  CHICAGO  1840-1850;  COMMERCE;  MANUFACTURES;  EX- 
PANSION, TRANSPORTATION,  ETC 147 

COOK  COUNTY  AND  CHICAGO  1850-1866;  COMMERCE;  NEWSPAPER  INFLUENCE; 

LABOR,  ETC 206 

POLITICS  OF  COOK  COUNTY  1823-1866;  ELECTIONS;  CAMPAIGNS,  NEWSPAPERS, 

STATISTICS,  ETC 321 

RUNAWAY  SLAVES  AND  THE  UNDERGROUND  RAILROAD 403 

THE  WAR  WITH  MEXICO;  COOK  COUNTY  VOLUNTEERS 421 

THE  CIVIL  WAR  1861-1865 ;  RECORD  OF  COOK  COUNTY 425 

COOK  COUNTY  ORGANIZATION;  TOWNSHIPS  FORMED;  TOWNS  AND  VILLAGES 

ORGANIZED,  ETC 507 

EARLY  AMUSEMENTS;  DEBATES;  THEATRES;  MEN'S  ASSOCIATIONS;  LIBRARIES; 

Music;  ART;  RACING;  BASEBALL;  CRICKET;  SKATING,  ETC 550 

THE  INFIRMARY;  WORLD'S  FAIR;  SPANISH-AMERICAN  WAR;  LATE  BANKING; 

CHICAGO  SEAL;  MARQUETTE  CLUB;  HAMILTON  CLUB,  ETC 609 

MUNICIPAL,  JUVENILE  AND  OTHER  COURTS 638 

EARLY  BEEF  AND  PORK  PACKING  ;  RECENT  STATISTICS,  ETC 651 

BIOGRAPHY;  HOMES;  DOMESTIC  INFLUENCES;  RELIGIOUS  TRAINING;  SCHOOL 

FACILITIES,  ETC 673 

BIOGRAPHY   AND   REMINISCENCE 

PAGE  PAGE 

Ambrozaitis,  Rev.  Casimir 673  Blaha,  Joseph  C 686 

Amling,  Albert  F 674  Blahnik,  Vencel  L 687 

Angus,  John  674  Bolen,  John  L 687 

Angus,  William  J 675  Busch,  Alexander  688 

Armbruster,  Charles  Andrew 676  Buss,  George  J 689 

Atwood,  Harry  F 676  Busse,  William  689 

Bagdziunas,  John  1 677  Busse,  John,  Jr 690 

Bailey,  Edward  W 678  Byrne,  Dr.  John  Henry 690 

Ballinger,  John  Ralph,  M.  D 678  Caldwell,  Henry  P 691 

Barmore,  Nathaniel  L 679  Carr,  Robert  Franklin 692 

Bartley,  Charles  Earl 679  Castle,  Perley  D 693 

Bassett,  Nelson  M 682  Chicago  Sash,  Door  &  Blind  Mfg. 

Belinski,  Joseph  J 683  Co 709 

Benson,  Dr.  Emanuel  O 684  Childs,  Frank  Hall 694 

Bentley,  Frank  Taggert 684  Clark,  Will  H 695 

Berezniak,  Leon  A 685  Clarke,  George  Washington 695 

Bishop,  Edward  P.,  Jr 685  Cmejla,  Ferdinand  A 697 


TABLE   OF  CONTENTS 


PAGE 

Collins,  Dr.  Lorin  C 697 

Connery,  William  M 700 

Connery,  John  T 700 

Copeland,  Dr.  William  L 701 

Crandall,  James  A 702 

Crosby,  George  H 703 

Crossette,  Charles  H 703 

Cunningham,  John  T 704 

Curtis,  DeWitt  H 705 

Dal,  John  Wesley,  M.  D 706 

Danisch,   Frank  P 706 

Daprato  Statuary  Company 707 

Decker,  John  E 707 

Dickinson,  Arthur  W 708 

Dierking,  Frederick   709 

Dierking,  William  Henry 711 

Dillon,  William  712 

Doctor,  Charles   713 

Drach,  Edmund  A 714 

Duntley,  William   Obed 715 

DuPlessis,  Dr.  Charles  Orpha 718 

Dwight,  Walter  E 719 

Eckhart,  Col.  B.  A 720 

Euwema,  Herman 721 

Fahrney,  Peter  721 

Farwell,  Arthur  Burrage 723 

Fleming,  Dr.  Geoffrey  J 724 

Flizikowski,  John  S 725 

Forbes,  Daniel  726 

Foster,   Frederick   E 726 

Frees,  Benjamin  Marsh 726 

Fritts,  David  H 727 

Gash,  Abram  Dale 728 

Gauger,  John  A 730 

Glaser,  Benjamin  J 732 

Glowacki,  John  Bartosz. . , 733 

Gould,  Frank  733 

Gronkowski,  Rev.  Casimir 736 

Guthier,  Lprenz  737 

Haggard,  John  D 738 

Haldeman,  Robert  Sheridan 740 

Hankermeyer,  Henry  J 740 

Hanreddy,  Joseph 741 

Hawley,  Henry  Stephen 742 

Heafield,  Lincoln  S 742 

Healy,  Daniel  D 743 

Hellmuth,  Joseph  A 744 

Hibner,  Edward  J 744 

Higginson,  George,  Jr 745 

Hill,  Frederick  A 745 

Hill,  John  W 746 

Horak,  Henry  748 

Hotchkiss,   Charles   W 748 

Howland,  Thomas  S 749 

Hughes,  Dr.  John  Owen 750 

Humiston,  Dr.  Charles  Edward.. 751 

Humphrey.   Senator  John 754 

Hurlbut,  William  Daniels 755 

Husak,  Joseph  755 

Hyink,  William  756 

Jackson,  William  John 757 

Jackson,   Philip   758 

Tagielski,  Rev.  Francis  J 759 

Jones,  Dr.  Charles  E 759 


PAGE 

Kaspar,  William   760 

Kavanagh,  John  E 761 

Keller,  Albert  W 762 

Kikulski,  John  763 

Klaus,  Vincent  J 763 

Klicka,  Emil  764 

Kolacek,  William   764 

Kolkema,  Joseph  M 765 

Kopecky,  Joseph  766 

Kornaszewski,  Valdimir  C 766 

Kosinski,  Very  Rev.  John  J 767 

Kreft,  John  768 

Krygowski,  Anthony,  M.  D 769 

Kvitek,  Rev.  Bartholomew 772 

Kyle,  Thomas  D 772 

Lake,  William  H 773 

Lakemeyer,  Adolph,  M.  D 773 

Lange,  Rev.  Francis 774 

Latimer,  Henry  Horace,  M.  D...774 

Leigh,  Edward  Baker 775 

Levy,  David  Rose 775 

Lockwood,  Willoughby  Starr 776 

Loeffler,  William  776 

Loebe,  Albert  C 778 

Loebe,  John  G 779 

Longhi,  Emilio  780 

Lorimer,  William  780 

Lukoszius,  Rev.  Norbert  1 781 

Luster,  Max  782 

Marcinkiewicz,  Stanislaus   782 

Masterson,  Frank  Lawrence 783 

Meyer,  J.   H 783 

Miers,  Daniel   Kirkwood 784 

Miller,  John  S 784 

Miroslawski,  Witold  S 785 

Moore,  George  C 786 

Muensterman,  Dietrich  786 

McComb,  James  Julius 790 

McEnery,  John  T 791 

McMaster,  William  792 

Noelle,  Joseph  Burton 792 

Novak,  John  L 792 

Novak,  Dr.  Frank  J 794 

Novak,  Charles,  Sr 794 

Nowicki,  John  M 795 

O'Brien,  Dr.  Edward  J 795 

Obvrtacz.  Rev.  John 796 

O'Gara,  Thomas  Joseph 796 

Oughton,  Charles  M.,  M.  D 797 

Papailiou,  Gregory  A.,  M.  D 798 

Peterson,  Ellis  C 798 

Peterson,   Charles   Edward 799 

Philbrick.  George  Albert 799 

Pierce,  Dr.  Oscar  F 801 

Pigall,  Dr.  Joseph  S 802 

Plagge,  John  C 802 

Plocinski,  Andrew  J 804 

Polak.  Joseph  F 804 

Poklenkowski,  Tohn  805 

Pyplatz,  Rev.  Dr.  Michael  C 805 

Rehm,  Jacob   808 

Rhodes.  Carey  W 809 

Ricker,  Konrad  810 

Rixon.  Hans  A 811 


TABLE   OF  CONTENTS 


Roberts,  Roscoe  L 811 

Robertson,  Albert  L 812 

Robertson,  John    813 

Rushkiewicz,  Joseph  814 

Russo,  Andrea  614 

Salat,  Joseph  J 815 

Sanclig,   Alfred    : 816 

Savers,  Jobe  H 816 

Schmitz,  Dr.  Henry 817 

Schroeder,  Conrad  H 817 

Seneff,  Edward  H 818 

Senne,  Henry  C 818 

Sharp,  William  Nye 819 

Sieminowicz,  Waldimir  J.,  M.  D..820 

Sojar,  Rev.  Anton 820 

Stafford,  John  W 821 

Stansfield,  James  Howard 821 

Stary,  John  J 822 

Stotz,  Dr.  Charles  F 822 

Stratford,  Henry  Knox,  M.  D. . .  .823 

Straus,  Simeon  826 

Strawn,  Silas  H 827 

Stromberg,  Charles  J 828 

Stuve,  Henry  828 

St.  John,  Dr.  Leonard 830 


PAGE 
Swierczek,  Rev.  Stanislaus,  C.  R..830 

Swift,  George  B 831 

Swinscoe,  George  E 831 

Szczypta,   Rev.   John,   C.  R 833 

Thornton,  Dr.  Francis  E 833 

Triner,  Joseph  834 

Uczciwek,  Hipolit  835 

Vawter,  William  Arthur 835 

Wachowski,  John  George  836 

Wachowski,  Albert   836 

Wachowski,  Joseph  T 837 

Warner,  Thomas  R 838 

Webster,  Dr.  John  C 838 

Wells,  Willis  J 839 

Wengierski,  Felix  J 840 

Wente,  Frederick  840 

Wheeler,  Albert  Gallatin 841 

White,  Carleton 845 

Wilkerson,  James  H 846 

Wilson,  Johnson  847 

Witkowski,  Leo  J.,  M.  D 847 

Zajicek,  Frank   848 

Zaleski,  Boleslaus  851 

Zelezny,  John  V 852 


TABLE    OF  CONTENTS 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


NAMES 


PAGE 


Anderson,  John 103 

Atwood,  Harry  A 175 

Ball,  L.  C..  ..373 

Billings,  C.  L 373 

Bosch,  Henry   157 

Breidt,  H.  H 373 

Brown,  Taylor  E 265 

Brown,  W.  M 373 

Brundage,  L.  A 337 

Byford,  Dr.  W.  H 229 

Camp  Douglas,  1862 445 

Carolan,  Joseph   355 

Caverly,  John  R 391 

Chambers,  Jerome  B 67 

Chicago,  Original  Town,  1830....  121 

Chindblom,  C.  R 355 

Clark,  A.  C 373 

Clarke,  G.  W 211 

Colburn,   W.  E 355 

Cook  County,  Map  of,  1831 463 

Courthouse  and  Jail,  first 

Frontispiece 

Courthouse,  second  481 

Courthouse,  third   481 

Courthouse,  fourth   499 

Courthouse,  fifth   517 

Courthouse,  present  517 

Courthouse,  ruins  of  499 

Davies,  Will  T 337 

Decker,  J.  E 283 

Dennis,  J.  M 355 

Duntley,  W.  O 319 

Eastman,  Col.  F.  A 283 

Elias,  J.  J 355 

Erickson,  Alfred  0 391 

Etelson,  S.  A 373 


NAMES  PAGE 

Gauger,  John  A 247 

Glackin,  E.  J 373 

Grain  Shipped,  First 409 

Harmon,  Dr.  E.  D 49 

Harris,  Madison  R 391 

Hazard,  Paul  A 103 

Hillstrom,  O.  R 355 

Horse  Railways,  1865 427 

Jandus,  C.  R 373 

Jones,  W.  Clyde 373 

Juul,  Niels  373 

Lundberg,  Carl  373 

Mastroianni,  Pasquale  283 

Morrison,  Clyde  A 391 

Nightingale,  A.  F 103 

Olsen,  Peter  B 103 


Peters,  Charles  W. 

Plagge,  John  C 

Powell,  Isaac  N... 


Rainey,  E.  J 

Rhode,  Rev.  Paul  P. 


.337 
.301 
.283 

.373 
.139 


Fitch,  Edward  C.. 
Frercks,  Henry  J. 


.391 
.391 


Schmidt,  G.  K 355 

Schmitt,  F.  P 373 

Schrojda,  W 355 

Senn,  Dr.  Nicholas 301 

Spears,  Henry 337 

Strassheim,  Christopher 337 

Sullivan,  J.  J 391 

Umbach,  W.  J 355 

Wamsley,  D.  H 391 

Wheeler,  Albert  G 193 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY, 
ILLINOIS 


FRENCH,    SPANISH   AND    ENGLISH    CLAIMS 

DATING  from  the  first  settlements  along  the  Atlantic  coast 
and  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  there  arose  among  the  warring, 
envious  and  ambitious  nations  of  Europe  conflicting  claims 
to  the  ownership  of  American  soil.  Regardless  of  water 
courses,  river  basins  or  rival  claims,  the  English  colonies  along  the 
Atlantic  claimed  an  extension  of  their  territorial  grants  westward  on 
parallels  of  latitude  to  the  South  Sea,  as  the  Pacific  ocean  was  then 
called.  On  the  contrary,  both  France  and  Spain,  upon  discovering 
a  river  and  forming  a  settlement  on  its  lower  course,  claimed  the 
entire  valley  of  that  stream,  regardless  of  rights  or  claims  on  the 
upper  courses.  Thus  the  French  at  the  start  claimed  the  whole 
St.  Lawrence  valley,  which  included  the  Great  Lakes  and  the  tract 
now  known  as  Cook  county,  Illinois.  By  the  discovery  of  Columbus 
in  1492,  Spain  could  claim  all  of  the  two  Americas.  The  discovery 
of  North  America  by  Cabot  in  1498  gave  England  a  claim  to  that 
country.  In  1603  France  granted  to  De  Chartes  a  strip  from 
forty  to  forty-six  degrees  north  latitude  and  extending  west- 
ward across  the  continent;  this  included  Cook  county.  In  1606 
an  English  grant  extended  across  North  America  between  thirty- 
four  and  forty  five  degrees  north  latitude.  The  London  colony 
grant  was  between  thirty-four  and  forty-five  degrees  north 
latitude.  The  Plymouth  colony  grant  by  James  I.,  on  November 
3,  1620,  embraced  the  country  from  the  Atlantic  to  the  South 
Sea  (Pacific  ocean)  and  from  the  fortieth  to  the  forty-eighth 
degree  of  north  latitude.  On  August  10,  1622,  the  Council  of 
Plymouth  granted  to  Mason  and  Georges  much  of  what  is  now 
Vermont,  New  Hampshire  and  a  part  of  Maine.  What  is  now 
Connecticut  was  included  in  the  Plymouth  colony  grant  of  1620. 
The  present  state  of  Illinois  was  claimed  as  a  part  of  Florida  and 
was  so  laid  down  on  the  old  Spanish  maps.  This  claim  was  con- 
firmed by  Pope  Alexander  VI,  who  granted  Ferdinand  and  Isabella 
in  perpetuity  all  the  land  they  had  discovered,  or  should  thereafter 
discover,  west  of  an  imaginary  line  drawn  from  north  to  south 

Vol.  1—3.  33 


34  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

one  hundred  leagues  west  of  the  European  shores.  Thus  the  west- 
ward extension  of  the  English  colonial  grants,  as  claimed,  likewise 
embraced  Cook  county.  The  Atlantic  colonists,  with  a  persistence 
that  demands  admiration,  continued  to  claim  this  westward  exten- 
sion until  the  formation  of  the  Northwest  territory.  Thus  at  first 
the  swollen  and  ephemeral  claims  of  the  English,  the  Spanish  and 
the  French  to  the  tract  of  territory  now  known  as  Cook  county, 
Illinois,  may  be  said  to  have  been  about  equal  in  points  both  of 
unsoundness  and  uncertainty. 

But  the  French,  with  greater  energy  and  envy,  perfected  their 
claims  to  the  soil  here,  while  the  English  and  the  Spanish  did  not, 
and  therefore  France,  be  it  said  to  the  credit  of  her  martyrs,  became 
the  first  white  owner  of  what  is  now  Illinois  and  therefore  Cook 
county.  But  this  splendid  result  was  as  much  due  to  individual 
enterprise,  the  undaunted  spirit  of  adventure  and  the  self-sacrificing 
proselyting  efforts  of  the  Catholic  fathers  as  to  the  colonizing  ambi- 
tion of  the  French  government.  At  that  date  the  servile  and  erratic 
French  people  were  more  the  tools  and  puppets  of  royalty  than  the 
people  of  any  other  country  except  Spain.  They  yielded  a  blind 
and  unquestioning  obedience  to  the  empty  mandates  of  their  but- 
terfly sovereign,  mainly  because  Church  and  State  were  united ; 
and  to  question  the  acts  of  the  King  was  tantamount  to  an  assault, 
not  only  on  the  State,  but  on  religion  itself.  Thus  the  idle  and 
indifferent  wish  of  the  King,  announced  by  his  paramours  through 
the  Governor  of  New  France,  as  Canada  was  then  called,  was 
sufficient  to  send  into  the  Western  wilderness,  among  savage  beasts 
and  little  less  savage  men,  such  heroic  souls  as  Nicolet,  Perrot, 
Joliet,  Marquette,  Moreau,  Durantaye,  Duluth,  La  Salle,  Tonty, 
Hennepin,  Allouez  and  scores  of  others,  who  gladly  at  the  King's 
behest  offered  themselves  to  martyrdom  for  the  glory  of  France. 

It  seems  that  the  word  Chicagou,  or  Chicago  as  it  is  now  written, 
had  a  meaning  among  the  Indians  and  the  French  explorers  and 
missionaries  equivalent  to  the  English  words  great,  strong,  mighty, 
superior,  etc.,  signifying  some  unusual  and  notable  quality  in  the 
object  to  which  it  was  applied.  The  term  may  have  included  the 
idea  of  water,  though  it  is  known  to  have  been  applied  to  indi- 
viduals, to  tracts  of  country  and  to  the  wild  onion  growing  through- 
out Northern  Illinois.  The  pungent  odor  of  the  onion — strong  and 
unusual — probably  led  to  this  application  of  the  word.  The  mighty 
Mississippi,  particularly  its  lower  course,  was  designated  Checagou, 
variously  spelled,  by  the  tribes  on  its  banks.  At  the  time  the 
bloody  expedition  of  De  Soto  reached  the  Mississippi  river  in  1539 
he  found  the  Chisca  (Chickasaw  of  a  later  date)  nation  of  Indians, 
who  called  the  Mississippi  the  Chucagua  and  applied  the  same  term 
to  their  entire  province.  In  Franquelin's  large  map  of  1684  the 
Kankakee  river  is  called  Chekagou  and  the  Chicago  river  is  called 
Cheagoumeman.  In  De  Lisle's  map  of  1718  the  present  Des  Plaines 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  35 

is  designated  Chicagou,  and  so  is  a  section  of  Lake  Michigan,  but 
his  map  of  1703  applies  that  term  to  the  present  Chicago  river  only. 
D'Anville  in  his  map  of  1755  calls  the  Des  Plaines  the  Chicagou 
and  also  a  section  of  Lake  Michigan  by  the  same  name.  In 
Mitchell's  map  of  1755  the  present  Chicago  river  is  named  river 
and  port  of  Chicagou.  In  Popple's  map  of  1733  the  Chigagou  is 
mentioned,  but  clearly  referred  to  the  St.  Joseph,  where  Fort  Miami 
was  located  and  an  Indian  village  called  Chigagou  stood.  On 
La  Houton's  map  of  1703  a  deep  bay  south  of  Chicago  is  called 
Chegakou  and  the  Chicago  portage  is  called  the  same.  In  Charle- 
voix's  map  of  1774  the  term  Checagou  seems  to  apply  to  a  portion 
of  Lake  Michigan.  In  Senex's  map  of  1710  the  Chicago  river  is 
not  shown,  but  the  term  Checagou  is  plainly  applied  to  a  village 
of  the  Mascoutens  or  Kickapoos,  or  both,  located  on  the  present 
site  of  down-town  Chicago.  Moll's  map  of  1720  names  only  the 
Checagou  portage.  It  is  probable  that  Lake  Michigan  or  its  south- 
ern extremity  may  have  been  called  Chicagou  by  the  Indians.  Hen- 
nepin  in  his  erratic  account  of  La  Salle's  expedition  in  1782  said 
in  a  caption,  "An  account  of  the  building  of  a  new  fort  named  by 
us  Fort  Crevecoeur,  on  the  river  of  the  Illinois  named  by  the  savages 
Che-cau-gou."  In  his  map  of  1684,  Franqulin  (probably  by  mis- 
take) calls  the  Ohio  river  the  "River  St.  Louis  or  Chucagoa."  Thus 
the  St.  Louis,  whatever  stream  it  may  have  been,  was  known  as 
Chucagoa.  Coxe  in  his  map  of  Louisiana  calls  the  Illinois  the 
Chicagou.  Samson's  map  of  1673  styles  the  Mississippi  the  Chica- 
gua.  In  Margry's  map  (1679)  the  Grand  Calumet  is  called  Cheka- 
goue.  Father  Membre,  who  accompanied  La  Salle  in  1681-82, 
says  they  "went  toward  the  Divine  river  (Illinois),  called  by  the 
Indians  Checaugou."  La  Salle  says  (1681-82)  that  they  arrived 
at  "the  division  line  called  Chicagua,  from  the  river  of  the  same 
name  which  lies  in  the  country  of  the  Mascoutens."  This  was  the 
Des  Plaines.  The  head  chief  of  the  Illinois  was  Checaqua,  named 
thus  because  he  was  great,  mighty,  powerful,  strong.  The  name  is 
variously  spelled  Chikagu,  Chekagou,  Chicagu,  Chicague,  Checagou, 
Checaqua,  Chicagou,  Checaugou,  Chucagoa,  Chucagua,  Chigogoe, 
etc.  Even  as  late  as  the  treaty  of  Greenville,  held  August  3,  1795, 
there  was  manifest  confusion  as  to  what  had  been  located  on  the  Chi- 
cago river  and  what  not.  By  that  treaty  the  Indians  ceded  to  the 
United  States  "one  piece  of  land  six  miles  square  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Chicago  river,  emptying  into  the  southwest  end  of  Lake  Michigan 
where  a  fort  formerly  stood."  The  latter  clause  very  likely  refers 
to  the  fort  that  stood  on  St.  Joseph  river  formerly  called  Chicagou. 
It  is  clear  that,  owing  to  the  fact  that  several  streams  were  really 
called  Chicagou  by  the  Indians  and  therefore  by  the  whites,  the 
distant  mapmakers  themselves  became  confused  when  they  at- 
tempted to  locate  forts,  villages  or  circumstances  thereon.  The  old 
Indian  name  of  the  Calumet  was  spelled  Killimick  or  Calamick; 
the  Kankakee  was  spelled  Teatika. 


36  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

An  important  reference  to  Chicago  was  made  by  Governor 
Rocheblave  of  Illinois  in  1783.  At  that  time  he  was  fighting  to  have 
his  claims  for  losses  during  the  Revolution  made  good  by  the  British 
government  at  Quebec.  He  stated  he  wanted  his  claims  allowed  at 
once  as  he  had  to  go  from  Quebec  to  "find  Madame  Rocheblave  and 
the  rest  of  the  family  at  Chikagou."  It  is  known  that  his  family 
were  still  at  Kaskaskia.  Thus  the  reference  was  not  to  the  present 
Chicago.  It  must  have  been  either  to  the  western  country  as  a 
whole,  or  to  the  Mississippi  or  Illinois  river  settlements  in  par- 
ticular. 

In  1721  an  English  commission,  having  explored  the  Western 
country,  reported,  among  other  findings,  that  "from  the  Lake  Huron 
they  pass  by  the  Strait  Michillimackinack  four  leagues,  being  two  in 
breadth  and  of  great  depth,  to  the  Lake  Illinoise  (Michigan),  thence 
•  ISO  leagues  on  the  lake  to  Fort  Miamis,  situated  on  the  mouth  of  the 
river  Chicagoe.  From  thence  come  those  Indians  of  the  same  name, 
viz. :  Miamis,  who  are  settled  on  the  aforementioned  river  (Maumee, 
formerly  Miami)  that  runs  into  Lake  Erie.  Up  the  river  Chicagoe, 
they  sail  but  three  leagues  to  a  passage  of  one-fourth  of  a  league, 
then  enter  a  small  lake  of  about  a  mile  and  have  another  very  small 
portage,  and  again  another  of  two  miles  to  the  river  Illinois  (Kan- 
kakee),  thence  down  the  stream  130  leagues  to  the  Mississippi." 
This  must  have  been  the  river  referred  to  in  1699  by  St.  Cosme  when 
he  wrote  that  on  a  trip  to  the  Illinois  country  he  found  the  Miamis 
at  Chicagou,  where  there  was  already  a  mission  under  Fathers  Pinet 
and  Bineteau.  Neither  at  that  time  nor  at  any  time  were  the  Miamis 
located  permanently  on  the  present  Chicago  river,  but  they  were  on 
the  St.  Joseph,  then  called  Chicagou,  where  there  was  a  mission  and 
a  fort.  Charlevoix  writes :  "All  having  promised  to  send  deputies 
there,  he  proceeded  to  the  Western  quarters ;  but  turned  south  and 
went  to  Chicagou  at  the  lower  end  of  Lake  Michigan,  where  the 
Miamis  then  were."  He  spoke  of  it  as  a  place  and  not  as  a  river. 
This  visit  must  have  been  made  to  the  St.  Joseph  river,  called  Chi- 
cagou, where  the  Miamis  were,  and  not  to  the  present  Chicago  river. 
Shea,  in  a  footnote  to  Charlevoix's  account,  says  that  Perrot  went  no 
farther  than  Green  Bay,  because  the  Miamis  were  not  then  at  Chi- 
cago; but  Shea  apparently  did  not  know  that  St.  Joseph  river  was 
early  called  Chicagou,  and  that  therefore  the  Charlevoix  account  was 
consistent,  Perrot's  visit  being  to  the  Miamis  on  St.  Joseph  river.' 
Shea  seemed  to  think  that  because  the  Miamis  were  not  then  at  the 
present  Chicago  river,  Perrot  could  not  have  made  the  visit  as  nar- 
rated by  Charlevoix.  But  there  are  too  many  particulars  mentioned 
to  warrant  any  doubt  that  Perrot  at  this  time  really  visited  the 
Miamis  on  St.  Joseph,  and  probably  was  the  first  white  man  to  look 
upon  the  present  Cook  county.  The  Miami  head  chief  then  was  too 
old  to  attend  the  proposed  general  assembly  of  the  Western  tribes, 
but  he  empowered  the  Pottawatomies  to  represent  him  and  his  tribe 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  37 

on  that  occasion.  This  assembly  was  held  at  Sault  St.  Mary  in  May, 
1671.  Perrot  did  not  visit  the  Mascouten,  Kickapoo  or  Illinois 
tribes  at  this  time — why,  it  is  not  known. 

Joliet  and  Marquette  were  probably  the  first  white  men  actually 
to  traverse  the  present  Chicago  river;  this  was  in  July,  1673,  on  the 
return  trip  from  their  first  visit  to  the  Mississippi.  The  fact  is  cer- 
tain, but  the  route  traversed  is  somewhat  doubtful ;  it  may  have  been 
the  Calumet  or  Stony  creek  route.  The  description  fits  the  Calumet 
river  as  well  or  better  than  the  Chicago  river,  and  one  writer,  at  least, 
Albert  D.  Hagar,  has  argued  with  much  force  and  plausibility  that 
they  must  have  passed  over  the  former  route.  However,  both 
routes  were  within  the  present  limits  of  Cook  county.  In  Decem- 
ber, 1674,  Marquette  again  passed  over  the  same  route,  whether  it 
was  by  the  Calumet  or  the  Chicago  river.  From  the  4th  to  the  12th 
of  December,  he  and  his  companions  spent  the  time  at  the  mouth 
of  the  river  killing  game  and  getting  ready  to  cross  the  portage. 
Deer  were  abundant.  There  were  eight  or  nine  cabins  of  the 
Mascoutens  near  the  mouth  of  the  river.  With  him,  among  others, 
were  two  Frenchmen  named  Pierre  and  Jacques.  After  starting 
he  stopped  at  a  log  cabin  nearly  five  miles  from  the  mouth  of  Chi- 
cago or  Calumet  river.  This  hut  was  owned  by  two  traders — Pierre 
Moreau  (La  Taupine)  and  a  trader-surgeon,  both  of  whom  were 
temporarily  absent,  though  they  returned  as  soon  as  they  heard  of 
the  presence  of  Father  Marquette.  The  possible  location  of  the 
cabin  has  been  recently,  though  perhaps  erroneously,  marked  in  the 
lumber  district  of  Chicago.  So  far  as  known,  this  rude  house  was 
the  first  white  human  habitation  in  what  is  now  Cook  county.  When 
it  was  built  is  unknown.  Here  Marquette  remained  the  balance  of 
the  winter — sick  but  patient,  brave  and  contented  with  his  lot, 
though  death  stared  him  in  the  face.  Mr.  Hagar  argues  that  the 
cabin  stood  on  the  Calumet  route,  but  recently  writers  and  public 
opinion  have  placed  it  on  the  South  Branch  of  the  Chicago  river. 

Father  Claude  Allouez,  who  succeeded  Marquette  in  charge  of 
the  Illinois  missions,  and  who  came  out  in  1677,  related  that  upon 
his  arrival  he  was  met  at  the  mouth  of  the  Chicagou  river  by  a  large 
number  of  Illinois  Indians,  who  conducted  him  to  their  villages  in 
the  vicinity  of  the  present  Utica,  111.  This  Chicagou  river  may 
have  been  the  St.  Joseph,  because  in  a  subsequent  visit  he  spoke  of 
Chicagou  river  and  clearly  meant  the  St.  Joseph.  He  returned  to 
Canada,  but  came  out  again  in  1678  and  again  in  1680  and  1684, 
the  latter  time  with  Durantaye,  who  at  this  time  built  a  fort  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Chicagou  river.  The  Chicagou  river  here  referred  to 
must  have  been  the  St.  Joseph,  of  Michigan,  because  there  is  no 
evidence  that  Durantaye  or  any  other  person  built  a  fort  thus  early 
at  the  present  Chicago,  but  a  fort  was  built  on  the  St.  Joseph  about 
1784.  and  Durantaye,  the  same  year,  was  in  command  there.  At 
this  date  Tonty  commanded  Fort  St.  Louis  at  Starved  Rock,  111. 


38  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

In  1679  La  Salle  and  a  body  of  Frenchmen  passed  southward 
along  the  western  coast  of  Lake  Michigan ;  visited  the  Indians  on 
Green  Bay ;  continued  past  the  present  Cook  county ;  admired  the 
beauty  of  the  landscape;  landed  at  the  mouth  of  St.  Joseph  river; 
there  built  Fort  Miami,  the  first  in  the  "Illinois  country" ;  was 
there  joined  by  the  faithful  Tonty  and  more  Frenchmen ;  passed 
with  all  up  the  St.  Joseph  to  about  South  Bend;  then  crossed  the 
portage  to  the  Kankakee  river,  down  which  they  moved,  entering 
the  Illinois,  and  finally  built  Fort  Crevecceur  near  Peoria,  and  later 
Fort  St.  Louis  at  Starved  Rock.  La  Salle  again  came  out  in  1680 
and  1681.  The  brave  and  skillful  Tonty  remained  in  the  "Illinois 
country."  La  Salle  preferred  the  St.  Joseph-Kankakee  route — did 
not  like  the  Chicago  portage  recommended  by  Joliet — called  it  a 
ditch.  For  several  years  he  made  Fort  Miami  a  distributing  point. 
A  little  later  it  was  destroyed  by  deserters  from  Fort  Crevecceur, 
but  was  rebuilt  about  1784  by  Durantaye,  as  before  stated. 

La  Salle  says  in  his  "Relations"  concerning  the  Chicago  portage : 
"This  is  an  isthmus  of  land  of  41  degrees  50  minutes  north  latitude 
at  the  west  of  the  Islinois  (Michigan)  lake,  which  is  reached  by  a 
channel  (Chicago  river)  formed  by  the  junction  of  several  rivulets 
or  meadow  ditches.  It  is  navigable  for  about  two  leagues  (nearly 
five  miles)  to  the  edge  of  the  prairie  a  quarter  of  a  mile  westward. 
There  is  a  little  lake  (Mud)  divided  by  a  causeway  made  by  the 
beavers,  about  a  league  and  a  half  long,  from  which  runs  a  stream 
which,  after  winding  about  a  half  league  through  the  rushes,  empties 
into  the  river  Chicagou  (Desplaines),  and  thence  into  that  of  the 
Islinois.  This  lake  is  filled  by  heavy  summer  rains  or  spring 
freshets,  and  discharges  also  into  the  channel  which  leads  to  the 
lake  of  the  Islinois,  the  level  of  which  is  seven  feet  lower  than  the 
prairie,  on  which  is  the  lake.  The  river  of  Checagou  (Desplaines) 
does  the  same  thing  in  the  spring  when  its  channel  is  full.  It 
empties  a  part  of  its  waters  by  this  little  lake  into  that  of  the 
Islinois,  and  at  this  season,  Joliet  says,  forms  in  the  summer  time  a 
little  channel  for  a  quarter  of  a  league  from  this  lake  to  the  basin 
which  leads  to  the  Islinois  by  which  vessels  can  enter  the  Chicagou 
(Desplaines)  and  descend  to  the  sea." 

Father  Zenobius  Membre  wrote  of  La  Salle's  expedition :  "On 
the  21st  of  December,  1681,  I  embarked  with  Sieur  de  Tonty  and  a 
part  of  our  people  on  Lake  Dauphin  (Michigan)  to  go  to  the  Divine 
river,  called  by  the  Indians  Checagou  (Kankakee  and  Illinois),  in 
order  to  make  necessary  arrangements  for  a  voyage.  The  Sieur  de 
la  Salle  joined  us  here  (probably  at  Fort  Miami,  on  the  St.  Joseph 
river)  with  the  rest  of  his  troop  on  January  4.  1682,  and  found  that 
Tonty  had  had  sleighs  made  to  put  all  on  and  carry  over  the  Chi- 
cagou (Kankakee),  which  was  frozen,  for  though  the  winter  in 
these  parts  is  only  two  months  long  it  is  notwithstanding  very  severe. 
We  had  to  make  a  portage  (near  South  Bend)  to  enter  the  Illinois 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  39 

river  (Kankakee),  which  we  found  also  frozen.  We  made  it  on 
the  27th  of  the  same  month,  and  dragging  our  canoes,  baggage 
and  provisions  about  eighty  leagues  on  the  river  Seigueley  (Illi- 
nois), which  runs  into  the  river  Colbert  (Mississippi),  we  passed 
the  great  Illinois  towns  (near  Utica)  without  finding  any  one 
there." 

St.  Cosme  wrote  in  1699  that  on  his  journey  to  the  Illinois  coun- 
try he  passed  up  the  Chicagou  river  and  "put  up  for  the  night  about 
two  leagues  off  on  a  little  river  which  is  lost  in  the  prairie."  Very 
likely  he  put  up  at  the  cabin  on  the  South  branch  of  the  present 
Chicago  river,  perhaps  previously  occupied  by  Father  Marquette. 
The  next  day  he  "began  on  the  portage,  which  is  about  three 
leagues  long  (seven  and  one- fourth  miles),  when  the  water  is  low, 
and  only  a  quarter  of  a  league  in  the  spring,  for  the  little  lake  in 
spring  can  be  used,  but  not  when  it  is  dry,  to  reach  the  Des- 
plaines." 

The  successes  of  the  Iroquois  were  not  sufficient  to  extinguish 
the  claims  of  France  to  the  Illinois  country.  The  Illinois  colony, 
particularly  that  portion  on  the  Mississippi,  continued  to  receive 
many  desirable  settlers  from  both  Canada  and  Louisiana.  The 
vast  grant  to  La  Salle  in  1684  presumably  included  what  is  now 
Cook  county,  the  language  being  that  his  dominion  should  extend 
"from  Fort  St.  Louis,  on  the  Illinois  river,  into  New  Biscay 
(Durango)."  This  must  have  meant  all  included  within  the  colony 
of  Fort  St.  Louis,  and  if  so,  may  be  said  to  have  embraced  Cook 
county,  really  an  outlayer  of  that  settlement. 

Prior  to  1712  military  law  ruled  Louisiana,  and  therefore  the 
Illinois  colony,  the  latter  being  independent,  but  attached  to  the 
former,  which  was  a  dependency  of  New  France,  or  Canada. 
Tonty  was  the  first  military  commandant  of  the  Illinois  colony,  and 
as  such  was  both  chief  constabulary  and  chief  executive.  His  word 
was  law,  but  he  was  accountable  to  France  for  his  conduct.  It  is 
not  improbable  that  French  cabins  and  trading  posts  more  or  less 
continuously  occupied  the  traversed  portions  of  Cook  county,  par- 
ticularly at  the  spot  on  the  South  Branch,  where  stood  the  La  Tau- 
pine  cabin,  occupied  by  Marquette,  or  at  the  Calumet  portage. 
Owing  mainly  to  the  relentless  incursions  of  the  Iroquois,  Fort  St. 
Louis  was  abandoned  in  1702,  as  it  had  previously  been  abandoned 
in  1680  by  Tonty.  Swine  were  probably  introduced  into  the  Illi- 
nois colony  before  1700;  domestic  cattle  were  brought  here  in  1711. 
By  1700  scores  of  Frenchmen  and  missionaries  began  to  pass  be- 
tween Canada  and  Louisiana,  often  by  the  Chicago  route,  when  it 
could  be  done  in  safety.  Hardy  French  traders  and  devoted  mis- 
sionaries were  at  this  date  living  with  all  the  western  tribes.  The 
Illinois  country  began  to  send  down  the  Mississippi  boat  loads  of 
flour,  meal,  pork,  beef,  hides,  furs,  etc.  Already  it  was  famous  in 
Canada  and  France  for  the  beautiful  scenery,  temperate  climate, 
rich  soil  and  velvet  plains  teeming  with  wild  game. 


40  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

After  the  grant  of  Louisiana  colony  to  Anthony  Crozat,  in  1712, 
the  Illinois  country  became  a  part  of  Louisiana  and  the  latter  re- 
mained, as  before,  a  dependency  of  Canada.  The  grant  was  for 
fifteen  years;  it  lasted  but  two.  Crozat  was  succeeded  as  Gov- 
ernor of  Louisiana  by  Cadillac  in  1714,  and  he  by  L'Espinay  in 
1717.  From  1712  to  1725  the  Illinois  country  enjoyed  a  period  of 
pleasing  growth  and  prosperity.  Numerous  boats  with  thousands 
of  colonists,  traders,  voyagers,  missionaries  and  adventurers  passed 
back  and  forth  over  the  waters  between  Canada  and  Louisiana, 
the  Chicago  route  getting,  no  doubt,  its  share  of  the  travel.  The 
building  of  Fort  Chartres  in  1720,  on  the  east  side  of  the  Missis- 
sippi below  St.  Louis  by  D'Boisbriant  rendered  the  colony  safe  for 
women  and  firmly  and  permanently  established  French  settlements 
in  the  Illinois  country.  There  sprang  up  immediately  in  that  vicin- 
ity the  happy  and  prosperous  settlements  of  Prairie  de  Rocher,  St. 
Philippi  and  Cahokia.  The  Sulpetians  built  at  Cahokia  a  water-mill 
— saw  and  flour.  The  Western  Company,  which  succeeded  Crozat 
in  control  of  Louisiana  and  therefore  of  the  Illinois  colony,  con- 
ducted a  large  warehouse  at  Fort  Chartres.  The  fort  gave  abso- 
lute security  to  the  inhabitants  and  blocked  any  attempt  of  the 
English  to  gain  a  foothold  on  the  Upper  Mississippi.  The  Western 
Company  took  the  grant  of  Louisiana  (including  the  Illinois  colony 
and  Cook  county)  for  twenty-five  years — 1718  to  1742. 

At  the  commencement  of  the  Seven  Years'  War  the  French  held 
actual  possession  of  the  Mississippi,  though  the  English  claimed 
ownership  to  its  banks  at  the  south  and  also  at  the  north,  in  the 
valley  of  the  Ohio.  The  French  had  settlements  and  forts  at  St. 
Joseph,  Mich.,  and  along  the  Wabash,  the  Illinois  and  the  Missis- 
sippi, with  the  impregnable  Fort  Chartres,  just  built,  to  guard  the 
upper  courses  of  the  latter.  They  had  also  captured  Fort  Duquesne 
at  Pittsburg,  and  thus  practically  held  possession  of  all  the  terri- 
tory west  of  the  Appalachians.  The  English  prepared  to  assault 
at  four  quarters  along  the  northern  and  western  borders.  In  the 
Illinois  country  were  300  French  soldiers.  Captain  Villiers,  in 
1754,  was  sent  from  Fort  Chartres  with  a  detachment  to  assist  the 
force  at  Fort  Duquesne,  upon  which,  it  was  seen,  the  first  blow 
would  fall.  War  on  a  large  scale  and  in  earnest,  with  all  the  accom- 
paniments of  savage  barbarity,  was  now  to  settle  the  long  and 
vexatious  controversy  as  to  the  ownership  of  American  soil,  includ- 
ing what  is  now  Illinois. 

In  1757  Governor  De  Kerlerec.  of  Louisiana,  formulated  his  de- 
sign of  uniting  the  tribes  of  the  Mississippi,  combining  them  with 
available  French  forces,  and  marching  on  the  Atlantic  colonies,  in 
order  to  divert  them  from  the  projected  attack  on  Canada.  It  was 
wisely  concluded  that  while  the  British  forces  were  engaged  else- 
where, the  French  could  cut  the  colonies  in  two  down  the  Potomac 
valley,  and  thus,  with  an  attack  in  their  rear,  force  the  English 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  41 

from  concentrating  against  Canada ;  but  the  French  court  was  too 
impotent  to  take  advantage  of  this  plan,  and  accordingly  General 
Wolfe  came  from  the  Plains  of  Abraham  with  a  splendid  victory. 
However,  the  English,  under  Braddock,  were  terribly  defeated  near 
Pittsburg,  mainly  by  the  French  and  Indians  under  Capt.  Charles 
D'Aubrey,  of  Fort  Chartres.  Had  such  success  been  quickly  fol- 
lowed, as  it  should  have  been,  by  all  the  French  and  Indian  power  of 
the  West,  and  further  been  followed  by  a  prompt  advance  down 
the  Potomac  valley,  history  might  have  assumed  an  altogether 
different  finality.  The  Illinois  country  might  have  remained  to 
France,  and  hence  could  not  have  been  won  by  the  Colonies  in  the 
Revolution.  In  that  case  what  is  now  Cook  county,  Illinois,  might 
have  remained  a  dependency  of  France.  The  latter  might  not  have 
joined  the  Colonies  in  their  struggle  for  independence.  Indeed,  the 
Colonies  might  not  have  won  their  independence,  or,  if  they  had, 
might  not  have  obtained  the  western  country,  including  Cook 
county. 

Capt.  Thomas  Sterling,  on  behalf  of  the  British,  took  possession 
of  Fort  Chartres  and  the  Illinois  country  on  October  10,  1765,  and 
remained  in  command  until  Maj.  Robert  Farmer  took  charge  in 
December,  1765.  The  latter  was  succeeded  by  Col.  Edward  Cole  in 
1766,  and  he  by  Colonel  Reed  in  1768.  From  September  5,  1768, 
until  March  30,  1772,  Lieut.  Col.  John  Wilkins,  of  the  Eighteenth 
or  Royal  Regiment  (British),  was  military  commandant  of  the 
fort  and  the  Illinois  country,  but  at  the  latter  date  he  was  succeeded 
by  acting  Maj.  Robert  Hamilton  from  Fort  Pitt.  On  June  11, 
1772,  Hamilton  was  relieved  by  Capt.  Hugh  Lord.  The  latter  had 
two  companies  of  infantry  and  three  artillerymen  and  remained  in 
command  until  May  1,  1776,  when  he  and  the  most  of  his  troops 
were  recalled  to  Canada,  leaving  the  Illinois  country  exposed  to  the 
attacks  of  savages.  Called  away  thus  hurriedly  Captain  Lord  turned 
over  the  fort,  the  country  and  his  own  family  to  Phillippe  Francais 
de  Rastel,  Chevalier  de  Richeblave,  who  in  the  end  proved  to  be  the 
last  of  the  British  commandants  to  govern  or  control  the  Illinois 
country.  Rocheblave,  without  troops  money  or  official  authority, 
acquitted  himself  with  signal  distinction  until  the  country  was  cap- 
tured by  Col.  George  Rogers  Clark,  in  July,  1778.  Doubtless 
Rocheblave  was  left  in  command  because  he  was  acceptable  to  the 
French  residents.  He  certainly  had  the  confidence  of  Captain 
Lord,  who  left  his  family  with  him;  nor  was  that  confidence  mis- 
placed. In  all  the  arduous  trials  of  the  Revolutionary  period 
Rocheblave,  though  beset  with  dangers  and  enormous  expenses, 
proved  faithful  to  his  pledge  to  Captain  Lord  and  to  his  office 
under  the  British. 

From  1765  to  1768  the  Illinois  country,  though  included  within 
the  jurisdiction  of  Canada,  seems  to  have  had  no  regular  form  of 
government  except  that  of  the  commandant's  court;  but  on  Nov.  12, 


42  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

1768,  General  Gage  ordered  a  change.  Commissions  equivalent  to 
those  of  justices  of  the  peace  were  granted  to  seven  of  the  residents, 
French  and  English,  of  the  Illinois  country.  They  were  consti- 
tuted a  court  with  jurisdiction  in  all  cases  of  debt,  but  no  jury  was 
provided  for.  It  was  called  the  "Court  of  Enquiry,"  and  seems  to 
have  been  dominated  by  "The  Company,"  a  mercantile  institution 
of  Kaskaskia.  "The  Company"  was  composed  of  Boynton,  Whar- 
ton  and  Morgan,  the  latter  of  whom  was  president  of  the  "Court  of 
Enquiry."  The  proceedings  of  the  court  were  unsatisfactory  to 
the  French  inhabitants  and  a  small  rebellion  resulted.  The  inhabit- 
ants wanted  the  "Court  of  Enquiry"  to  be  conducted  by  the  military 
commandant  and  not  by  "The  Company." 

Rocheblave,  a  Frenchman  himself,  though  satisfactory  to  the 
French  residents,  proved  unsatisfactory  to  the  English  inhabitants. 
Though  as  a  whole  faithful  to  the  cause  of  Great  Britain,  he  was 
partial  to  the  French  residents  as  against  the  English.  Several 
English  traders  on  the  Illinois  river,  probably  at  Peoria,  petitioned 
against  him  to  Sir  Guy  Carleton,  commander  in  chief  of  Canada. 
It  was  declared  that  he  trampled  on  their  liberties,  despised  the 
English  and  their  laws,  acted  as  both  counsel  and  judge,  traded 
liquor  to  the  Indians  against  his  own  orders,  required  a  servile  sub- 
mission; yet,  although  these  charges  were  probably  true,  it  cannot 
be  denied  that  he  showed  great  skill  in  keeping  the  savages  in  sub- 
jection without  troops,  meeting  the  emergencies  in  his  trying  posi- 
tion without  money  or  resources;  keeping  the  Spanish,  whose  lan- 
guage and  intentions  he  knew,  from  taking  possession  of  the  coun- 
try, and  outwitting  the  rebellious  colonists  until  he  was  captured  by 
Colonel  Clark.  Generally,  his  course  was  satisfactory  to  the  Eng- 
lish authorities,  and  his  acts  were  approved.  He  made  his  head- 
quarters at  Fort  Gage,  Kaskaskia.  Had  Captain  Lord  and  the  two 
companies  of  troops  not  been  sent  away  at  the  commencement  of 
the  Revolution,  Colonel  Clark  could  not  have  captured  the  Illinois 
country.  The  latter  might  have  had  a  different  fate. 

After  the  Seven  Years'  war  the  territory  east  of  the  Mississippi 
was  never  again  called  Louisiana.  Before  that  war  ended  France, 
perceiving  that  she  might  lose  all  her  American  possessions  unless 
Spain  joined  her,  entered  into  a  secret  agreement  with  her,  called 
the  "Family  Compact,"  whereby  the  latter,  should  she  lose  the 
Floridas  or  Cuba  to  England  as  a  result  of  the  alliance,  would  be 
recompensed  by  the  transfer  to  her  of  Louisiana.  But,  as  a  result 
of  the  war,  France  having  lost  to  England  that  part  of  Louisiana 
east  of  the  Mississippi,  and  Spain  having  lost  Cuba  and  Florida, 
therefore  that  part  of  Louisiana  west  of  the  Mississippi  was  ceded 
by  France  to  Spain.  Thus  what  is  now  Cook  county,  Illinois,  passed 
from  France  to  England  as  the  result  of  this  war. 

Upon  the  conclusion  of  peace  at  the  end  of  the  Seven  Years'  war 
the  English  as  soon  as  practicable  took  possession  of  all  the  French 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  43 

posts  east  of  the  Mississippi.  Many  Frenchmen,  unwilling  to  be- 
come English  subjects,  crossed  the  Mississippi  to  Spanish  territory. 
Taking  possession  proved  a  difficult  step,  owing  to  the  open  hos- 
tility of  the  Indians  and  the  repugnance  and  opposition  of  the  French 
inhabitants.  In  order  to  establish  British  authority,  it  was  found 
necessary  to  displace  all  French  civil  officers  with  English  ones,  and 
this  was  done.  But  the  Jesuits  had  so  much  influence  over  the 
Indians  and  the  French  inhabitants  that  the  hostility  to  everything 
English  continued.  Therefore,  as  a  last  act,  to  establish  British  rule 
and  authority,  all  the  Jesuits  were  expelled  from  what  may  be  called 
British  Louisiana — that  east  of  the  Mississippi,  which  included  the 
present  Cook  county,  Illinois.  Under  the  British  the  country  east 
of  the  Mississippi  and  north  of  the  31st  degree  of  north  latitude  con- 
tinued to  be  called  Illinois. 

Soon  after  the  accession  of  the  Western  country  by  Great  Britain 
she  proceeded  to  divide  Florida  into  two  sections — East  and  West — 
and  provided  each  with  a  suitable  government.  The  northern 
boundary  of  West  Florida  was,  in  1764,  extended  up  to  the  mouth 
of  the  Yazoo  river.  The  Illinois  country  seems  to  have  been  left 
without  a  provincial  government — seems  to  have  been  under  the  con- 
trol of  Maj.  Arthur  Loftus,  Governor  of  West  Florida,  or  his  sub- 
ordinate at  Fort  Chartres.  The  following  extract  taken  from  the 
Annual  Register  (English),  Vol.  VI.,  explains  the  status  of  the 
English  possessions  north  of  the  Yazoo  and  east  of  the  Mississippi, 
and  of  course  included  the  Illinois  country  and  what  is  now  Cook 
county : 

"The  readers  will  observe,  and  possibly  with  some  surprise,  that 
in  this  distribution  much  of  the  largest  and  perhaps  the  most  val- 
uable part  of  our  conquests  does  not  fall  into  any  of  these  govern- 
ments ;  that  the  environs  of  the  Great  Lakes,  the  fine  countries  on 
the  whole  course  of  the  Ohio  and  Ouabache  (Wabash)  and  almost 
all  that  tract  of  Louisiana  which  lies  in  the  hither  branch  of  the 
Mississippi,  are  none  of  them  comprehended  in  the  distribution. 
The  government  of  West  Florida  extends  in  no  part  much  above 
half  a  degree  from  the  sea.  Many  reasons  may  be  assigned  for  this 
apparent  omission.  A  consideration  of  the  Indians  was,  we  pre- 
sume, the  principal,  because  it  might  have  given  a  sensible  alarm 
to  that  people  if  they  had  seen  us  formally  cantoning  out  their  whole 
country  in  regular  establishments."  The  writer  complained  that  all 
the  territory  recently  acquired  north  of  the  Floridas  had  not  been 
included  in  either  East  or  West  Florida,  nor  in  any  of  the  colonies 
to  the  east. 

In  the  Revolution  the  Colonies  sought  to  gain  their  independence 
and  as  much  territory  as  possible.  England  owned  all  east  of  the 
Mississippi  and  Spain  all  west  of  that  stream.  Both  had  the  right 
to  navigate  its  whole  course.  France  had  been  mourning  in  sack- 
cloth and  ashes  ever  since  the  Seven  Years'  war,  for  the  loss  of  her 


44  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY      . 

American  possessions,  and  hated  England  with  intense  and  undying 
bitterness.  She  was  ready  for  any  step  to  humiliate  her  enemy, 
wound  her  in  a  vulnerable  part,  or  win  back  what  had  been  lost  in 
the  Seven  Years'  war.  Even  before  the  revolt  of  the  English  col- 
onies, France  had  intimated  that  she  would  assist  them  to  gain 
their  independence;  and  after  the  straggle  had  begun  she  openly 
helped  them  with  money,  munitions  and  encouragement.  She  form- 
ally joined  the  Colonies  by  treaty  of  alliance  dated  Feb.  6,  1778. 
She  repeatedly  urged  Spain  to  join  against  Great  Britain,  and  that 
country  would  have  done  so  had  not  conflicting  interests  in  America 
arisen.  Spain  soon  had  a  different  object  in  view.  She  owned  the 
right  bank  of  the  Mississippi  from  its  source  to  the  Gulf.  Above 
all  things,  she  wanted  to  secure  the  Floridas,  in  which  case  she  would 
own  both  banks  of  the  Lower  Mississippi,  and  therefore  believed  she 
could  control  the  navigation  of  that  stream.  She  also  wanted  the 
territory  east  of  the  Upper  Mississippi — the  same  that  France  had 
owned  before  the  Seven  Years'  war — which  included  the  Illinois 
country  and  what  is  now  Cook  county.  Owning  both  banks  of  the 
Mississippi  throughout  its  course,  and  owning  both  of  the  Floridas 
and  the  remainder  of  the  Gulf  coast,  she  would  have  not  only  un- 
doubted and  absolute  control  of  the  navigation  of  that  river,  but 
could  declare  the  whole  Gulf  a  mare  clausem  or  closed  sea — 
could  shut  all  other  countries  out  of  both  river  and  Gulf.  As  the 
war  progressed,  it  became  evident  that  the  Colonies  would  probably 
secure  not  only  their  independence,  but  all  the  country  east  of  the 
Mississippi  as  well.  When  this  eventuality  became  evident  Spain 
perceived  that  her  American  colonial  designs  were  certain  to  con- 
flict with  those  of  the  Colonies  after  the  war.  She  therefore  re- 
frained from  joining  the  Colonies  against  Great  Britain.  In  fact, 
on  May  8,  1779,  she  declared  war  against  Great  Britain,  but  did 
not  form  an  alliance  with  the  Colonies.  She  was  forced  to  take 
this  step,  in  order  to  forestall  the  Colonies  in  capturing  the  Floridas 
and  the  Western  country  and  to  take  advantage  of  England  while 
she  was  busy  with  her  rebellious  colonies,  and  while  the  Colonies 
themselves  were  unable  to  interfere. 

It  thus  came  to  pass  that  Spain  actually  conquered  the  Floridas 
from  Great  Britain  and  later  claimed  to  have  conquered  all  the 
upper  country  east  of  the  Mississippi,  including  the  Illinois  country 
and  what  is  now  Cook  county.  But  the  latter  claim  was  not  allowed 
by  the  United  States  after  the  Revolution,  partly  because  George 
Rogers  Clark  during  the  war  captured  the  Illinois  and  Wabash 
valleys  in  the  interest  of  the  Colonies.  What  Spain  really  did  in 
the  upper  country,  while  the  Colonies  were  struggling  in  the  Revo- 
lution, was  to  take  possession  of  Natchez,  establish  posts  at  Walnut 
Hills  (Vicksburg),  and  Chickasaw  Bluffs  (Memphis),  strengthen 
the  posts  and  the  settlements  in  the  Wabash  and  the  Illinois  country, 
take  possession  of  the  left  bank  of  the  Mississippi  opposite  Arkan- 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  45 

sas  post  and  capture  St.  Joseph,  Michigan,  and  the  Illinois  country 
by  an  expedition  from  St.  Louis.  In  all  of  these  movements,  the 
real  object  of  Spain  was  to  gain  the  Floridas,  and  both  banks  of 
the  Mississippi.  While  the  struggling  colonies  were  in  their  sorest 
straits  near  the  close  of  the  long  and  crushing  war,  Spain  coolly  and 
unhesitatingly  told  the  Colonies  that  the  only  obstacle  in  the  way 
of  her  joining  them  against  England  was  their  absolute  surrender 
of  the  right  to  navigate  the  Mississippi.  France  pointedly  and 
persistently  urged  the  Colonies  to  grant  this  demand.  In  this  dire 
extremity,  when  the  Colonies  were  hardest  pressed,  when  it  seemed 
that  another  supreme  effort  would  win  independence,  and  when  it 
was  believed  that  Spain  could  supplement  that  supreme  effort,  the 
Continental  authorities  came  within  an  inch  of  surrendering  their 
prized  and  invaluable  right  to  navigate  the  Mississippi.  They  knew 
that  if  they  won  their  independence,  their  domain  would  extend  to 
the  Mississippi  above  the  31st  degree  north  latitude,  and  that  by 
virtue  of  the  English  right  to  navigate  the  lower  course  of  that 
stream,  secured  by  the  treaty  of  Fontainebleau,  they  would  be  enti- 
tled to  navigate  the  lower  course.  In  the  absence  of  railroads  the 
Mississippi  was  the  only  outlet  to  the  ocean  the  Western  people 
possessed;  they,  therefore,  vehemently  declared  that  the  surrender 
of  their  rights  to  navigate  the  Mississippi  would  be  followed  by 
their  withdrawal  from  the  Union.  The  opposition  of  the  Western 
people  and  the  selfish  attitude  of  Spain — grasping,  unfriendly,  nar- 
row-minded and  treacherous — at  last  roused  the  Continental  Con- 
gress to  the  importance  of  immediate  and  specific  action,  and  there- 
upon they  passed  a  resolution  never  to  surrender  the  rights  of  the 
United  States  to  navigate  the  whole  course  of  the  Mississippi. 

Upon  the  conclusion  of  peace  in  1783,  England  ceded  to  Spain 
the  Floridas,  but  ceded  to  the  United  States  all  the  upper  country — 
all  north  of  West  Florida  and  east  of  the  Mississippi.  It  required 
a  half  dozen  years  before  Spain  relinquished  her  claim  to  the  upper 
country  east  of  the  river  (including  the  Illinois  country  and  Cook 
county)  ;  and  it  required  an  even  score  of  years  before  the  absolute 
right  of  the  United  States  to  navigate  the  whole  course  of  the  Miss- 
issippi was  finally  settled.  It  will  thus  be  seen  that  the  treaty  of 
1783  permanently  transferred  the  Illinois  country  and  Cook  county 
to  the  United  States. 

After  the  revolution,  much  truer  than  before,  the  right  to  navi- 
gate the  Mississippi  was,  in  the  absence  of  railways,  all  important 
to  the  Western  people.  The  Illinois  country  grew  rapidly  and  im- 
mensely. The  project  of  shutting  out  the  Americans  from  the  lower 
Mississippi,  or  of  surrendering  for  twenty-five  years,  as  was  pro- 
posed, the  right  to  navigate  that  course  was  declared  sufficient,  if 
carried  into  effect,  to  cause  the  Western  people  to  set  up  an  inde- 
pendent government.  Their  rights  were  not  interfered  with  except 
temporarily. 


46  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

The  treaty  of  October  27,  1795,  between  Spain  and  the  United 
States  established  the  southern  boundary  of  the  latter  on  the  31st 
parallel  of  the  north  latitude,  located  the  western  boundary  in  the 
middle  of  the  Mississippi,  extended  to  the  United  States  the  right 
to  navigate  the  whole  course  of  that  stream,  and  gave  the  latter  the 
right  to  deposit  merchandise  at  New  Orleans  for  three  years,  or  an 
equivalent  establishment  elsewhere,  if  not  at  New  Orleans  after 
that  date.  This  treaty  rendered  the  settlement  and  prosperity  of 
the  Western  country  both  certain  and  rapid.  The  interdiction  of 
the  merchandise  deposits  at  New  Orleans  in  October,  1802,  and  the 
failure  of  Spain  to  assign  an  "equivalent  establishment  elsewhere" 
again  roused  the  Western  people;  but  the  transfer  of  Louisiana  by 
Napoleon,  in  1803,  to  the  United  States  forever  made  the  Missis- 
sippi exclusively  the  property  of  the  latter  and  thus  removed  all 
clouds  from  the  commercial  sky  of  the  Illinois  country  and  Cook 
county. 

It  will  be  seen  that  the  tract  of  country  now  called  Cook  county, 
Illinois,  was  first  the  property  of  the  Indians — presumably  the  Mas- 
coutens,  then  the  Illinois,  and  then  the  Pottawatomies.  At  the 
date  of  exploration  France  claimed  it  as  a  part  of  New  France 
(Canada),  and  the  English  Atlantic  colonies  claimed  it  as  a  west- 
ward extension  of  their  grants.  But  France  perfected  her  claim 
and  thus  became  the  first  white  owner  of  Cook  county.  In  1684 
it  was  included  in  the  grant  to  La  Salle,  but  was  soon  freed  by  his 
early  death.  In  1701  the  English,  by  their  treaty  with  the  Iroquois, 
secured  a  claim  to  the  country  westward  to  the  Mississippi,  but  this 
claim  probably  extended  no  further  northward  than  the  Calumet, 
and,  therefore,  did  not  embrace  all  of  Cook  county,  though  it  did 
embrace  much  of  the  Illinois  country.  In  1712  this  county  was 
included  in  the  grant  to  Crozat ;  in  1714  it  passed  in  the  grant  to  the 
Western  Company,  which  in  1718  united  with  the  Eastern  Com- 
pany; and  in  1723  it  was  embraced  in  the  grant  to  the  Royal  India 
Company — all  French,  of  course.  From  1732  to  1763  it  remained 
under  the  immediate  government  of  France.  In  1763  it  passed  to 
England  as  a  result  of  the  Seven  Years'  war,  and  in  1783  was 
ceded  to  the  United  States.  It  was  claimed  by  Spain  at  the  close 
of  the  Revolution,  but  this  claim  was  never  seriously  considered, 
and  after  a  score  of  years  was  abandoned.  The  cession  of  Louisiana 
to  the  United  States  in  1803  settled  the  rights  of  the  latter  to  the 
Mississippi. 


THE   INDIANS 

IT  DOES  not  appear  that  the  Miamis,  except  perhaps  for 
short  periods,  ever  occupied  the  present  site  of  down- 
town Chicago.  Their  permanent  home  was  on  St.  Joseph 
river,  Michigan,  and  their  domain  probably  extended  as 
far  as  the  Little  Calumet,  and  therefore  may  have  embraced 
the  southern  part  of  Cook  county.  It  is  known,  however,  that 
the  Mascoutens,  who  were  closely  related  to  the  Miamis,  were 
early  at  the  mouth  of  the  present  Chicago  river;  in  fact  their 
domain  joined  that  of  the  Miamis  on  the  west.  It  is  probable 
that  the  occasional  attacks  of  the  Five  Nations  from  the  East 
may  have  driven  the  Miamis  to  the  present  Chicago  river  to 
live  temporarily.  It  is  known  that  before  1671  the  Miamis  and 
Mascoutens  occupied  villages  in  common  in  Wisconsin,  and  that  a 
portion  of  the  Miami  tribe  continued  to  live  there  as  late  as  1697. 
In  1699  St.  Cosme  and  his  associates  found  the  Miamis  at  Chicago 
(St.  Joseph,  Michigan),  where  there  was  a. mission  in  charge  of 
Fathers  Pinet  and  Bineteau.  Although  the  name  Chicago  is  here 
used,  reference  to  St.  Joseph  is  undoubted,  owing  to  the  fact  that 
Fathers  Pinet  and  Bineteau  at  that  date  had  a  mission  at  the  latter 
place  and  not  at  the  former.  In  1721  Charlevoix  wrote  as  follows: 
"Fifty  years  ago  the  Miamis  were  settled  on  the  southern  extremity 
of  Lake  Michigan,  in  a  place  called  Chicago,  from  the  name  of  a 
small  river  which  runs  into  the  lake,  the  source  of  which  is  not  far 
distant  from  that  of  the  river  of  the  Illinois."  This  reference  also 
is  to  St.  Joseph.  The  Kankakee  was  then  called  the  river  of  the 
Illinois,  near  the  head  of  which  the  St.  Joseph  river  had  its  source. 
The  Des  Plaines  at  no  time  was  called  the  Illinois.  The  Miamis,  it 
is  known,  were  then  located  on  the  St.  Joseph,  then  called  Chicago. 
A  little  later  the  Weas,  also  related  to  the  Miamis,  occupied  at  least 
a  part  of  the  present  Cook  county.  At  the  treaty  of  Greenville, 
August  3,  1795,  Little  Turtle,  chief  of  the  Miamis,  claimed  that  the 
domain  of  his  tribe  extended  westward  as  far  as  the  present  Chi- 
cago, but  the  Indians  usually  claimed  more  than  was  due  them. 
His  tribe  really  claimed  to  the  Calumet.  The  Illinois,  also  related 
to  the  Miamis,  at  times  no  doubt  occupied  the  present  soil  of  Cook 
county;  so  of  the  Kickapoos.  Still  later  the  combined  Pottawato- 
mies,  Ottawas  and  Chippewas  drove  the  Illinois  and  their  allies  from 
this  vicinity  and  kept  possession  until  they  were  dispossessed  by  ths 
whites.  All  of  the  tribes  mentioned  above  were  of  Algonquin  or 
Chippewa  stock,  and  were  thus  closely  related. 

47 


48  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

The  Treaty  of  Greenville,  concluded  at  Greenville,  Ohio,  August 
3,  1795,  between  the  United  States,  on  one  side,  and  the  Wyan- 
dots,  Delawares,  Shawnees,  Ottawas,  Chippewas,  Pottawatomies, 
Miamis,  Eel  Rivers,  Weas,  Kickapoos,  Piankeshaws  and  Kaskas- 
kias,  on  the  other,  provided  that  there  should  pass  to  the  United 
States  "one  piece  of  land  six  miles  square  at  the  mouth  of  the  Chi- 
cago river,  emptying  into  the  southwest  end  of  Lake  Michigan, 
where  a  fort  formerly  stood."  By  this  treaty  the  whites  were 
allowed  a  free  passage  "from  the  mouth  of  Chicago  river  to  the 
commencement  of  the  portage  between  that  river  and  the  Illinois 
and  down  the  Illinois  to  the  Mississippi."  The  above  tribes,  or 
portions  of  them,  as  above  stated,  had  claimed,  from  time  imme- 
morial, the  soil  at  what  is  now  Cook  county,  and  Chicago.  Several 
of  them  that  had  no  just  claim  to  this  tract  (Wyandots  and  Dela- 
wares) were  joined  in  the  treaty  in  order  to  forestall  any  subse- 
quent claim  against  the  Government. 

On  November  3,  1804,  the  Sacs  and  Foxes  ceded  to  the  United 
States  all  the  country  south  of  the  Wisconsin,  and  a  direct  line 
drawn  from  a  point  thirty-six  miles  up  the  river  to  Sakaegan  Lake 
(which  is  supposed  to  be  about  thirty  miles  from  the  shore  of  Lake 
Michigan),  thence  to  a  branch  of  the  Illinois  river.  But  this  was 
really  Winnebago  territory.  The  Ottawas,  Chippewas  and  Potta- 
watomies protested  against  this  sale  of  their  lands  by  the  Sacs 
and  Foxes. 

To  the  War  of  1812,  with  its  accompanying  influence  for  the 
worse  upon  the  Indians,  was  due  the  attack  of  the  Indians  at  the 
Lee  residence  and  at  Fort  Dearborn.  Charles  Lee  owned  a  farm 
on  the  South  Branch  about  four  miles  from  its  mouth;  his  house 
stood  on  the  northwest  side  of  the  river  and  was  first  called  "Lee's 
Place,"  and  later  "Hardscrabble."  Lee  himself  and  his  family  lived 
near  the  fort,  and  his  "place"  was  occupied  by  Liberty  White,  a 
Frenchman  named  Debou,  a  discharged  soldier  and  a  boy.  On 
April  6,  1812,  a  war  party  of  eleven  Winnebagoes  appeared  and 
killed  two  of  the  men,  the  other  man  and  the  boy  having  become 
suspicious  and  escaped  to  the  fort.  On  their  way  they  notified  the 
family  of  Burns,  living  on  the  river  at  what  is  now  North  State 
street,  of  their  danger,  and  a  squad  of  soldiers  was  sent  to  escort 
them  to  the  fort.  All  of  the  families  gathered  in  the  fort  and  the 
Indians  left  the  neighborhood.  This  ended  the  affair,  but  the  next 
two  months  the  Indians  hovered  around  and  the  whites  had  to  be 
on  their  guard. 

War  between  England  and  the  United  States  was  declared  June 
18,  1812,  and  on  July  16  Fort  Mackinac  was  captured  by  the 
enemy.  On  August  9,  a  message  with  news  of  the  war  was  received 
here  from  Gen.  William  Hull,  at  Detroit,  commander  of  the  West- 
ern Department,  accompanied  with  an  order  to  Capt.  Nathan  Heald, 
commander  of  Fort  Dearborn,  to  evacuate  the  fort  and  return  with 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  51 

his  command  to  Detroit.  Under  the  circumstances,  this  was  an 
insane  order  and  could  have  been  issued  only  by  such  a  timorous 
officer  as  General  Hull.  The  force  here  consisted  of  fifty-four  pri- 
vates, twelve  militiamen  and  three  or  four  officers,  and  in  the  fort 
were  about  a  dozen  women  and  twenty  children.  Captain  Heald 
presumed  upon  the  friendship  of  the  Pottawatomies  and  waited  six 
days,  until  about  four  hundred  of  that  tribe  had  assembled.  He 
expected  they  would  act  as  escort  to  his  charge  all  the  way  to 
Detroit.  On  the  13th  Capt.  William  Wells  arrived  from  Fort 
Wayne  with  thirty  friendly  Miamis  to  assist  Captain  Heald  on  his 
march.  All  of  the  ammunition  and  guns  not  needed  and  all  of  the 
whisky  were  destroyed  and  thrown  into  the  river  or  the  lake.  The 
destruction  of  the  liquor  greatly  inflamed  the  Indians,  and  was  one 
of  the  causes  that  induced  the  Pottawatomies  to  turn  against  the 
whites.  The  Indians  held  a  council  and  resolved  on  the  destruction 
of  the  garrison.  Notwithstanding  this  fact  was  made  known  to 
Captain  Heald,  and  notwithstanding  the  opposition  of  John  Kinzie 
and  the  friendly  Indians,  of  whom  there  were  several,  the  com- 
mander determined  to  obey  the  order  of  General  Hull  and  evacuate 
the  fort.  The  massacre  which  resulted  was  due  to  this  determina- 
tion and  not  to  any  necessity  to  evacuate.  Disobedience  of  the  order 
would  have  been  fully  justified  with  almost  certain  massacre  star- 
ing the  garrison  in  the  face  in  case  of  evacuation.  The  fort  could 
have  been  held  for  months,  or  until  relief  from  Detroit  or  else- 
where could  have  arrived.  Captain  Heald  undoubtedly  thought  the 
Pottawatomies  could  be  trusted  and  relied  upon  that  hope.  He  did 
not  seem  to  take  into  consideration  that  the  Indians  might  be  acting 
at  the  instigation  of  the  British,  and,  as  it  transpired  later,  this  was 
actually  the  fact,  but  the  determination  to  evacuate  was  carried  out. 
At  9  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  the  15th  all  marched  forth.  At  the 
head  were  fifteen  of  the  Miamis  and  the  other  fifteen  brought  up 
the  rear ;  between  were  the  women  and  children  in  wagons  and  on 
horseback;  and  around  them  were  the  regulars  and  the  militiamen. 
The  march  led  south  along  the  lake  shore.  On  the  west,  beginning 
a  little  south  of  the  fort,  was  a  sand  ridge  extending  parallel  with 
the  shore  far  to  the  south.  When  the  march  began  the  Pottawato- 
mies accompanied  the  party  as  a  supposed  escort,  but  when  the  sand 
ridge  was  reached  they  passed  to  the  west  side  of  it.  Concealed 
by  the  ridge,  they  hurried  forward,  and  about  a  mile  and  a  half 
from  the  fort  made  preparations  to  attack  the  whites  when  they 
should  arrive  near  the  shore  opposite.  Captain  Wells,  riding  in 
advance,  was  the  first  to  see  signs  of  attack  and  came  hurriedly 
back.  When  opposite  the  Indians,  the  latter  began  firing  from  their 
place  of  concealment  on  the  ridge  and  were  charged  upon  by  the 
troop,  and  the  fighting  became  brisk.  The  Indians  managed  to 
flank  the  whites  and  thus  reached  the  wagons,  and  there  the  slaugh- 
ter mostly  occurred.  The  Miamis  fled  at  the  first  attack  and  took  no 

Vol.  1—4. 


52  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

part  in  the  massacre.  Twenty-five  non-commissioned  officers  and 
privates  and  eleven  women  and  children  alone  escaped  the  slaugh- 
ter ;  all  the  rest  were  butchered.  The  survivors  were  surrendered  by 
Captain  Heald  upon  condition  that  their  lives  would  be  spared. 
Nearly  all  the  wounded  were  put  to  death.  The  Indians  engaged 
numbered  about  four  hundred.  Their  loss  was  probably  fifteen. 
Captain  Wells,  Ensign  Ronau  and  Surgeon  Van  Voohis  were 
among  the  killed.  The  former  was  horribly  mutilated,  his  head  cut 
off  and  his  heart  taken  out  and  eaten  by  the  savages.  That  this 
attack  was  at  the  instigation  of  the  British  is  shown  by  the  fact 
that  Captain  Heald,  the  commander,  after  he  had  recovered  from  his 
wounds  at  St.  Joseph,  was  delivered  to  the  British  at  Mackinac  and 
by  them  paroled.  Friendly  Indians  saved  several  whites  from  death. 
The  following  day  the  fort  and  the  agency  building  were  destroyed 
by  fire,  and  for  four  years  thereafter  lay  in  ruins.  So  far  as  known, 
the  bodies  of  the  dead  were  permitted  to  rot  where  they  fell. 

On  August  24,  1816,  the  Ottawas,  Chippewas  and  Pottawatomies 
residing  on  the  Illinois  and  "Milwakee"  rivers  and  their  branches, 
and  on  the  southwestern  parts  of  Lake  Michigan,  ceded  to  the 
United  States  "all  their  right,  title  and  claim  to  all  the  land  con- 
tained in  the  before-mentioned  cession  of  the  Sacs  and  Foxes,  which 
lies  south  of  a  due  west  line  from  the  southern  extremity  of  Lake 
Michigan  to  the  Mississippi."  They  also  ceded  the  following  tract : 
"Beginning  on  the  left  bank  of  the  Fox  river  of  Illinois,  ten  miles 
above  the  mouth  of  said  Fox  river;  thence  running  so  as  to  cross 
Sandy  creek,  ten  miles  above  its  mouth;  thence  in  a  direct  line  to 
a  point  ten  miles  north  of  the  west  end  of  the  portage  between  Chi- 
cago creek,  which  empties  into  Lake  Michigan,  and  the  river  Des- 
plaines,  a  fork  of  the  Illinois;  thence  in  a  direct  line  to  a  point  in 
Lake  Michigan  ten  miles  northward  of  the  mouth  of  Chicago 
creek ;  thence  along  the  lake  to  a  point  ten  miles  southward  of  the 
mouth  of  said  Chicago  creek ;  thence  in  a  direct  line  to  a  point  on 
the  Kankakee,  ten  miles  above  its  mouth ;  thence  with  the  said  Kan- 
kakee  and  the  Illinois  river  to  the  mouth  of  Fox  river;  and  thence 
to  the  beginning."  By  this  treaty  the  United  States  relinquished 
to  the  above  tribes  all  other  land  contained  in  the  aforesaid  cession 
by  the  Sacs  and  Foxes  lying  north  of  a  due  west  line  from  the 
southern  extremity  of  Lake  Michigan  to  the  Mississippi,  except 
reservations  in  Wisconsin.  This  treaty  of  the  Sacs  and  Foxes 
referred  to  did  not  touch  any  part  of  what  is  now  Cook  county ; 
its  eastern  boundary  was  in  part  the  Fox  river.  Two  of  the  Indian 
names  signed  to  this  treaty  of  1816  were  Black  Bird  and  Black 
Partridge. 

"In  1816  a  tract  of  land  bordering  on  Lake  Michigan,  including 
Chicago  and  extending  to  the  Illinois  river,  was  obtained  from  the 
Indians  for  the  purpose  of  opening  a  canal  communication  between 
the  lake  and  the  river.  Having  been  one  of  the  commissioners  that 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  53 

treated  for  this  land,  I  personally  know  that  the  Indians  were 
induced  to  believe  that  the  opening  of  a  canal  would  be  very  advan- 
tageous to  them,  and  that  under  authorized  expectations  that  this 
would  be  done  they  ceded  the  land  for  a  trifle." — (Governor  Ed- 
wards' Message.) 

On  August  19,  1825,  at  "Prairie  des  Chien,"  it  was  conceded  by 
the  United  States  that  "the  Illinois  Indians  have  also  a  just  claim  to 
a  portion  of  the  country  bounded  south  by  the  Indian  boundary 
line  aforesaid  (running  from  the  south  end  of  Lake  Michigan 
directly  westward  to  the  Mississippi),  east  by  Lake  Michigan,  north 
by  the  Menominee  country  (about  the  Milwaukee  river),  and  north- 
west by  Rock  river." 

In  1825,  and  before,  Alexander  Wolcott  was  Indian  agent  at  Chi- 
cago. He  had  granted  in  1823  and  1824  licenses  to  trade  with  the 
Indians  to  the  following  persons :  Jeremie  Clermont,  David  Laugh- 
ton,  Jacob  Harsen,  Isidore  Chabert,  Stephen  Mack,  Jr.,  Nathaniel 
Leonard,  Jr.,  Cole  Weeks,  John  Baptiste  Beaubien  and  Archibald 
Clybourn.  Clermont  was  at  Milwaukee,  Laughton  on  Vermilion 
river,  Harson  on  the  Kankakee,  Chabert  on  the  Iroquois,  Mack  on 
Rocky  (Rock)  river,  Leonard  at  Milwaukee,  Weeks  at  Grand  Bois 
and  Beaubien  and  Clybourn  at  Chicago.  Each  of  the  latter  had 
only  $500  of  capital  thus  employed. 

In  1828  occurred  the  Winnebago  Indian  alarm;  they  killed  a 
few  emigrants,  when  a  volunteer  force  overawed  them.  The  In- 
dian trade  was  the  only  good  trade  here  at  this  time.  Alexander 
Wolcott  was  Indian  agent  in  1827  at  Chicago;  Stephen  Mack  on 
Rock  river,  Archibald  Clybourn,  by  a  substitute,  on  Rock  river; 
Elisha  Taylor  at  Milwaukee,  George  Hunt  on  Rock  river,  and 
Clermont  Lauzon  at  Milwaukee.  In  1829  the  superintendency  of 
Indian  affairs  of  Michigan  territory  embraced  Chicago,  and  the 
latter  included  all  the  country  along  Lake  Michigan  from  Milwau- 
kee to  Grand  river  in  Michigan.  Alexander  Doyle  was  sub-agent 
of  Indians  at  Chicago  in  1829.  At  this  date  there  was  an  aggrega- 
tion of  105  soldiers  at  Fort  Dearborn  under  Major  Fowle;  they 
were  two  companies  of  the  Fifth  infantry. 

By  the  treaty  of  July  29,  1829,  held  at  "Prairie  de  Chien"  with 
the  Chippewa,  Ottawa  and  Pottawatomie  Indians,  the  United  States 
secured  the  following  tract:  "Beginning  on  the  western  shore  of 
Lake  Michigan  at  the  northeast  corner  of  the  field  of  Antoine  Ouil- 
mette,  who  lives  near  Gross  Point,  about  twelve  miles  north  of 
Chicago;  thence  running  due  west  to  Rock  river;  thence  down 
said  river  to  where  a  line  drawn  due  west  from  the  most  southern 
bend  of  Lake  Michigan  crosses  said  river;  thence  east  along  said 
line  to  the  Fox  river  of  the  Illinois ;  thence  along  the  northwestern 
boundary  line  of  1816  to  Lake  Michigan;  thence  northwardly  along 
the  western  shore  of  said  lake  to  the  place  of  beginning." 

From  this  cession  there  was  reserved  to  Billy  Caldwell  "two  and 


54  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

a  half  sections  on  the  Chicago  river  above  and  adjoining  the  line  of 
the  purchase  of  1816;  to  Victoire  Pothier  one  and  a  half  sections 
on  the  Chicago  river  above  and  adjoining  the  tract  of  land  herein 
granted  to  Billy  Caldwell ;  to  Jane  Miranda,  one  quarter  section  on 
the  Chicago  river  above  and  adjoining  the  tract  herein  granted  to 
Victoire  Pothier;  to  Archange  Ouilmette,  a  Pottawatomie  woman, 
wife  of  Antoine  Ouilmette,  two  sections  for  herself  and  her  chil- 
dren on  Lake  Michigan  south  of  and  adjoining  the  northern  bound- 
ary of  the  cession  herein  made  by  the  Indians  aforesaid  to  the 
United  States." 

It  was.  agreed  that  these  tracts  of  land  should  never  be  leased  or 
conveyed  by  the  grantees  or  their  heirs  to  any  persons  whatever 
without  permission  of  the  President  of  the  United-  States,  and  that 
the  United  States,  at  its  own  expense,  should  cause  to  be  surveyed 
the  northern  boundary  line  of  this  cession  from  Lake  Michigan  to 
Rock  river  as  soon  as  practicable.  The  commissioners  to  conclude 
this  treaty  were  John  McNeil,  Pierre  Menard  and  Caleb  Atwater. 
John  H.  Kinzie  (Indian  sub-agent),  Lieut.  Col.  Zachary  Taylor, 
Alexander  Wolcott  (Indian  agent),  and  Thomas  Forsyth  (Indian 
agent),  were  present.  At  this  treaty  there  were  paid  by  the  United 
States  for  Indian  depredations  the  following  claims :  To  Antoine 
Ouilmette  $800  for  damage  by  the  Indians  at  the  time  of  the 
Chicago  massacre  and  during  the  War  of  1812;  to  the  heirs  of 
John  Kinzie,  for  damages  at  the  Chicago  massacre,  and  at  St. 
Joseph  (Michigan),  during  the  War  of  1812,  $3,500;  to  Margaret 
Helon,  for  losses  at  the  Chicago  massacre,  $800,  and  to  James  Kin- 
zie, for  money  due  him,  $485. 

By  the  treaty  of  October  20,  1832,  at  Camp  Tippecanoe,  the 
Pottawatomie  Indians  ceded  the  following  tract  to  the  United 
States :  "Beginning  at  a  point  on  Lake  Michigan  ten  miles  south- 
ward of  the  mouth  of  Chicago  river;  thence  in  a  direct  line  to  a 
point  on  the  Kankakee  river  ten  miles  above  its  mouth ;  thence  with 
said  river  and  the  Illinois  river  to  the  mouth  of  Fox  river,  being 
the  boundary  of  a  cession  made  by  them  in  1816;  thence  with  the 
southern  boundary  of  the  Indian  territory  to  the  state  line  between 
Illinois  and  Indiana ;  thence  north  with  said  line  to  Lafce  Michigan ; 
thence  with  the  shore  of  Lake  Michigan  to  the  place  of  beginning." 
There  were  many  reserves  at  Little  Rock  village,  Twelve  Mile 
Grove,  Thorn  Creek,  Soldier's  Village,  Hickory  Creek,  Skunk 
Grove,  villages  of  Minemaung,  Mesheketeno,  Waisuskucks,  Sha- 
bonier.  It  was  provided  that  thereafter  annually  there  should  be 
paid  to  Billy  Caldwell  $600.  The  following  claims,  among  many, 
were  paid  by  the  Government:  Gtirdon  S.  Hubbard,  $5,573;  An- 
toine Le  Clerc,  $55;  Alexander  Robinson,  $91.;  Peter  Menard,  Jr., 
$37.  At  this  treaty  the  following  tracts  in  Cook  county  were 
reserved:  Section  7,  Township  37  north,  Range  15  east  (near  the 
mouth  of  Calumet  river)  ;  Section  8,  Township  37  north,  Range 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  55 

15  east  (also  near  the  mouth  of  Calumet  river)  ;  Section  33,  Town- 
ship 35  north,  Range  14  east  (near  Steger)  ;  Southwest  quarter  of 
Section  5,  Township  37  north,  Range  15  east  (near  the  mouth  of 
Calumet  river)  ;  Sections  31  and  32,  Township  36  north,  Range  14 
east  (near  Homewood). 

The  Black  Hawk  war  of  1832  only  indirectly  affected  Fort  Dear- 
born and  Chicago.  By  May  10,  of  that  year,  about  seven  hundred 
persons,  among  whom  were  213  women  and  children,  were  congre- 
gated in  Fort  Dearborn  for  protection.  The  men  here  with  guards 
out  remained  on  their  farms  to  care  for  the  stock,  etc.  Colonel 
Owen,  commander  of  the  fort;  Gholson  Kercheval  and  Colonel 
Hamilton,  extra  quartermasters,  did  all  they  could  for  the  comfort 
of  the  settlers.  From  fifteen  to  twenty  persons  were  crowded  often 
in  a  single  room.  The  Sauks  and  Foxes  sent  delegates  here  to  in- 
duce the  Pottawatomies  to  join  them  in  their  war  on  the  whites. 
They  brought  strong  pressure  to  bear  on  Billy  Caldwell,  chief  of 
the  Pottawatomies,  located  here,  and  upon  Alexander  Robinson, 
another  chief.  Finally  Colonel  Owen,  Colonel  Hamilton  and  Chiefs 
Caldwell  and  Robinson  held  a  council  with  them  on  the  North  side, 
on  which  occasion  Blackfoot  and  others  savagely  attacked  the  Gov- 
ernment for  the  wrongs  done  the  Indians  and  declared  that  now 
was  the  time. to  get  even,  and  the  young  braves  present  favored 
their  views.  But  Colonel  Owen,  in  a  dispassionate  speech,  showed 
how  such  a  course  would  react  upon  the  Indians  and  completely 
changed  the  tide.  The  Indians  retired,  consulted  and  finally  re- 
turned and  gave  their  hands  to  Colonel  Owen,  asserting  that  they 
were  friends  of  the  United  States  and  would  furnish  100  braves  to 
go  against  the  Sauks  and  Foxes.  Upon  hearing  this  conclusion  of 
the  Pottawatomies  and  their  allies,  the  Chippewas  and  Ottawas 
present  in  the  vicinity  of  Chicago,  the  delegates  of  Black  Hawk's 
band  departed.  If  the  latter  had  succeeded  in  inducing  the  former 
to  join  them  against  the  whites,  there  might  have  been  another 
massacre  at  Fort  Dearborn.  The  leading  men  here  visited  threat- 
ened points  within  twenty  or  thirty  miles  of  Chicago  and  assisted 
in  protecting  the  people.  Companies  of  militia  escorted  to  Chicago 
the  whites  gathered  at  James  Walker's,  near  Plainfield,  and  at 
Holderman's  Grove.  The  troops  here  joined  the  general  move- 
ment westward  against  the  Indians.  On  July  8,  Gen.  Winfield 
Scott  arrived  here  with  a  large  force  and  brought  with  him  what 
was  as  bad  as  the  Indians — the  cholera.  The  soldiers  who  died  of 
this  disease  were  buried  on  Lake  street  and  no  record  was  kept  of 
the  interments.  About  twenty  years  later,  when  excavations  in 
Lake  street  were  made,  their  bodies  were  discovered  and  removed 
to  the  City  cemetery. 

By  the  treaty  of  October  27,  1832,  the  Kaskaskia,  Peoria,  Mich- 
igamia,  Cahokia  and  Tamarois  Indians — all  of  the  Illinois  nation — 
ceded  to  the  United  States  all  their  claims  to  lands  in  Illinois  and 
Missouri. 


56  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

\ 

By  the  treaty  of  September  26,  1833,  concluded  at  Chicago  with 
the  Chippewa,  Ottawa  and  Pottawatomie  Indians,  the  claim  of  the 
United  States  to  the  following  tract  was  reaffirmed  and  made  per- 
manent, viz. :  "All  their  land  along  the  western  shore  of  Lake 
Michigan  and  between  this  lake  and  the  land  ceded  to  the  United 
States  by  the  Winnebago  nation  (Rock  river),  bounded  north  by 
Milwaukee  river,  and  on  the  south  by  the  line  running  due  west 
from  southern  point  of  Lake  Michigan  to  the  Mississippi — contain- 
ing in  all  about  5,000,000  acres."  The  Indians  were  removed  west 
by  the  provisions  of  this  treaty.  Mrs.  Mann,  daughter  of  Antoine 
Ouilmette,  other  children  of  Ouilmette,  the  Laframboise  children, 
the  Beaubiens,  Billy  Caldwell,  Billy  Caldwell's  children,  Alexander 
Robinson,  Joseph  Laframboise,  and  others,  received  cash  in  lieu  of 
reservations. 

On  September  26,  1833,  the  treaty  with  the  Pottawatomies  (about 
7,000)  was  held  on  the  North  Side  under  a  tent.  Thomas  J.  V. 
Owen,  George  B.  Porter  and  William  Weatherford  signed  the 
treaty  on  behalf  of  the  United  States.  The  Indians  ceded  all  their 
remaining  territory  in  northern  Illinois  and  Wisconsin — about  20,- 
000,000  acres.  The  Indians  were  mostly  encamped  in  the  woods  on 
the  North  Side,  but  a  large  band  was  under  a  cottonwood  tree  at 
Lake  and  State  streets.  Many  speculators  were  present.  'There  were 
scenes  enacted  which  it  would  be  no  credit  to  humanity  to  narrate. 
Quite  a  large  number  of  our  present  citizens  were  here  at  the  time 
of  the  treaty — (Annual  Review  of  Chicago,  1854).  The  Indians 
were  fleeced  by  the  whites  of  nearly  all  they  obtained  at  this  treaty. 

"NOTICE: —  The  Chicago  treaty  of  September  26,  1833,  having 
been  ratified  only  on  certain  conditions,  and  as  it  is  not  known  that 
these  conditions  will  be  assented  to  on  the  part  of  the  Indians : 
Therefore  be  it  known,  that  all  persons  presuming  to  settle  on  the 
ceded  tract  will  be  immediately  removed  therefrom." — (J.  V.  Owen, 
Indian  Agent,  August,  1834.) 

Mr.  Calhoun,  an  eye  witness,  thus  in  part  describes  in  his  paper 
the  payment  of  the  Indian  annuity  on  October  28,  1834:  "About 
$30,000  worth  of  goods  were  to  be  distributed.  They  assembled 
to  the  number  of  about  4,000.  The  distribution  took  place  by 
piling  the  whole  quantity  in  a  heap  upon  the  prairie  on  the  west 
side  of  the  river  near  the  corner  of  Randolph  and  Canal  streets. 
The  Indians  were  made  to  sit  down  upon  the  grass  in  a  circle 
around  the  pile  of  goods — their  squaws  sitting  behind  them.  The 
half-breeds  and  traders  were  appointed  to  distribute  the  goods,  and 
they  leisurely  walked  to  the  pile  and  taking  an  armful  proceeded  to 
throw  to  one  and  another  of  those  sitting  on  the  grass,  and  to 
whom  they  were  appointed  to  distribute,  such  articles  as  they  saw 
fit,  and  then  returned  to  the  pile  to  replenish.  Shortly  the  Indians 
began  to  show  an  anxiety  not  to  be  overlooked  in  the  distribution 
and  at  first  got  on  their  knees,  vociferating  all  the  time  in  right 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  57 

lusty  Indian  gibberish.  Then  they  rose  on  one  foot,  and  soon  all 
were  standing,  and  they  began  to  contract  the  circle  until  they 
finally  made  a  rush  for  the  pile.  I  saw  then  a  manner  of  dispersing 
a  mob  that  I  never  saw  exemplified  before  nor  since.  The  crowd 
was  so  great  around  the  pile  of  goods  that  those  who  were  back 
from  them  could  not  get  to  them  and  the  outsiders  at  once  com- 
menced hurling  whatever  missiles  they  could  get  hold  of,  literally 
filling  the  air  and  causing  them  to  fall  in  the  center  where  the 
crowd  was  the  most  dense.  These,  to  save  a  broken  head,  rushed 
away,  leaving  a  space  for  those  who  had  hurled  the  missiles  to  rush 
in  for  a  share  of  the  spoils."  This  statement  was  made  by  Mr. 
Calhoun  in  1854  upon  the  request  of  the  author  of  Annual  Review 
of  Chicago.  Indians  were  killed  at  every  distribution.  Only 
two  such  distributions  were  made  here. 

"On  Monday  of  last  week  the  Indian  annuities  were  paid.  Con- 
siderable drunkenness  among  the  Indians  was  observed,  but  we  are 
informed  that  this  evil  was  greatly  diminished  from  the  last  year. 
A  number  died  while  here,  and  two  Indians  were  killed  by  being 
stabbed  by  others." — (Democrat,  November  5,  1834.) 

"The  agents  of  the  United  States  are  now  paying  the  Indians 
at  this  place.  The  number  here  has  been  estimated  at  from  2,000 
to  4,000,  and  a  more  motley  group  eye  never  beheld.  Yesterday 
they  had  a  dance  through  some  of  the  principal  streets  around  the 
star  spangled  banner.  Their  clothing  is  of  every  color,  bright  red 
predominating;  and  bedizened  with  bracelets,  ribbons  and  feathers, 
they  presented  a  scene  in  which  art  and  nature  were  strangely 
jumbled  together.  On  Monday  one  was  tried  by  his  tribe  for  the 
murder  of  a  squaw  and  sentenced  to  death.  He  was  shot  by  the 
chief  a  short  distance  from  town" — (Democrat,  August  19,  1835). 

During  the  summer  of  1835  the  Indians  were  removed  in  groups 
to  their  new  homes  west  of  the  Mississippi.  In  September,  Col.  J. 
B.  F.  Russell  advertised  for  forty  ox-teams  of  two  yoke  each  with 
which  to  remove  the  last  of  them.  With  these  wagons  and  teams 
he  started  about  October  1,  accompanied  by  about  fifteen  hundred 
Indians — men,  women  and  children — and  such  baggage  and  belong- 
ings as  they  possessed.  Thus  the  curtain  was  rung  down  on  the 
last  of  the  Indians  of  this  county. 

It  should  be  noted  that  the  tract  six  miles  square  at  the  mouth 
of  the  Chicago  river,  obtained  from  the  Indians  at  the  treaty 
of  Greenville  in  1795,  was  never  surveyed  and  its  boundaries  de- 
fined and  marked.  The  object  of  the  United  States  for  the  loca- 
tion of  a  fort  at  the  mouth  of  the  river  was  attained  when  this 
cession  was  secured,  and  to  the  future  was  left  its  survey  if  needed. 
It  was  not  needed,  because  the  treaty  of  1816  affirmed  the  grant 
of  the  six-acre  tract  by  including  it  in  a  much  larger  cession. 


COOK    COUNTY     BEFORE    ITS     FORMATION— THE 
NORTHERN   BOUNDARY— HURON  COUNTY- 
LAND  SURVEYS,  ETC. 

THE  Colony  of  Virginia  was  very  active,  both  before  and 
during  the  Revolution,  in  pushing  its  claims  to  the  West- 
ern country.  The  establishment  of  Fort  Pitt  was  really 
a  movement  of  the  Virginia  colony.  So  was  the  grant 
to  the  Ohio  Company  of  a  large  tract  at  or  near  the  present  Louis- 
ville. Kentucky  itself  was  mainly  a  Virginia  settlement.  The 
movement  of  Capt.  James  Willing  down  the  Ohio  and  Mississippi 
rivers,  early  in  1778,  was  primarily  in  the  interest  of  the  Vir- 
ginia colony.  The  expedition  of  George  Rogers  Clark  a  few 
months  later  had  the  same  origin — was  instigated  by  Virginia 
in  the  interest  of  the  colonies  generally,  and  herself  in  particular. 
Thus  the  colony  was  active  in  placing  wide  claims  on  as  much 
of  the  Western  country  as  possible,  in  order  to  forestall  either  of  the 
other  colonies,  particularly  Pennsylvania.  This  design  held  good 
during  the  Revolution,  because  it  was  presumed  that  ownership  of 
the  Western  country  among  the  colonies  themselves,  whether  they 
gained  their  independence  or  not,  would  still  remain  open  for  settle- 
ment after  the  war. 

Nothing  whatever  concerning  the  boundaries  of  the  thirteen  orig- 
inal colonies  was  said  in  the  Declaration  of  Independence.  In  the 
Articles  of  Confederation  adopted  July  9,  1778,  it  was  provided 
that  "the  United  States,  in  Congress  assembled,  shall  also  be  the  last 
resort  on  appeal  in  all  disputes  and  differences  now  subsisting,  or 
that  hereafter  may  arise,  between  two  or  more  states,  concerning 
boundary,  jurisdiction,  or  any  other  cause  whatever."  The  Con- 
stitution of  the  United  States  adopted  September  17,  1787,  provided 
that  "the  Congress  shall  have  power  to  dispose  of,  and  make  all 
needful  rules  and  regulations  respecting  the  territory  or  other 
property  belonging  to  the  United  States."  On  October  5,  1778,  the 
Virginia  assembly  created  Illinois  county  by  the  following  act  in 
part: 

"AN  ACT  FOR  ESTABLISHING  THE  COUNTY  OF  ILLINOIS  AND 
FOR  THE  MORE  EFFECTUAL  PROTECTION  AND  DEFENSE 
THEREOF. 

"WHEREAS,  By  a  successful  expedition  carried  on  by  the  Virginia 
militia  on  the  western  side  of  the  Ohio  river,  several  of  the  British 
posts  within  the  territory  of  the  commonwealth,  in  the  country 
adjacent  to  the  river  Mississippi,  have  been  reduced  and  the  inhab- 

58 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  59 

itants  have  acknowledged  themselves  citizens  thereof  and  taken  the 
oath  of  fidelity  to  the  same;  and  the  good  faith  and  safety  of  the 
commonwealth  require  that  the  said  citizens  should  be  supported 
and  protected  by  speedy  and  effectual  reinforcements,  which  will 
be  the  best  means  of  preventing  the  inroads  and  depredations  of 
the  Indians  upon  the  inhabitants  to  the  westward  of  the  Allegheny 
mountains ;  and, 

"WHEREAS,  From  their  remote  situation  it  may  at  this  time  be 
difficult,  if  not  impracticable,  to  govern  them  by  the  present  laws 
of  this  commonwealth  until  proper  information,  by  intercourse  with 
their  fellow  citizens  on  the  west  side  of  the  Ohio,  shall  have  familiar- 
ized them  to  the  same,  and  it  is  therefore  expedient  that  some  tem- 
porary form  of  government,  adapted  to  their  circumstances,  should 
in  the  meantime  be  established ;  therefore, 

"Be  it  enacted  by  the  General  Assembly,  That  all  the  citizens 
of  this  commonwealth  who  are  already  settled,  or  shall  hereafter 
settle,  on  the  western  side  of  the  Ohio  aforesaid,  shall  be  included 
in  a  distinct  county,  which  shall  be  called  Illinois  county ;  and  that 
the  Governor  of  this  commonwealth,  with  the  advice  of  the  Coun- 
cil, may  appoint  a  county  lieutenant  or  commandant  in  chief  in  that 
county,  during  pleasure,  who  shall  appoint  and  commission  so  many 
deputy  commandants,  militia  officers  and  commissaries,  as  he  shall 
think  proper  in  the  different  districts,  during  pleasure,  all  of  whom, 
before  they  enter  into  office,  shall  take  the  oath  of  fidelity  to  this 
commonwealth  and  the  oath  of  office  according  to  the  form  of 
their  own  religion,  which  the  inhabitants  shall  fully  and  to  all 
intents  and  purposes  enjoy,  together  with  all  their  civil  rights 
and  property." — (October,  1778,  3rd  of  Commonwealth,  Chapter 
XXI,  page  552,  Vol.  9,  Pfenning's  Statutes  at  Large.) 

The  act  continued  and  made  full  provision  for  the  care  of  the 
people,  as  well  as  the  wilderness  and  remoteness  of  the  county 
permitted.  Civil  officers  were  to  be  chosen  by  a  majority  of  the 
people,  and  the  militia  was  to  be  organized.  Col.  John  Todd  was, 
by  act  of  the  Assembly  of  Virginia,  on  December  12,  1778, 
appointed  county  lieutenant  or  commandant  of  Illinois  county. 
The  county  of  Illinois  was  created  as  soon  as  practicable  after 
it  was  learned  that  Col.  George  Rogers  Clark  had  captured  the 
Illinois  country.  Colonel  Todd  was  thus  instructed  by  Gov.  Patrick 
Henry  of  Virginia — "Consider  yourself  as  at  the  head  of  the  civil 
department  and  as  such  having  the  command  of  the  militia,  who 
are  not  to  be  under  the  command  of  the  military,  until  ordered 
out  by  the  civil  authority,  and  act  in  conjunction  with  them." 

The  county  organization  in  Virginia  was  in  imitation  of  the 
English  shire  system — in  reality  a  sort  of  microcosm  of  the  state. 
The  chief  officer  was  the  county  lieutenant,  who  was  first  denomi- 
nated "commander  of  plantations"  with  authority  over  certain 
territory.  In  England  this  office  was  usually  occupied  by  a  knight 


60  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

and  hence  in  Virginia  "gentlemen"  were  usually  found  in  such 
positions.  His  powers  were  more  executive  than  judicial  and  he 
was  held  responsible  for  the  faithful  administration  of  county 
affairs.  He  was  at  the  head  of  the  militia  and  could  order  them 
out. 

Congress  by  act  of  September  6,  1780,  recommended  that  states 
having  claims  to  "waste  and  unappropriated  lands  in  the  western 
country"  should  cede  to  the  United  States  for  the  common  benefit 
of  the  Union  a  liberal  portion  of  such  claims.  In  response  to  this 
recommendation  the  state  of  Virginia  did  on  January  2,  1781,  pass 
an  act  to  surrender  all  its  right,  title  and  claim  to  the  territory 
northwest  of  the  river  Ohio,  subject  to  conditions  as  follows : 
1. — That  the  territory  so  ceded  should  be  laid  out  into  inde- 
pendent states.  2. — That  Virginia  should  be  reimbursed  for  redu- 
cing the  British  posts  at  the  Kaskaskias  and  St.  Vincents  (Vin- 
cennes)  and  for  her  subsequent  expense  in  maintaining  the  garrisons 
and  supporting  the  civil  government  there,  etc.  3. — That  the 
French  and  Canadians  there  should  be  secured  in  their  possessions. 
4. — That  as  George  Rogers  Clark,  who  had  been  sent  out  by  Vir- 
ginia and  had  conquered  the  western  country,  had  been  promised 
a  gratuity  of  land,  he  and  his  soldiers  should  be  given  a  grant  in 
said  territory  of  150,000  acres.  5. — That  certain  other  military 
claims  should  be  settled  by  the  retention  on  the  part  of  Virginia 
of  other  tracts  of  land  northwest  of  the  Ohio.  6. — That  the 
remainder  of  said  territory  should  be  devoted  to  a  common  fund 
for  all  the  states  alike.  7. — That  private  claims  of  individuals 
based  on  Indian  grants  to  any  part  of  said  territory  should  be  void. 
8. — That  all  the  remaining  territory  of  Virginia  should  be  guar- 
anteed to  that  state  by  the  United  States. 

New  Jersey  contended  that  the  demands  of  Virginia  concerning 
the  western  or  "crown  lands"  were  "partial,  unjust  and  illiberal." 
This  state  took  the  position  that  it  was  understood  at  the  outset 
by  the  thirteen  states  that  each  of  them  was  to  have  its  "just  and 
uncontrovertible  claim  to  its  full  proportion  of  all  vacant  territory." 
The  New  Jersey  Legislature  further  said  June  14,  1784:  "It  is 
particularly  disagreeable  to  have  occasion  to  trouble  Congress  with 
so  many  applications  on  this  head,  but  the  importance  of  the  sub- 
ject, the  danger  of  so  much  property  being  unjustly  wrested  from 
us,  together  with  its  being  our  indispensable  duty,  in  justification 
and  defense  of  the  rights  of  the  people  we  represent,  must  be  our 
apology ;  we  cannot  be  silent  while  viewing  one  state  aggrandizing 
herself  by  the  unjust  detention  of  that  property  which  has  been 
procured  by  the  common  blood  and  treasure  of  the  whole  and  which 
on  every  principle  of  reason  and  justice  is  vested  in  Congress  for 
the  use  and  general  benefit  of  the  Union  they  represent.  They 
do  therefore  express  their  dissatisfaction  with  the  cession  of  western 
territory  made  by  the  state  of  Virginia  in  January,  1781,  as  being 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  61 

far  short  of  affording  that  justice  which  is  equally  due  to  the 
United  States  at  large,  and  request  that  Congress  will  not  accept 
of  said  cession,  but  that  they  will  press  upon  the  said  state  to  make 
a  more  liberal  surrender  of  that  territory  of  which  they  claim  so 
boundless  a  proportion." 

"It  is  idle  to  talk  of  the  conquest  as  being  purely  a  Virginia 
affair.  It  was  conquered  by  Clark,  a  Virginian,  with  some  scant 
help  from  Virginia,  but  it  was  retained  only  owing  to  the  power 
of  the  United  States.  .  .  .  Had  Virginia  alone  been  in  interest 
Great  Britain  would  not  have  even  paid  her  claims  the  compliment 
of  listening  to  them.  .  .  .  The  revolutionary  war  was  emphatic- 
ally fought  by  Americans  for  America.  No  part  could  have  been 
won  without  the  help  of  the  whole,  and  every  victory  was  thus  a 
victroy  for  all  in  which  all  can  take  pride." — (Winning  of  the 
West. — Roosevelt.) 

It  was  shown  by  William  L.  May  in  Congress  in  1834-5  that 
the  westward  claim  of  Virginia  did  not  extend  as  far  north  as  the 
southernmost  bend  of  Lake  Michigan ;  the  grant  of  that  colony 
extended  two  hundred  miles  north  and  two  hundred  miles  south 
of  Point  Comfort.  New  York,  Connecticut,  Massachusetts  and 
Virginia  laid  claim  to  territory  northwest  of  the  river  Ohio. 

Congress  earnestly  recommended  to  the  states  of  Massachusetts 
and  Connecticut  that  they  do  without  delay  release  to  the  United 
States  in  Congress  assembled  all  claims  and  pretensions  of  claims 
to  the  said  western  territory  without  any  conditions  or  restrictions 
whatever,  and  declared  that  the  United  States  could  not  consistently 
"accept  the  cession  proposed  to  be  made  by  the  state  of  Virginia 
or  guarantee  the  tract  of  country  claimed  by  them  in  their  act  of 
cession,"  for  the  following  reasons:  1. — It  appeared  to  your  com- 
mittee from  the  vouchers  laid  before  them  that  all  the  lands  ceded 
or  pretended  to  be  ceded  to  the  United  States  by  the  state  of  Vir- 
ginia are  within  the  claims  of  the  states  of  Massachusetts,  Connecti- 
cut and  New  York,  being  part  of  the  lands  belonging  to  the  said 
Six  Nations  of  Indians  and  their  tributaries.  2. — It  appeared  that 
a  great  part  of  the  lands  claimed  by  the  state  of  Virginia  and 
requested  to  be  guaranteed  to  them  by  Congress  is  also  within  the 
claim  of  the  state  of  New  York,  being  also  part  of  the  country 
of  the  said  Six  Nations  and  their  tributaries.  3. — It  also  appeared 
that  a  large  part  of  the  lands  last  aforesaid  are  to  the  westward 
of  the  west  boundary  of  the  late  colony  of  Virginia  as  established 
by  the  King  of  Great  Britain  in  Council  previous  to  the  present 
Revolution.  4. — It  appeared  that  a  large  tract  of  said  lands  hath 
been  legally  and  equitably  sold  and  conveyed  away  under  the  Gov- 
ernment of  Great  Britain  before  the  declaration  of  independence 
by  persons  claiming  the  absolute  property  thereof.  5. — It  appeared 
that  in  the  year  1763  a  very  large  part  thereof  was  separated  and 
appointed  for  a  distinct  government  and  colony  by  the  King  of 


62  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

Great  Britain  with  the  knowledge  and  approbation  of  the  gov- 
ernment of  Virginia.  6. — The  conditions  annexed  to  the  said  ces- 
sion are  incompatible  with  the  honor,  interests  and  peace  of  the 
United  States  and  therefore  in  the  opinion  of  your  committee  alto- 
gether inadmissible;  therefore, 

"Resolved,  That  it  be  earnestly  recommended  to  the  state  of 
Virginia,  as  they  value  the  peace,  welfare  and  increase  of  the  United 
States,  that  they  reconsider  their  said  act  of  cession  and  by  a 
proper  act  for  the  purpose  cede  to  the  United  States  all  claims  and 
pretensions  to  the  lands  and  country  beyond  a  reasonable  western 
boundary  consistent  with  their  former  acts  while  a  colony  under 
the  power  of  Great  Britain  and  agreeable  to  their  just  rights  of 
soil  and  jurisdiction  at  the  commencement  of  the  present  war,  and 
that  free  from  any  conditions  and  restrictions  whatever." 

Thus  in  the  end  Congress  agreed  substantially  to  grant  the  above 
demands  of  Virginia  from  Number  1  to  Number  6  inclusive, 
rejected  Number  7  as  unnecessary  in  view  of  the  acceptance  of 
Number  6,  and  refused  to  grant  Number  8.  The  Congressional 
records  show  that  the  members  of  Congress  generally  took  the 
same  view  of  the  Virginia  claims  that  New  Jersey  did.  The  debate 
on  the  subject  was  sharp  and  epigrammatic,  each  state  making  such 
claims  exhibiting  decided  jealousy  of  its  rights;  but  finally  a  diplo- 
matic or  conciliatory  course  was  pursued,  and  Virginia  and  the 
other  states  having  claims  to  distant  western  territory  were 
requested  in  the  interests  of  the  inhabitants  of  all  the  thirteen 
states  to  cede  such  claims  without  reservation  to  the  general  gov- 
ernment for  the  use  of  all.  While  placing  this  finality  in  the  form 
of  a  request,  Congress  did  not  surrender  the  right  of  the  govern- 
ment to  demand  for  the  use  of  all  the  people  the  possession  of  all 
territory  wrested  from  Great  Britain  by  the  united  efforts  of  the 
thirteen  states.  The  opinion  prevailed  that  the  territory  acquired 
outside  of  the  reasonable  boundaries  of  the  thirteen  states  had  been 
obtained  by  the  joint  efforts  of  all  and  should  be  disposed  of  for 
the  common  benefit  under  the  direction  of  the  government.  This 
conclusion  was  one  of  the  most  notable  of  the  early  surrenders  of 
the  doctrine  of  states  rights.  Virginia  assented  to  the  request  of 
Congress  by  Act  of  Dec.  20,  1783. 

It  was  proposed  in  Congress  on  July  7,  1786,  that  the  territory 
northwest  of  the  river  Ohio  should  be  divided  into  five  states — 
three  between  the  Ohio  and  Mississippi  rivers,  separated  by  lines 
north  and  south  through  the  mouths  of  the  Wabash  and  Big  Miami 
rivers  and  south  of  a  due  east  and  west  line  extending  from  the 
Ohio  to  the  Mississippi  rivers  and  passing  through  the  most  south- 
erly point  of  Lake  Michigan.  The  fourth  state  was  to  be  between 
Lakes  Huron  and  Michigan,  and  the  fifth  between  Lake  Michigan 
and  the  Mississippi  river. 

The  ordinance  of  1787,  passed  by  Congress  July  13,  1787,  pro- 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  63 

vided  that,  "It  is  further  understood  and  declared  that  the  boun- 
daries of  these  three  states  shall  be  subject  so  far  to  be  altered  that 
if  Congress  shall  hereafter  find  it  expedient  they  shall  have  authority 
to  form  one  or  two  states  in  that  part  of  said  territory  which  lies 
north  of  an  east  and  west  line  drawn  through  the  southerly  bend 
or  extreme  of  Lake  Michigan." 

The  Ordinance  of  1787  further  provided  that  the  Territory  of 
the  United  States  northwest  of  the  river  Ohio  should  for  pur- 
poses of  temporary  government  be  constituted  one  district,  subject 
later  to  be  divided  into  two  districts;  that  there  should  be  a  gov- 
ernor who  should  be  commander-in-chief  of  the  militia,  a  secretary, 
a  court  of  three  judges,  a  legislative  council  and  a  house  of  repre- 
sentatives. 

On  June  20,  1790,  Knox  county  was  created  with  the  following 
boundaries:  "Beginning  at  the  standing  stone  forks  of  the  Great 
Miami  river  and  down  the  said  river  to  the  confluence  with  the 
Ohio  river ;  thence  with  the  Ohio  river  to  the  small  stream  or  rivu- 
let above  Fort  Massac;  thence  with  the  eastern  line  of  St.  Clair 
county  to  the  mouth  of  the  Little  Michillimackinac ;  thence  up  the 
Illinois  river  to  the  forks  or  confluence  of  the  Theokiki  (Kanka- 
kee),  and  Chicago  (Desplaines),  thence  by  a  line  to  be  drawn  due 
north  to  the  boundary  of  the  territory  of  the  United  States,  and 
so  far  easterly  upon  said  boundary  line  as  that  a  due  south  line 
may  be  drawn  to  the  place  of  beginning." — (St.  Clair  Papers,  Vol. 
II.).  Knox  county  thus  embraced  the  present  Cook  county. 

By  act  of  May  7,  1800,  Congress  divided  the  Northwest  territory 
into  two  separate  governments — all  west  of  a  line  drawn  from  the 
mouth  of  Kentucky  river  to  Fort  Recovery  and  thence  due  north  to 
the  Canadian  line  to  be  called  Indiana  territory.  This  included 
Cook  county.  The  same  government  was  prepared  for  this  terri- 
tory as  had  been  prepared  for  the  Northwest  territory  in  1787. 
Saint  Vincennes  was  made  the  seat  of  government. 

By  proclamation  of  the  Governor,  February  3,  1801,  what  is 
now  Cook  county  was  embraced  within  the  new  limits  of  St.  Clair 
county,  the  following  being  the  language:  "The  county  of  St. 
Clair  shall  be  bounded  on  the  south  by  the  before-mentioned  east 
and  west  line  running  from  the  Mississippi  through  the  Sink  Hole 
Springs  to  the  intersection  of  the  north  line  running  from  the  Great 
Cave  aforesaid ;  thence  from  the  said  point  of  intersection  by  a 
direct  line  to  the  mouth  of  the  Great  Kennoumic  (Calumet)  river, 
falling  into  the  southerly  bend  of  Lake  Michigan ;  thence  by  a  direct 
northeast  line  to  the  division  line  between  the  Indiana  and  North- 
western territories:  thence  along  the  said  line  to  the  territorial 
boundary  of  the  United  States  and  along  the  said  boundary  line 
to  the  intersection  thereof  with  the  Mississippi  and  down  the  Mis- 
sissippi to  the  place  of  beginning."—  (Executive  Journal,  Indiana 
Territory,  Vol.  III.,  page  982.) 


64  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

Previous  to  the  formation  of  the  State  of  Indiana,  Congress  had 
carefully  observed  the  provisions  of  the  Ordinance  of  1787.  When 
that  State  was  admitted,  Congress  disregarded  and  extended  the 
northern  and  western  boundaries  of  the  state,  the  former  ten  miles 
north  of  the  east  and  west  line  through  the  southerly  bend  of  Lake 
Michigan.  "The  State  of  Illinois  subsequently  assented  for  a 
valuable  consideration  to  this  deviation  of  Congress  from  the  Ordi- 
nance so  far  as  related  to  the  western  boundary  of  Indiana  in  which 
alone  was  she  interested." — (Senate  Documents,  1st  Session,  XXIV 
Congress,  Vol.  III.) 

The  people  of  the  counties  of  Randolph  and  St.  Clair,  in  Indiana 
Territory  (which  included  Cook  county),  petitioned  Congress  in 
February,  1808,  that  they  were  called  upon  to  suffer  great  hard- 
ships by  the  failure  to  divide  the  said  territory  into  the  two  states 
provided  for  in  the  Ordinance  of  1787.  They  recited  that  "among 
the  disadvantages  they  state  that  the  inhabitants  of  their  two  large 
and  populous  counties  are  subject  to  be  called  from  one  hundred 
and  eighty  to  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles  through  a  wilderness 
(which  for  want  of  wood  and  living  water  must  long  remain  dreary 
and  difficult  to  pass  through)  to  attend  as  suitors,  witnesses,  etc., 
at  the  general  court,  which  is  held  at  Vincennes,  has  cognizance  of 
every  matter  in  controversy  exceeding  the  value  of  fifty  dollars." 
The  House  Committee  of  Congress,  to  whom  was  referred  this  peti- 
tion, reported  that  it  was  then  inexpedient  to  grant  the  prayer  of 
the  petitioners. 

The  question  of  dividing  Indiana  Territory  as  proposed  in  the 
aforesaid  petition,  was  again  considered  by  Congress  in  December, 
1808.  The  committee  of  the  House  decided  "that  as  the  majority 
of  the  citizens  desired  the  separation  it  was  deemed  advisable  to 
grant  the  same,  and  that  therefore  the  following  resolution  should 
be  adopted" :  "Resolved,  That  it  is  expedient  to  divide  the  Indiana 
Territory  and  to  establish  a  separate  territorial  government  west 
of  the  river  Wabash  agreeably  to  the  Ordinance  for  the  govern- 
ment of  the  Territory  of  the  United  States  Northwest  of  the  river 
Ohio  passed  on  the  13th  day  of  July,  1787." 

The  Act  of  February  3,  1809,  divided  Indiana  Territory  into 
two  distinct  governments.  The  Illinois  name  was  revived,  as  it 
was  dear  to  the  hearts  of  the  people.  "Illinois  country"  had  been 
its  name  since  the  first  French  invasion.  It  was  formed  of  all  that 
part  of  Indiana  Territory  lying  west  of  the  Wabash  river  and  a  line 
drawn  from  the  said  river  and  Post  Vincennes  due  north  to  the 
territorial  line  between  the  United  States  and  Canada.  Illinois 
state,  admitted  April  18,  1818,  was  bounded  as  follows:  East,  by 
the  Wabash  river  and  the  north  line  from  Vincennes  to  the  north- 
west corner  of  Indiana,  thence  east  with  the  north  boundary  of 
Indiana  to  the  middle  of  Lake  Michigan,  thence  north  along  the 
middle  of  Lake  Michigan  to  North  latitude  42  degrees  and  30 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  65 

minutes,  thence  west  to  the  middle  of  the  Mississippi  river,  thence 
down  the  same  to  the  mouth  of  the  Ohio,  thence  up  the  latter  to 
the  mouth  of  the  Wabash.  The  population  in  1800  was  215,  in 
1810,  was  12,282,  and  in  1820,  was  55,211. 

On  April  28,  1809,  Nathaniel  Pope,  territorial  Secretary  and 
acting  Governor,  created  by  proclamation  St.  Clair  county,  with 
the  following  boundary :  "All  that  part  of  Illinois  Territory  which 
lies  north  of  the  line  dividing  the  counties  of  Randolph  and  St. 
Clair  as  it  existed  under  the  government  of  Indiana  Territory." 
On  the  last  day  of  February,  1809,  Cook  county  was  embraced 
within  the  limits  of  the  New  St.  Clair  county. 

On  September  14,  1812,  Madison  county  was  created  as  fol- 
lows :  "Beginning  on  the  Mississippi  river  to  run  with  the  second 
township  line  above  Cahokia  east  until  it  strikes  the  dividing  line 
between  Illinois  and  Indiana  Territories;  thence  with  said  dividing 
line  to  the  line  of  Upper  Canada ;  thence  with  said  line  to  the  Miss- 
issippi; thence  down  the  Mississippi  to  the  beginning."  This 
description  embraced  the  present  Cook  county.  "I  do  appoint  the 
house  of  Thomas  Kirkpatrick  to  be  the  seat  of  Justice  of  said 
county  (Proclamation  of  Gov.  Ninian  Edwards,  Kaskaskia,  Sep- 
tember 14,  1812). 

By  Act  of  November  24,  1814,  Cook  county  was  included  in  the 
new  county  of  Edwards,  as  follows :  "Beginning  at  the  mouth  of 
Bonipart  (Bon  Pas)  creek,  on  the  Big  Wabash,  and  running  thence 
due  west  to  the  meridian  line  which  runs  due  north  from  the 
mouth  of  the  Ohio  river;  thence  with  said  meridian  line  and  due 
north  until  it  strikes  the  line  of  Upper  Canada;  thence  with  the 
line  of  Upper  Canada  to  the  line  that  separates  this  territory  from 
the  Indiana  territory;  and  thence  with  said  dividing  line  to  the 
beginning,  shall  constitute  a  separate  county  to  be  called  Edwards." 

Cook  county  was  included  in  Crawford  county  by  the  following 
Act,  approved  December  31,  1816:  "Beginning  at  the  mouth  of 
the  Embarras  and  running  with  said  river  to  the  intersection  of  the 
line  dividing  Townships  Nos.  3  and  4  north,  Range  11  west,  of 
the  Second  principal  meridian ;  thence  west  with  said  township  line 
to  the  meridian  and  due  north  until  it  strikes  the  line  of  Upper 
Canada ;  thence  to  the  line  that  separates  this  territory  from  the 
State  of  Indiana ;  thence  south  with  said  dividing  line  to  the  begin- 
ning, shall  constitute  a  separate  county  to  be  called  Crawford." 

The  Act  approved  March  22,  1819,  creating  Clark  county,  em- 
braced what  is  now  Cook  county,  as  follows:  "All  that  part  of 
Crawford  county  lying  north  of  a  line  beginning  on  the  Great 
Wabash  river,  dividing  Townships  8  and  9  north,  running  due  west, 
shall  form  a  new  and  separate  county  to  be  called  Clark." 

Pike  county  was  created  January  31,  1821,  with  the  following 
boundary :  "Up  the  middle  of  the  Illinois  river  from  its  mouth  to 
the  fork  and  up  the  south  fork  (Kankakee)  to  the  Indiana  state 


66  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

line;  thence  north  with  the  state  line  to  the  north  boundary  of  the 
state ;  thence  west  with  said  state  line  to  the  west  boundary  of  the 
state ;  thence  with  said  boundary  to  the  place  of  beginning."  What 
is  now  Cook  county  was  thus  embraced  in  Pike  county. 

Edgar  county  was  created  January  3,  1823,  bordered  on  Indiana 
and  was  twenty-four  miles  wide.  By  the  same  Act  "All  that  tract 
of  country  west  of  Edgar  county  that  is  not  attached  to  any  other 
county,  and  all  that  tract  of  country  north  of  said  Edgar  county  to 
Lake  Michigan"  was  attached  to  Edgar  county.  It  appears  from 
this  Act  that  the  southern  part  of  what  is  now  Cook  county  was 
attached  to  Edgar  county — probably  all  south  of  an  east  and  west 
line  through  the  most  southern  point  of  Lake  Michigan.  The 
remainder  of  the  present  Cook  county  was  attached  to  Fulton  county 
by  the  following  Act  approved  January  28,  1823 :  "Beginning  at 
the  point  where  the  Fourth  principal  meridian  intersects  the  Illinois 
river ;  thence  up  the  middle  of  said  river  to  where  the  line  between 
Ranges  5  and  6  strikes  the  said  river ;  thence  north  with  the  said  line 
between  Ranges  5  and  6  east  to  the  township  line  between  Town- 
ships 9  and  10  north;  thence  west  with  said  line  to  the  Fourth  prin- 
cipal meridian,  thence  south  with  said  line  to  the  place  of  beginning; 
and  all  the  rest  and  residue  of  the  attached  part  of  the  county  of 
Pike  east  of  the  Fourth  principal  meridian  shall  be  attached  to,  and 
be  a  part  of,  the  said  county  of  Fulton  until  otherwise  disposed  of  by 
the  general  assembly."  Chicago  is  referred  to  in  this  Act. 

Putnam  county  was  created  January  13,  1825,  with  the  following 
boundary :  "Beginning  at  the  point  where  the  township  line 
between  Townships  11  and  12  north  touches  the  Illinois  river;  thence 
up  the  river  to  the  south  fork  (Kankakee)  thereof;  thence  up  the 
said  fork  to  the  line  dividing  this  state  from  Indiana ;  thence  up  the 
said  line  to  the  northeast  corner  of  this  state;  thence  west  on  the 
north  boundary  thereof  to  the  range  line  between  Ranges  4  and  5 
east ;  thence  south  on  said  range  line  to  the  line  between  Townships 
11  and  12  north;  thence  east  to  the  place  of  beginning."  Putnam 
county  was  placed  in  the  first  judicial  circuit.  Nothing  in  the  Act 
was  said  about  Chicago. 

"By  one  of  the  provisions  of  the  Act  creating  Peoria  county, 
January  13,  1825,  all  the  country  north  of  that  county  and  north 
of  the  Illinois  and  Kankakee  rivers,  etc.,  was  attached  to  Peoria 
county.  No  part  of  Cook  county  was  ever  in  Peoria,  but  all  of  it 
was  once  in  Putnam  at  a  time  when  all  of  it  was  attached  to  Peoria 
and  when  the  Peorians  held  the  offices." 

"Peter  Cartwright,  of  Sangamon,  for  the  committee  on  internal 
improvement,  introduced  in  the  House,  in  1828-9,  a  bill  that  bore  no 
title.  In  making  up  the  journal  the  clerk  entitled  it — 'An  Act 
forming  the  counties  of  Chicago,  Pinckney  and  Brown.'  It  was 
read  twice,  sent  to  the  committee  of  the  whole,  and  reported  with 
amendments,  and  then  on  motion  of  Jonathan  H.  Pugh,  of  Sanga- 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  69 

mon,  was  laid  on  the  table,  where  it  remained.    As  originally  drawn, 

the  third  section  of  the  bill  would  have  created  the  county  of 

with  a  boundary  line  running  west  from  the  northeast  corner  of 
Township  41  north,  Range  14  east,  of  the  Third  principal  meridian 
(in  the  lake  near  Evanston)  to  the  northwest  corner  of  Township 
41  north,  Range  10  east  (near  the  village  of  Barrington)  ;  thence 
south  (on  the  line  between  the  towns  of  Palatine  and  Barrington) 
to  the  northwest  corner  of  Township  37  north  (now  in  the  northern 
boundary  of  Will  county)  ;  thence  east  to  the  northwest  corner 
of  Township  37  north,  Range  11  east  (one  of  the  Du  Page-Will 
corners)  ;  thence  south  to  the  southwest  corner  of  Township  35 
north ;  thence  east  on  the  township  line  to  the  east  line  of  the  state ; 
thence  north  to  Lake  Michigan  and  along  the  state  boundary  to 
the  place  of  beginning,  including  and  embracing  the  lands  covered 
by  the  waters  of  the  lake,  being  within  the  jurisdiction  of  the  state. 
In  the  original  bill  all  the  words  describing  this  county  have  been 
crossed  out,  and  over  them  is  pasted  a  slip,  evidently  the  amend- 
ment of  the  committee,  which  names  this  county  "Chicago."  The 
bill  attached  to  Chicago  county  considerable  adjacent  territory.  .  .  . 
It  may  be  that  the  failure  of  this  bill  can  be  accounted  for 
by  the  fact  that  the  Senate  had  passed,  and  the  House  was  then 
considering,  though  it  took  no  final  action  upon,  a  bill  for  "An  Act 
constituting  the  county  of  Michigan,"  which  county  would  have 
included  all  that  part  of  the  state  east  of  Fox  river  and  north  of 
the  Illinois  and  Kankakee  rivers." 

"During  the  first  session  of  the  Seventh  General  Assembly,  1830- 
1831,  there  was  presented  to  the  House  a  petition  from  Jo  Daviess, 
Putnam,  and  the  attached  parts  of  Tazewell  and  Peoria  counties, 
asking  the  formation  of  a  new  county.  Then  Joel  Wright  of  the 
Pike,  Adams,  Fulton,  Schuyler,  Peoria  and  Jo  Daviess  district  pre- 
sented a  petition  from  the  inhabitants  in  the  neighborhood  of  Chi- 
cago in  the  county  of  Peoria  praying  for  a  new  county.  On  motion 
of  John  F.  Posey  of  the  Fayette,  Bond,  Tazewell,  Montgomery  and 
and  Shelby  district,  it  was  resolved  that  a  select  committee  be 
appointed  to  lay  off  all  the  country  on  the  other  side  of  the  Illinois 
river  from  Peoria  county  to  Chicago  into  counties  and  to  report 
by  bill.  The  committee  was  composed  of  Posey,  Wright  and  Jona- 
than H.  Pugh  of  Sangamon.  To  the  same  committee  was  sent,  on 
motion  of  Posey,  after  its  second  reading,  a  bill  introduced  by 
Jacob  Ogle  of  St.  Clair  for  'An  Act  to  organize  the  county  of 
Columbia.'  This  select  committee  reported  a  bill  for  'An  Act  to 
create  and  organize  the  counties  therein  named,'  which  passed  the 
House.  It  was  amended  in  the  Senate,  the  House  concurring,  and 
became  a  law  January  15,  1831.  It  created  Cook  and  La  Salle, 
changed  the  boundaries  of  Putnam  and  added  some  territory  to 
Henry." 

"It  was  enacted  by  the  first  section  of  this  act,  that  the  country 

Vol.  1—5. 


70  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

within  a  line  commencing  at  the  Indiana  line  where  it  intersects  the 
line  between  Townships  33  and  34  north  (in  Will  county)  ;  thence 
west  to  the  southwest  corner  of  Township  34  north,  Range  9  east, 
of  the  Third  principal  meridian  (on  the  Grundy-Will  line)  ;  thence 
north  to  the  northern  boundary  line  of  the  state;  thence  east  with 
said  line  to  the  northeast  corner  of  the  state;  thence  southwardly 
along  the  state  line  to  the  place  of  beginning,  shall  constitute  Cook 
county  and  the  county  seat  shall  be  at  Chicago.  The  thirteenth 
section  of  this  act  attaches  to  Cook  all  the  territory  north  of  Cook 
county  and  parallel  with  the  lines  of  the  same  as  far  northwardly 
as  Rock  river.  This  act  gave  Cook  all  its  present  territory,  all  of 
Du  Page  and  Lake,  three  miles  now  at  the  east  end  of  McHenry  and 
about  two-thirds  of  Will." 

"The  original  bill  for  the  'Act  to  create  and  organize  the  coun- 
ties therein  named'  gave  Chicago  as  the  name  of  the  county  formed 
by  the  first  section.  In  the  second  section  it  is  provided  that  the 
boundary  line  of  La  Salle  county  shall  begin  at  the  southwest  cor- 
ner of  Chicago  county.  There  is  nothing  on  the  original  bill  to 
indicate  when  the  name  of  this  county  was  changed." — (The  above 
quoted  paragraphs  were  contributed  by  William  D.  Barge,  attorney, 
of  Chicago,  who  has  made  an  elaborate  and  special  study  of  early 
Cook  county  affairs.) 

"Notice  is  hereby  given  that  application  will  be  made  at  the 
ensuing  Legislature  for  the  erection  of  a  new  county,  to  be  taken 
from  the  counties  of  La  Salle,  Cook  and  Iroquois,  as  at  present 
organized." — (Ottawa  newspaper,  July  24,  1834.) 

By  act  of  January  12,  1836,  Will  county  was  created  with  the 
following  boundary :  "Beginning  at  the  northwest  corner  of  Town- 
ship 37  north,  Range  9  east,  and  running  thence  east  to  the  east 
line  of  Range  10,  thence  south  six  miles,  thence  east  six  miles,  thence 
south  six  miles,  then  east  six  miles,  then  south  six  miles,  thence  east 
to  the  state  line,  thence  south  to  the  Kankakee  and  down  the  same 
to  the  north  line  of  Township  31,  thence  west  to  the  west  line  of 
Range  9,  thence  north  to  the  place  of  beginning."  As  will  be  seen, 
this  division  cut  away  a  considerable  portion  of  Cook  county. 

By  act  of  January  16,  1836,  McHenry  county  was  created  witli 
the  following  boundary :  "Beginning  at  a  point  on  Lake  Michigan 
where  the  township  line  dividing  Townships  42  and  43  strikes  said 
lake,  and  running  thence  west  along  said  line  to  the  east  line  of 
Range  4,  east  of  the  Third  principal  meridian,  thence  north  to  the 
northern  boundary  line  of  the  state,  thence  east  to  Lake  Michigan ; 
thence  along  the  shore  line  of  said  lake  to  the  place  of  beginning." 
This  cut  off  another  large  slice  from  Cook  county. 

"During  the  session  of  the  Tenth  General  Assembly,  1836-37, 
there  was  presented  to  the  House  a  petition  from  Cook.  Will  and 
Kane,  praying  the  establishment  of  a  new  county,  and  it  was  sent 
to  a  committee  that  was  soon  afterwards,  at  its  own  request,  dis- 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  71 

charged  from  consideration  of  the  matter.  Then  John  Naper,  a 
county  member,  had  the  petition  sent  to  the  committee  on  Internal 
Improvements,  and  he  later  introduced  and  there  was  passed  a  bill 
for  the  formation  of  Michigan  county,  which  was  approved  March 
2,  1837.  It  provided  for  the  establishment  of  a  county  of  that 
name  out  of  that  part  of  Cook  lying  west  of  the  line  between  Ranges 
11  and  12  (all  of  the  town  of  Lemont,  the  county  of  Du  Page  and 
the  towns  north  of  it)  if  a  majority  of  the  voters  in  Cook  at  the 
election  therein  provided  for  consented  thereto,  but  they  did  not  do 
this,  so  the  act  failed  to  have  any  effect." — (William  D.  Barge.) 

"In  1838  a  scheme  to  make  four  counties  out  of  Cook  met  with 
some  favor,  and  committees  were  appointed  and  meetings  held  to 
promote  it.  One  county  was  to  have  nine  townships  out  of  the 
northwest  corner  of  Cook,  and  another  (Du  Page)  immediately 
south  of  this  was  also  to  have  nine  townships.  A  failure  of  the 
committee  to  meet  at  the  appointed  time  disconcerted  the  promoters, 
and  the  scheme  failed." — (Blanchard,  History  of  Du  Page  County.) 

Several  of  the  people  of  Cook  sent  to  the  Senate  of  the  Eleventh 
General  Assembly,  1838-39,  a  petition  praying  that  the  territory 
in  the  county  within  Range  9  (the  towns  of  Harrington  and  Han- 
over), and  the  west  half  of  Range  10  (Palatine  and  Schaumberg), 
be  annexed  to  Kane  county.  The  petition  went  to  the  standing  com- 
mittee and  was  never  heard  of  afterwards,  possibly  because  the 
passage  of  the  bill  for  the  creation  of  the  county  of  Du  Page  might 
be  considered  as  giving  sufficient  relief.  That  act  was  passed  upon 
petitions  from  Cook  and  Will  for  a  new  county,  and  was  approved 
February  9,  1839.  It  was  not  to  become  effective  unless  a  majority 
in  those  counties  voting  at  the  election  therein  provided  for  con- 
sented thereto.  The  result  of  the  election  took  from  Cook  county 
all  of  the  present  Du  Page  with  the  following  boundary:  Com- 
mencing on  the  east  line  of  Kane  county  at  the  division  line  between 
Sections  18  and  19,  in  Township  37  north,  Range  9  east,  of  the 
Third  principal  meridian,  pursuing  the  same  line  eastward  until  it 
strikes  the  Des  Plaines  river;  thence  following  the  said  river  up 
to  the  range  line  between  Townships  11  and  12  east,  of  the  Third 
principal  meridian;  thence  north  on  said  line  to  the  township  line 
between  Townships  40  and  41 ;  thence  west  on  said  line  to  the  east 
line  of  Kane  county;  thence  south  on  the  east  line  of  Kane  county 
to  the  place  of  beginning. 

An  unsuccessful  effort  to  create  a  new  county  out  of  Cook  and 
Will  was  made  before  the  Twelfth  General  Assembly  in  1840-41. 
The  people  in  Range  9  and  the  west  half  of  Range  10  in  Cook  asked 
the  Thirteenth  General  Assembly,  1842-43,  to  annex  that  territory 
to  Kane.  Others  in  Cook  asked  that  the  county  be  divided.  Some 
wanted  another  county  out  of  Cook  and  McHenry,  and  others 
asked  for  a  new  county  out  of  Cook  and  Will,  but  all  their  efforts 
failed.  Three  hundred  and  vwenty-five  citizens  of  Cook  petitioned 


72  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

the  Fourteenth  General  Assembly,  1844,  for  the  formation  of  a 
new  county,  and  three  hundred  of  Cook  and  Will  asked  for  another 
county.  Neither  petition  accomplished  anything.  The  next  effort 
to  divide  the  county  was  made  during  the  session  of  the  Seven- 
teenth General  Assembly,  1851,  and  it  failed. 

"To  the  Voters  of  Cook  County: 

"The  undersigned  voters  residing  in  the  territory  now  compris- 
ing the  towns  of  Schaumburg,  Palatine,  Barrington  and  Hanover 
beg  leave  respectfully  to  submit  the  following  facts  to  the  considera- 
tion of  the  voters  of  Cook  county,  and  in  view  thereof  to  appeal 
to  their  magnanimity  and  sense  of  justice  to  allow  the  people  of 
said  towns  to  be  relieved  from  the  inconvenience  they  now  endure 
by  detaching  the  said  towns  from  Cook  county  and  adding  them  to 
Kane  county.  1. — All  legal  and  political  business  of  a  county  is 
generally  transacted  at  the  county  seat.  The  average  distance 
from  such  towns,  in  a  direct  line  to  the  county  seat  of  Cook  county, 
is  about  thirty  miles  (by  traveled  route  it  is  still  more),  while  to 
the  county  seat  of  Kane  county  it  is  only  a  distance  of  about  sixteen 
miles — a  difference  in  distance  in  favor  of  Kane  county  of  about 
one-half — and  by  public  conveyance  the  difference  is  still  greater. 
2. — Most  of  the  business  of  Schaumburg  and  Palatine  and  nearly  all 
of  Barrington  and  Hanover  is  now  transacted  in  Kane  county.  At 
Elgin  and  other  points  on  Fox  river  our  milling,  mechanical  busi- 
ness, merchandising,  etc.,  are  done;  our  social  relations  and  interests 
are  also  mostly  with  the  people  of  Kane  county.  3. — The  west  line 
of  Hanover  and  Barrington  is  from  half  to  one  and  a  half  miles 
east  of  Fox  river,  to  which  river,  as  is  usual  in  such  cases,  the 
trade  and  commerce  of  a  belt  of  country  on  either  side  thereof 
naturally  tend ;  so  that  by  the  laws  of  trade  as  well  as  socially  the 
said  towns  ought  to  be  attached  to  Kane  county.  Toward  the  peo- 
ple of  Cook  county  we  entertain  none  other  than  friendly  feelings, 
and  were  it  not  for  reasons  enumerated  above — evils  to  us  arising 
solely  from  our  peculiar  position — we  should  never  consent  to  a 
separation ;  but  as  things  exist  our  wants  and  inconveniences  impel 
us  to  ask  a  separation,  and  in  this  manner  we  earnestly  solicit  the 
voters  of  Cook  county  to  be  just — to  do  with  us  as  they,  in  a 
similar  situation,  would  be  done  by,  and  vote  for  striking  off  said 
town  from  Cook  county,  March  16,  1853. 

John  Hill.  Charles  Merrifield.  Wm.  McNamara. 

G.  Rosenkearns.  George  E.   Smith.  John  Hammer. 

Luther  Herrick.  Simeon  Drake.  Terrence  Ryan. 

John  Herrick.  Nathaniel  Ballard.  C.  J.  Wiltzie. 

Artemas  Grave.  Samuel  Gould.  D.   C.  Adams. 

Peter  Bussett  B.  Morgan.  S.   S.  Hammer. 

John  F.  Cook  A.   Leatherman.  W.  Adams. 

O.  B.  Jerome.  P.  Hammond.  H.  Wilmarth. 

Abel  D.  Gifford.  A.   Spitzer.  M.  E.  Johnson. 

Guy  Adams.  W.  Woodworth.  S.  W.  Slaid. 

Benj.  Adams.  Cyrus   Butterfield.  Alexander  Jewell. 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  73 

L.  Hill.  N.  Alvord.  Henry  Schierding. 

Horace  Adams.  Jason  Alvord.  H.   H.   Gage. 

John  Guptail.  Chester   Babcock.  Cornelius  Jaquish. 

A.  H.  Johnson.  Thomas  De  Wise.  James    Smith. 

Ebenezer  Colby.  Simon  Quick.  A.  Harwood. 

E.   E.   D.   Wood.  R.   H.   Wiggins.  Lysander  Beverly. 

Thomas   S.   Clark.  George  Hammer.  Richard  Kelly. 

T.  Clark.  James  Schoonhoven.  R.  Y.  Perry. 

Morgan  S.  Johnson.  James  Jones.  S.  W.  Kingsley. 

John   Hubbard.  Robert  Gardner.  R.  Nute. 

John  K.  Hubbard.  George  W.   Waterman.         Isaac  Thomas. 

Daniel  Leatherman.  S.   R.   Sabin.  William  James. 

Charles  B.   Hawley.  Thomas  Schoonhoven.  J.  H.  Hawley. 

Daniel  S.  Jenck.  Joseph  R.   Stebbins.  George  T.  Waterman. 

E.  F.  Colby.  Joseph  Home. 

These  petitioners  secured  the  passage  of  the  Act  to  provide  for 
annexing  certain  towns  in  Cook  county  to  the  county  of  Kane, 
approved  February  12,  1853,  and  provision  was  made  for  a  vote 
upon  the  proposed  transfer  of  those  towns.  To  make  the  act  effect- 
ive there  was  required  a  majority  of  all  the  votes  in  Kane  and  a 
majority  of  all  those  in  Cook  who  voted  on  the  question.  The 
change  was  not  made.  The  bill  for  the  act  was  introduced  in  the 
House  by  Homer  Wilmarth,  of  Cook.  During  the  session  of  the 
Eighteenth  General  Assembly,  1853,  when  the  act  last  mentioned 
was  passed,  efforts  were  made  to  establish  a  new  county  out  of 
Cook  and  Will,  and  to  form  one  out  of  Cook,  Will  and  Iroquois, 
and  for  one  out  of  Will  and  Iroquois.  There  was  introduced  in 
the  Senate  a  bill  for  An  Act  to  establish  the  county  of  Columbia, 
and  for  other  purposes  therein  named.  It  was  read  twice  and  sent 
to  a  committee  that  was  afterwards,  upon  its  own  request,  dis- 
charged from  further  consideration  of  the  matter,  and  the  bill  was 
laid  on  the  table  and  never  taken  up.  The  act  that  created  Cook 
originated  in  the  House,  and  the  honor  of  selecting  the  name  belongs 
to  Samuel  Alexander,  of  Pope  county,  a  member  of  the  Senate, 
who,  when  the  bill  was  pending  there,  secured  the  adoption  of  his 
amendment  striking  out  Chicago  and  inserting  Cook.  The  name 
was  chosen  in  honor  of  Daniel  Pope  Cook,  Auditor  of  Illinois  Ter- 
ritory, Judge  of  the  Territory,  Attorney  General  of  the  State  and 
the  first  Congressman  elected  from  the  State." — (Ford,  History  of 
Illinois;  Davidson  &  Stuve,  History  of  Illinois;  Reynolds,  Pioneer 
History  of  Illinois.} 

Nathaniel  Pope  was  chosen  territorial  delegate  to  Congress  in 
1816.  To  his  determination  and  efforts  is  due  the  fact  that  Chicago 
is  in  Illinois  and  not  in  Wisconsin.  To  understand  the  force  of 
his  argument,  the  condition  of  affairs  at  that  time  must  be  consid- 
ered. The  Ordinance  of  1787  fixed  the  northern  boundary  of  Illi- 
nois on  the  east  and  west  line  passing  through  the  southern  extrem- 
ity of  Lake  Michigan,  thus  giving  the  state  no  lake  coast  except  at 
a  single  point.  There  were  no  railroads  in  those  days  and  it  was 
not  known  that  there  ever  would  be.  It  was  thought  that  com- 
merce would  have  to  depend  upon  water  for  transportation  and  that 


74  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

an  eastern  outlet  for  the  shipments  of  products  over  the  Great 
Lakes  would  be  of  vital  importance.  Indiana  had  succeeded  in 
having  its  northern  boundary  extended  ten  miles  to  the  northward, 
thus  giving  it  considerable  stretch  of  lake  coast.  Michigan  had  left 
an  abundance  of  coast  and  the  new  state  to  be  formed  in  the  north- 
west (Wisconsin)  would  also  be  well  supplied  in  this  regard.  But 
Illinois  had  none.  It  had  no  outlet  through  the  Great  Lakes,  but 
was  entitled  to  one  and  could  only  get  it  by  having  its  boundary 
extended  northward.  If  the  boundary  were  extended  northward 
only  ten  miles  it  would  come  near  passing  directly  through  Chicago 
and  would  cut  in  half  and  place  in  two  states  the  proposed  canal 
sure  to  be  built  connecting  Lake  Michigan  and  the  Illinois  river. 
The  proper  step  to  take,  therefore,  was  to  remove  the  northern 
boundary  far  enough  north  to  locate  both  Chicago  and  the  pro- 
posed canal  wholly  and  surely  within  the  State  of  Illinois.  That 
was  the  logic  of  the  situation.  It  was  sound  and  reasonable,  and 
it  won.  The  proceedings  in  Congress  are  interesting. 

"The  House  resolved  itself  into  a  Committee  of  the  Whole  on  the 
bill  to  enable  the  people  of  Illinois  Territory  to  form  a  constitu- 
tion and  state  government,  and  for  the  admission  of  such  state  into 
the  Union  on  a  footing  with  the  original  states.  Mr.  Pope  moved 
to  amend  the  bill  by  striking  out  the  lines  defining  the  boundaries 
of  the  new  state  and  to  insert  the  following: 

"Beginning  at  the  mouth  of  the  Wabash  river;  thence  up  the 
same  and  with  the  line  of  Indiana  to  the  northwest  corner  of  said 
state;  thence  east  with  the  line  of  the  same  state  to  the  middle  of 
Lake  Michigan ;  thence  north  along  the  middle  of  said  lake  to  north 
latitude  42  degrees  30  minutes;  thence  west  to  the  middle  of  the 
Mississippi  river ;  thence  down  along  the  middle  of  that  river  to  its 
confluence  with  the  Ohio  river ;  and  thence  up  the  latter  river  along 
the  northwestern  shore  to  the  beginning." 

"The  object  of  this  amendment,  Mr.  Pope  said,  was  to  gain  for 
the  proposed  state  a  coast  on  Lake  Michigan.  This  would  afford 
additional  security  to  the  perpetuity  of  the  Union,  inasmuch  as  the 
state  would  thereby  be  connected  with  the  states  of  Indiana,  Ohio, 
Pennsylvania  and  New  York  through  the  lakes.  The  facility  of 
opening  a  canal  between  Lake  Michigan  and  the  Illinois  river, 
said  Mr.  Pope,  is  acknowledged  by  every  one  who  has  visited  the 
place.  Giving  to  the  proposed  state  the  port  of  Chicago  (embraced 
in  the  proposed  limits)  will  draw  its  attention  to  the  opening  of 
communication  between  the  Illinois  river  and  that  place,  and  the 
improvement  of  that  harbor.  It  was  believed,  he  said,  upon  good 
authority,  that  the  line  of  separation  between  Indiana  and  Illinois 
would  strike  Lake  Michigan  south  of  Chicago  and  not  pass  west  of 
it,  as  had  been  supposed  by  some  geographers  who  had  favored  us 
with  maps  of  that  country;  and,  Mr.  Pope  added,  that  all  the  coun- 
try north  of  the  proposed  state  and  bounded  by  Lakes  Michigan, 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  ?5 

Huron  and  Superior,  and  by  the  Lake  of  the  Woods  and  the  Miss- 
issippi river,  must  form  but  one  state,  Congress  being  restricted  by 
the  Ordinance  of  1787  from  erecting  more  than  five  states  in  the 
Northwest  Territory.  This  motion  was  agreed  to  without  a  di- 
vision." The  House  Committee  to  consider  the  Illinois  bill  were 
Messrs.  Pope  of  Illinois,  Claiborne  of  Tennessee,  Johnson  of  Ken- 
tucky, Spencer  of  New  York,  and  Whitman  of  Massachusetts. 

In  January,  1850,  when  Nathaniel  Pope,  judge  of  the  District 
Court  of  the  United  States  for  the  District  of  Illinois,  died,  the  bar 
of  Chicago  assembled  and  adopted  suitable  resolutions,  one  of  which 
was  as  follows :  "Resolved,  That  we  recur  with  high  and  honorable 
pride  to  the  period  when,  as  a  delegate  in  Congress  from  the  then 
Territory  of  Illinois,  he  successfully,  struggled  to  embrace  within  our 
boundaries  the  land  lying  north  of  the  southern  border  of  Lake 
Michigan,  which  in  his  wisdom  he  foresaw  would  be  so  necessary 
to  the  future  greatness  and  prosperity  of  the  state." — (See  Daily 
Democrat,  January  26,  1850.) 

In  December,  1828,  there  was  laid  before  Congress  a  petition  of 
the  inhabitants  of  Galena  and  vicinity  to  the  number  of  one  hundred 
and  eighty-seven,  for  the  formation  of  a  new  territory  to  be  called 
Huron.  They  prayed  "that  the  line  passing  through  the  southern- 
most end  of  Lake  Michigan  to  the  Mississippi,  as  ordained  by  Con- 
gress in  1787,  be  reestablished  and  made  the  line  between  that  por- 
tion of  the  territory  northwest  of  the  Ohio  which  they  inhabit 
and  the  State  of  Illinois ;  and  that  they  be  stricken  off  from  the  terri- 
tory of  Michigan  and  erected  into  a  separate  territorial  government 
with  the  following  boundaries,  to-wit :  Commencing  where  the  line 
between  the  United  States  and  Canada  crosses  Red  river  of  Lake 
Winnipeg;  thence  up  said  river  to  Lake  Traverse  and  across  the 
portage  to  the  Big  Stone  lake ;  thence  in  an  easterly  direction  until 
it  strikes  the  Missouri  river;  thence  down  the  middle  of  said  river 
to  the  line  of  the  State  of  Missouri ;  thence  along  said  line  to  the 
Mississippi ;  thence  up  said  river  to  where  the  line  drawn  through 
the  southernmost  end  of  Lake  Michigan  west  to  the  Mississippi 
intersects  said  river;  thence  due  east  along  said  line  to  Lake  Mich- 
igan ;  thence  passing  through  the  middle  of  said  lake  to  its  northern 
extremity ;  thence  along  the  line  of  the  old  Territory  of  Michigan  to 
Lake  Superior  to  the  line  between  the  United  States  and  Canada; 
and  thence  with  said  line  to  the  beginning."  They  prayed  that  the 
seat  of  government  might  be  established  at  Galena. 

In  December,  1829.  the  House  of  Representatives,  Congress,  con- 
sidered the  division  of  Michigan  Territory,  and  after  ample  discus- 
sion passed  a  bill  to  that  effect  by  a  large  majority.  The  new  terri- 
tory was  to  be  called  Huron  and  was  to  be  located  west  of  Lake 
Michigan  and  north  of  Illinois  and  Missouri.  At  this  time  Mich- 
igan included  all  the  country  north  of  Illinois  and  east  of  the  Mis- 
sissippi ;  over  the  territory  west  of  that  river  there  was  no  govern- 


76  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

ment.  The  new  territory  was  to  be  bounded  east  by  the  center  of 
Lake  Michigan,  north  by  Canada,  west  by  the  Missouri  river  and 
south  by  Illinois  and  Missouri.  'Mr.  Biddle  presented  a  memorial 
of  the  Legislative  Council  of  the  Territory  of  Michigan,  praying 
that  the  integrity  of  the  territorial  limits  of  the  said  territory  may 
be  preserved  inviolate;  that  no  part  of  it  may  be  annexed  to  the 
contemplated  government  of  Huron ;  and  that  no  right  or  privi- 
lege whatever  may  be  taken  from  Michigan  as  a  territory,  which 
would  have  the  effect  to  impair  the  future  importance  of  Michigan 
as  a  state." — House  Journal,  second  session,  XXI.  Congress.) 

In  December,  1829,  a  memorial  from  the  inhabitants  of  Michigan 
Territory  west  of  Lake  Michigan  praying  for  a  division  of  the 
territory  was  presented  to  the  House.  About  the  same  time,  also,  a 
petition  was  received  from  the  inhabitants  of  Michillimackinac 
praying  not  to  be  included  in  the  territory  asked  for  above.  The 
petitions  were  presented  by  Joseph  Biddle,  delegate  from  Michigan 
Territory.  At  this  time  (January  18,  1830),  Mr.  Duncan  presented 
a  petition  from  the  inhabitants  west  of  Lake  Michigan  praying 
that  the  northern  boundary  of  Illinois  might  be  established,  and 
that  a  new  territory  might  be  created,etc.  But  the  attempts  to 
change  the  northern  boundary  of  Illinois  and  to  form  the  Territory 
of  Huron  were  unsuccessful.  The  bills  introduced  in  Congress, 
though  meeting  with  some  favor,  were  permitted  to  die  in  commit- 
tee rooms. 

In  1840  there  was  made  an  effort  to  annex  all  northern  Illinois  to 
Wisconsin.  James  Duane  Doty,  Governor  of  Wisconsin,  favored 
the  plan.  He  said  in  a  letter  addressed  to  the  people  of  Wisconsin, 
and  dated  October  30,  1840:  "I  hope  no  inducement  which  may 
be  held  out  by  political  expediency  or  respect  for  a  government 
which  has  attempted  to  infringe  the  rights  of  a  state  (Wisconsin) 
which  had  no  voice  in  her  councils,  will  deter  us  from  proceeding 
to  frame  a  permanent  government  for  the  state  according  to  its 
constituted  boundaries."  He  had  before  said,  January  19,  1840,  in 
a  letter  addressed  to  several  in  northern  Illinois:  "My  doctrine 
has  been,  and  still  is,  that  if  Congress  saw  fit  to  establish  more  than 
three  states  in  the  territory  northwest  of  the  Ohio,  the  Ordinance 
of  1787  fixed  definitely  the  northern  boundary  of  the  states  bor- 
dering on  the  Ohio  river  on  a  line  drawn  east  and  west  through 
the  southerly  head  or  extreme  of  Lake  Michigan.  It  is,  therefore, 
lawful  for  these  (that  is,  those  living  north  of  the  line  last  afore- 
said), to  unite  with  the  people  who  occupy  the  other  portion  of  the 
fifth  state  (now  called  Wisconsin  Territory)  to  frame  a  state  gov- 
ernment for  themselves  according  to  the  articles  of  cession  con- 
tained in  the  Ordinance  of  1787.  This  right  is  paramount  to  any 
act  of  Congress.  The  public  debt  of  Illinois  is  enough  alone  to 
alarm  the  property  holders  in  every  part  of  the  state,  especially  the 
industrious  farmers.  Justice,  however,  I  think,  requires  that  pro- 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  77 

vision  should  be  made  in  the  constitution  of  the  new  state  for  the 
completion  of  the  canal  from  Chicago  to  the  state  line,  and  also 
the  improvement  of  the  navigation  of  Rock  river,  and  the  repay- 
ment of  a  fair  proportion  of  the  expense  incurred  by  Illinois  upon 
these  works.  A  proposition  so  equitable  I  cannot  but  believe  would 
be  acceptable  to  Illinois,  and  the  course  pursued  by  Wisconsin 
approved  by  the  world." 

Many  people  in  northern  Illinois  preferred  to  remain  with  Wis- 
consin and  favored  the  change  of  boundary.  On  July  6,  1840,  a 
convention  at  Rockford,  111.,  declared  that  the  fourteen  northern 
counties  in  Illinois  belonged  to  Wisconsin  and  proposed  a  conven- 
tion to  be  held  at  Madison  in  November  of  that  year  to  fix  the 
southern  boundary  of  Wisconsin.  In  1842  the  Territorial  Gov- 
ernor of  Wisconsin  sent  a  committee  to  the  Governor  of  Illinois 
informing  him  that  the  Illinois  jurisdiction  over  the  frontier  coun- 
ties was  accidental  and  temporary.  Much  excitement  ensued.  Wis- 
consin was  in  a  state  of  ferment  till  admitted  into  the  Union  in 
1848.  Congress  confirmed  the  boundary  of  1818. 

Northern  Illinois  was  principally  settled  from  New  York  and 
New  England.  A  little  later  Germans  from  Pennsylvania  came  in ; 
then  Irish  and  other  nationalities  of  Europe.  On  March  23,  1816, 
Mr.  Robertson,  from  the  Committee  on  Public  Lands  (H.  R.),  re- 
ported a  bill  to  provide  for  the  appointment  of  a  surveyor  for  Illi- 
nois and  Missouri  territories.  On  February  6,  1821,  Illinois  passed 
"An  Act  providing  for  the  running  and  marking  the  line  dividing 
the  states  of  Illinois  and  Indiana."  In  establishing  this  line  no 
notice  was  taken  of  the  surveys  of  the  public  lands,  nor  was  the 
intersection  of  these  public  surveys  with  the  state  line  noted,  so  as 
to  show  the  correct  fractions  and  subdivisions  of  the  public  lands 
on  each  side  of  the  state  line.  In  November,  1827,  the  Surveyor 
General  of  Ohio,  Indiana  and  Michigan  Territory  was  instructed  to 
connect  the  surveys  of  the  sections  caused  to  be  made  fractional  on 
each  side  of  the  state  line  with  the  line  itself.  This  direction  was 
not  complied  with,  whereupon  the  same  instructions  were  issued 
in  December,  1828,  to  the  Surveyor  General  at  St.  Louis  (for 
Illinois,  Missouri  and  Arkansas),  but  he  replied  that  no  surveyor 
could  be  found  to  do  the  work  for  the  price  allowed  by  law — three 
dollars  per  mile — to  retrace  the  old  line  and  connect  the  public 
surveys  with  the  state  line.  So  the  lands  could  not  be  offered  for 
sale.  Hence  the  law  of  Congress  to  relieve  the  situation.  Mr. 
Clarke,  of  the  Committee  on  Territories,  reported  a  bill  in  the 
House  in  January,  1830,  for  ascertaining  the  latitude  of  the  south- 
erly bend  or  extreme  of  Lake  Michigan,  and  of  certain  other  points, 
for  the  purpose  thereafter  of  fixing  the  true  northern  boundary 
lines  of  the  states  of  Ohio  and  Illinois. 

Congress,  in  1830,  passed  an  act  granting  preemption  rights  to 
settlers  on  public  lands.  Prior  to  January,  1831,  the  plats  and  sur- 


78  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

veys  of  lands  not  yet  offered  for  sale  were  not  filed  in  any  land 
office.  But  the  act  of  Congress  required  citizens  with  preemption 
rights  to  any  such  lands  to  avail  themselves  of  the  provisions  of  the 
law  previous  to  the  day  appointed  for  the  commencement  of  the 
sale  of  lands  in  the  district,  which  could  not  be  done  in  the  absence 
of  the  plats  and  surveys.  So  Illinois  asked  that  the  preemption 
law  be  extended  one  year — or  to  January  1,  1831.  In  1831  a  new 
land  district  north  of  the  line  dividing  Townships  21  and  22  north 
of  the  base  line  and  east  of  the  Third  principal  meridian,  includ- 
ing all  that  part  of  the  state  to  its  northern  boundary,  was  created, 
the  office  to  be  located  by  the  President.  The  Legislature  in  Jan- 
uary, 1833,  memoralized  Congress  to  grant  preemption  rights  for 
two  years  after  the  enactment  of  the  law  to  actual  settlers  on  the 
public  domain.  Congress  passed  an  act  on  March  2,  1833,  authoriz- 
ing the  President  to  cause  the  public  surveys  to  be  connected  with 
the  line  of  demarcation  between  Indiana  and  Illinois. 

The  Act  of  Congress  of  June  25,  1834,  authorized  the  President 
"to  cause  to  be  sold  all  the  lands  in  the  Northeast  Land  District  of 
Illinois  excepting  only  Sections  16  of  each  township  and  individual 
tracts  and  government  reservations."  This  Act  placed  the  Indian 
reservations  in  Cook  county  in  the  market.  In  1834  the  land  offices 
in  Illinois  were  at  Shawneetown,  Kaskaskia,  Edwardsville,  Van- 
dalia,  Palestine,  Springfield,  Danville  and  Quincy.  A  bill  creating 
a  surveyor  general  for  Illinois  alone  passed  Congress  early  in  1835 ; 
before  this  for  some  time  Illinois  and  Missouri  were  united  in  the 
surveyor. 

"Custom,  as  well  as  the  acts  of  the  general  government,  has 
sanctioned  the  location  of  settlements  on  the  unsurveyed  public  lands 
by  granting  them  preemption  rights  to  a  sufficiency  for  a  small  farm. 
Many  of  the  settlers  of  the  tract  now  offered  and  to  be  sold  on  the 
15th  inst.  came  to  the  West  and  made  their  locations  under  the 
implied  pledge  of  the  government  by  its  past  acts,  that  they  should 
have  a  preference  and  a  right  to  purchase  the  lots  on  which  they 
located  when  the  same  came  into  market,  and  at  a  minimum  price. 
We  trust  that  strangers  that  come  among  us,  and  especially  our  own 
citizens,  will  not  attempt  to  commit  so  gross  an  act  of  injustice  as 
to  interfere  with  the  purchase  of  the  quarter  section  on  which  im- 
provements have  been  made  by  the  actual  settler.  We  trust  for  the 
peace  and  quiet  of  our  town  that  these  local  customs  will  not  be 
outraged  at  the  coming  sale."  We  have  been  favored  with  the 
following  statement  of  the  amount  of  money  received  at  the  Land 
Office  in  this  place  since  the  same  was  opened : 

For  lands  entered  under  the  preemption  laws  from  May 

28  to  June  15,  1835 $  33,066.90 

Public  sale  from  June  15  to  June  30,  inclusive 354,278.57 

Private  entry  from  August  3  to  31,  inclusive 61,958.57 

Private  entry  from  September  1  to  30,  inclusive 10,654.71 


Total $459,958.75 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  79 

"We  do  not  believe  the  records  of  any  other  land  office  will 
exhibit  the  receipts  of  half  this  amount.  But  a  small  portion  of 
the  land  in  this  district  is  still  in  the  market.  Of  that  in  the  market 
scarcely  an  acre  of  good  land  remains  for  entry.  Facts  like  these 
show  more  conclusively  than  volumes  of  abstract  reasoning  or  in- 
definite statement  the  rapid  advance  of  this  section  of  our  state  in 
wealth  and  population." — (Chicago  Democrat,  October  7,  1835.) 

"NOTICE. — The  Commissioners  of  the  General  Land  Office  have 
requested  me  to  obtain  information  as  to  which  of  the  below  named 
locations  may  interfere  with  settlements  or  preemption  rights.  All 
persons  having  a  settlement  or  preemption  claim  on  any  of  said 
locations  are  requested  to  make  proof  thereof  without  delay  to  this 
office,  stating  the  time  of  their  settlement,  extent  of  their  improve- 
ment and  describing  the  tract,  and  attested  in  the  usual  manner. 

"JAMES  T.  WHITLOCK,  Reg. 

"Chicago,  January  27,  1836." 

The  Surveyor  General  of  Illinois,  located  at  St.  Louis,  reported 
January  30,  1836,  as  follows :  "First :  In  the  Northeast  District 
of  Illinois — with  important  exceptions,  all  that  part  of  this  district 
which  lies  south  of  the  old  Indian  boundary  lines  has  been  surveyed 
and  the  extensive  sale  effected  therein  during  the  past  season,  in  the 
townships  which  were  brought  into  market,  fully  sustained  my 
reports  of  the  19th  of  November,  1833,  and  the  16th  of  December, 
1834,  in  relation  thereto,  and  to  the  unsurveyed  lands  of  the  district 
I  therefore  again  recommend  that  all  the  exterior  boundaries*  be 
surveyed ;  and  that  all  the  fractions  adjoining  Lake  Michigan,  and 
as  many  other  townships  and  fractional  townships  as  will  be  equal 
in  the  whole- to  about  sixty  entire  townships,  be  subdivided,  which 
gives  for  this  district : 

Township  lines 1,056  miles 

Subdivisions  of  sixty  townships 3,600  miles 

Meanders  of  the  lake  and  navigable  rivers 300  miles 


Total 4,956  miles 

"This  estimate  includes  the  surveys  ordered  by  the  letters  from 
the  General  Land  Office,  dated  the  5th  of  August  and  the  14th  of 
November,  1835." — (E.  T.  Langham,  Surveyor  General,  Illinois 
and  Missouri.) 

In  1821  the  following  portions  were  surveyed:  Township  35, 
Range  13  ;Township  36,  Ranges  12,  13  and  14;Township  37, Ranges 
11,  12,  13  and  14;  Township  38,  Ranges  12,  13  and  14;  Township 
39,  Ranges  13  and  14;  Township  40.  Range  13;  and  Township  41, 

•Ceded  to  the  United  States  by  the  treaty  at  Chicago  of  26  September,  1833.  The  township 
lines  amounting  to  560  miles  directed  to  be  surveyed  by  the  commissioner's  letter  of  the  5th  of 
August,  1835,  and  the  townships  and  fractional  townships  (equal  to  about  51  whole  townships), 
making  with  the  meanders  3,100  miles  of  surveying  to  be  subdivided  after  the  breaking  up  of  the 
winter,  as  directed  by  the  commissioner's  letter  of  the  19th  December,  1836. 


80  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

Range  12.  In  1828  the  following:  Township  42,  Range  10.  In 
1834:  Township  35,  Ranges  14  and  15;  Township  36,  Range  15; 
Township  37,  Range  15;  Township  40,  Range  14;  and  Township 
41,  Range  14.  In  1837:  Township  38,  Range  15.  In  1838: 
Township  42,  Range  11.  In  1839:  Township  40,  Ranges  12  and 
13;  Township  41,  Range  13;  Township  42,  Ranges  9,  12  and  13. 
In  1840:  Township  41,  Ranges  9,  10  and  11.  In  1843:  Town- 
ship 39,  Range  12.  In  those  cases  where  the  same  territory  was 
surveyed  more  than  once,  as  in  Township  40,  Range  13,  the  later 
survey  was  made  because  of  inaccuracies  in  the  first  one. 

"In  Illinois  the  office  is  advised  of  the  survey  of  ninety-eight 
townships  and  the  fractional  townships  embracing  the  whole  of  the 
Pottawatomie  cession  of  October  20,  1832,  and  such  portions  of  the 
adjacent  cessions  as  had  not  been  surveyed,  thus  completing  the  sur- 
veys in  the  Danville  district  and  in  the  southern  part  of  the  Chicago 
district.  The  whole  of  these  surveys  can  be  brought  into  the  mar- 
ket next  spring.  Instructions  were  given  to  the  Surveyor  General 
in  August  last,  to  have  that  portion  of  the  lands  ceded  by  the  treaty 
of  1833  and  1834  with  the  Chippewa,  Ottawa  and  Pottawatomie 
Indians,  which  is  situated  in  Illinois,  run  off  into  townships,  and 
he  has  been  since  directed  to  subdivide  those  townships  into  sec- 
tions, preparatory  to  being  brought  into  market." — (Chicago  Dem- 
ocrat, February  24,  1836.) 


EARLY  COOK  COUNTY  AND  CHICAGO, 
1779-1840 

WITH  the  exception  of  the  French  cabin  at  Lee's  place, 
occupied  by  Father  Marquette  many  years  before,  the 
Garay  (or  Guarie)  cabin  or  stockade  on  the  North 
Branch  at  an  early  date,  and  a  possible  fort  or  stockade 
here  at  a  subsequent  period,  it  seems  clear  that  the  first  resident  of 
the  present  site  of  Chicago  was  a  colored  man  named  Jean  Baptiste 
Point  De  Saible,  who  lived  here  as  early  as  1779,  as  shown  by  the 
following  extract  from  a  letter  dated  July  4,  1779,  and  written  by 
Col.  Arent  Schuyler  De  Peyster,  a  British  commander  at  Michilli- 
mackinac :  "Baptiste  Point  De  Saible,  a  handsome  negro,  well  edu- 
cated and  settled  at  Eschikagou  (Chicago),  but  much  in  the  French 
interest."  His  cabin  was  located  on  the  north  bank  of  Chicago  river 
near  its  mouth  and  near  the  point  where  it  turned  south  just  before 
entering  the  lake.  The  fact  that  De  Saible  lived  here  is  still  further 
verified  by  Augustus  Grignon,  of  Wisconsin.  Perish  Grignon, 
brother  of  Augustus,  saw  De  Saible  here  and  said  that  he  was  large, 
a  trader,  pretty  wealthy  and  drank  freely,  and  that  he  had  a  commis- 
sion of  some  sort,  probably  from  the  French  government.  In  1796 
De  Saible  sold  his  cabin  to  a  French  trader  named  Le  Mai,  from 
Peoria,  who  occupied  it  as  a  home  and  trading  house  until  1804.  Chi- 
cago was  referred  to  by  William  Burnett,  an  Indian  trader  of  St.  Jo- 
seph, Michigan,  in  a  letter  dated  May  14,  1786,  and  addressed  to 
George  Mildrum,  a  merchant  at  Mackinac.  Again,  on  May  6,  1790, 
he  referred  to  this  place.  On  August  24,  1798,  he  wrote  saying  that 
he  expected  a  garrison  would  be  stationed  at  Chicago  "this  sum- 
mer." Other  references  to  Chicago  were  made.  It  is  probable, 
also,  that  an  Indian  trader  named  Guarie,  as  before  stated,  lived  on 
the  west  side  of  the  North  Branch  before  the  year  1800.  Traders 
spoke  of  the  North  Branch  as  "River  Guarie." 

In  the  summer  of  1803,  Capt.  John  Whistler,  stationed  with  his 
company  of  United  States  troops  at  Detroit,  was  ordered  to  pro- 
ceed to  Chicago  with  his  command  and  there  to  build  a  fort  and 
occupy  the  post  thus  established.  The  company  came  here  by  land 
under  the  command  of  Lieut.  James  S.  Swearingen.  Captain 
Whistler,  his  wife,  his  two  sons,  Lieut.  William  and  George  and  the 
young  wife  of  William  went  as  far  as  St.  Joseph  in  the  schooner 
"Tracy"  and  thence  came  to  Chicago  in  a  row  boat.  Upon  their 
arrival  there  were  here,  according  to  Mrs.  Lieut.  William  Whistler, 
but  four  Indian  traders'  huts  or  cabins — all  occupied  by  Canadian 

81 


82  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

Frenchmen  and  their  Indian  wives,  three  of  them  being  Le  Mai, 
Ouilmette  and  Pettell.  In  1804  John  Kinzie,  then  residing  near 
Niles,  Michigan,  bought  the  Le  Mai  property  here,  and  with  his 
wife  and  young  son,  John  H.,  came  on  and  occupied  the  same. 
Gradually,  as  time  passed,  the  old  cabin  was  changed,  improved 
and  extended  until  it  became  an  attractive  home  for  that  period. 
The  house  stood  on  the  north  side  at  the  bend  where  the  river 
turned  south  before  entering  the  lake.  John  Kinzie  became  known, 
and  justly  so,  as  "The  Father  of  Chicago."  He  came  here  as  an 
Indian  trader  in  the  employ  of  the  American  Fur  Company,  and  in 
the  end  was  much  beloved  by  the  Indians,  whose  friend  he  was. 
In  addition  to  his  Indian  trade,  he  became  sutler  for  the  garrison 
in  Fort  Dearborn.  No  doubt  the  officers  at  Fort  Dearborn  were 
concerned  in  the  Indian  trade.  At  times  John  Whistler,  Jr.,  and 
Thomas  Forsyth  were  interested  in  business  with  Mr.  Kinzie.  In 
the  spring  of  1812,  in  an  encounter,  Mr.  Kinzie  killed  John  Lalime, 
Indian  interpreter  here.  The  officers  at  the  fort  investigated  the 
case  and  acquitted  Mr.  Kinzie — "justifiable  homicide." 

It  is  highly  probable  that  from  1804  to  1812  the  few  log  cabins 
here  were  occupied  by  traders.  The  Indian  outbreaks  in  1812  broke 
up  the  little  settlement,  and  after  an  absence  of  four  years  Mr.  Kin- 
zie returned  with  his  family  and  occupied  his  former  residence — 
probably  in  the  Fall  of  1816.  He  resumed  his  trade  with  the 
Indians,  not  as  a  representative  of  the  American  Fur  Company, 
but  as  an  independent  trader.  However,  in  1818,  he  sent  his  son 
John  to  Mackinac  to  become  an  apprentice  of  the  American  Fur 
Company.  This  company  owned  the  only  schooner  on  Lake  Michi- 
gan; it  registered  about  forty  tons  and  came  here  regularly  with 
supplies  for  the  company's  agency.  Upon  the  arrival  in  1818  of 
Gurdon  S.  Hubbard  there  resided  here  two  families — those  of  John 
Kinzie  and  Antoine  Ouilmette,  both  living  on  the  North  Side,  the 
latter  about  two  blocks  west  of  the  former.  Ouilmette  was  a  French 
trader  with  an  Indian  wife  and  several  half-breed  children.  A 
trader  named  M.  Du  Pin  lived  here  a  little  later.  At  this  date 
Captain  Bradley  was  a  commander  at  Fort  Dearborn.  Upon  the 
formation  of  Pike  county  in  1821,  Mr.  Kinzie  was  recommended 
for  justice  of  the  peace,  but  there  does  not  appear  any  record  that 
he  was  commissioned  at  that  date.  He  was  one  of  the  sub-agents 
of  the  government  when  the  treaty  of  August  29,  1821,  was  con- 
cluded here  with  the  Indians,  having  been  appointed  in  1816.  The 
agency  was  established  in  1804  and  reestablished  in  1816  when 
Charles  Jouett  became  agent,  under  whom  Mr.  Kinzie  served.  He 
was  sub-agent  under  Dr.  Alexander  Wolcott  also  and  at  the  same 
time  served  as  Indian  interpreter.  On  July  28,  1825,  Mr.  Kinzie 
became  justice  of  the  peace  at  this  point  for  Peoria  county,  and 
the  same  year  became  agent  of  the  American  Fur  Company.  He 
died  here  suddenly  January  6,  1828. 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  83 

From  the  above  it  will  be  seen  that  up  to  about  the  date  of  the 
death  of  John  Kinzie  Fort  Dearborn  was  all  of  Chicago,  except 
the  houses  of  Mr.  Kinzie  and  a  few  French  traders.  Ellen  Marion 
Kinzie  was  born  in  the  Le  Mai  house  in  December,  1804 — the  first 
white  birth  here.  The  half-breed  children  of  several  French  trad- 
ers, no  doubt,  had  been  born  here  before.  On  July  20,  1823,  she 
married  Dr.  Alexander  Wolcott,  Indian  agent — the  first  marriage 
in  Chicago. 

Fort  Dearborn  was  built  during  the  summer  and  fall  of  1803 
and  was  named  for  Gen.  Henry  Dearborn.  It  stood  on  the  south 
side  of  Chicago  river  at  the  point  where  the  river  turned  south- 
ward before  emptying  into  the  lake.  It  had  two  blockhouses. 
On  the  north  side  a  subterranean  passage  led  from  the  parade 
ground  to  the  river.  The  enclosure  was  a  heavy  palisade  of  wood 
cut  from  the  adjacent  forests.  On  Dec.  31,  1803,  there  were 
reported  here  at  "Fort  Dearborn,  Ind.  Ty."  one  captain,  one  second 
lieutenant,  one  ensign,  four  sergeants,  three  corporals,  four  mu- 
sicians, fifty-four  privates,  and  one  surgeon's  mate.  The  United 
States  agency  building — a  two-story  log  structure  covered  with  split 
oak  siding — stood  a  short  distance  west  of  the  fort,  fronting  on  the 
river.  There  were  here  three  pieces  of  light  artillery.  Capt. 
Nathan  Heald  succeeded  Captain  Whistler  as  commander  in  1810. 
A  settler,  Charles  Lee,  had  come  here  about  1804  with  his 
family,  and  had  preempted  a  large  tract  at  what  afterward  became 
Bridgeport.  It  became  known  as  "Lee's  Place"  or  "Hardscrabble." 
Lee  and  his  family  built  a  residence  near  the  fort  and  were  thus 
residents  of  Chicago  very  early.  Also  before  this  date  a  family 
named  Burns  lived  on  the  North  Side  west  of  Ouilmette.  The  inter- 
preter, John  Lalime,  and  Mathew  Irwin,  United  States  Factor, 
were  here  as  early  as  1811.  Thus  there  lived  here  at  the  time  of 
the  massacre  of  1812  the  families  of  Lee,  Burns,  Kinzie  and  Ouil- 
mette, and  the  Lee  house  at  "Hardscrabble"  was  occupied  by  Mr. 
Lee's  employes  or  tenants.  In  1817  Kinzie  and  Ouilmette  occupied 
their  former  houses.  Mr.  Jouett  took  possession  of  the  Burns 
house — the  Lee  cabin  at  "Hardscrabble"  was  occupied  by  John 
Craft  as  a  trading  house  and  the  Lee  residence  near  the  fort  was 
owned  and  occupied  by  Jean  Baptiste  Beaubien,  who  had  first 
come  here  in  1804,  but  did  not  secure  property  until  after  the 
massacre,  when  he  purchased  the  Lee  home  a  short  distance  south 
of  the  fort  near  the  lake  shore  and  the  cultivated  tract  of  three  acres 
adjacent.  Late  in  1812  Francis  La  Framboise,  a  French  trader, 
lived  in  a  log  hut  on  the  South  Side,  near  Beaubien.  The  latter 
married  for  his  second  wife  Josette,  daughter  of  Francis  La  Fram- 
boise. In  1815.  in  anticipation  of  the  return  of  the  garrison,  John 
Dean,  an  army  contractor,  built  a  house  on  the  South  Side,  near  the 
foot  of  Randolph  street.  In  1817  the  Dean  house  passed  to  Mr. 
Beaubien,  who  occupied  it  for  some  time,  but  afterward  converted 


84  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

it  into  a  barn.  In  1818  Mr.  Beaubien  became  agent  of  the  Ameri- 
can Fur  Company  at  this  point.  The  old  United  States  building 
just  south  of  the  fort  was  purchased  first  by  Capt.  Henry  Whiting 
and  second  by  the  American  Fur  Company  about  1823,  and  later 
was  sold  to  Mr.  Beaubien  for  $500.  This  was  occupied  by  him  as 
a  home  until  1840. 

In  July,  1816,  Capt.  Hezekiah  Bradley,  in  command  of  two  com- 
panies of  infantry,  arrived  here  under  orders  to  rebuild  Fort  Dear- 
born on  the  same  site.  Soon  after  this  the  Indian  Agency  was 
resumed  and  settlers  began  to  appear.  The  new  fort  was  a  square 
stockade,  within  which  were  officers'  quarters,  barracks,  magazine 
and  provision  house;  there  were  bastions  at  the  northwest  and 
southwest  angles.  A  block  house  stood  in  the  southwest  corner. 
The  garrison  was  maintained  here  until  1823,  when,  not  being 
necessary,  it  was  ordered  away.  Maj.  Daniel  Baker  was  com- 
mander from  1817  to  1820,  when  Capt.  Hezekiah  Bradley  returned. 
In  1824  Maj.  Alexander  Cummings  took  command,  but  the  same 
year  was  succeeded  by  Lieut.  Col.  John  McNeil,  who  continued 
until  1827,  when  Capt.  John  Greene  became  commander.  This  was 
the  year  when  Archibald  Clybourn  arrived  here  permanently.  In 
October,  1828,  the  Indians  again  becoming  troublesome,  a  garri- 
son was  sent  here  under  the  command  of  Maj.  John  Fowle.  They 
remained  until  May,  1831,  when  they  were  again  ordered  away. 
Soon  afterward,  early  in  1832,  an  Indian  scare  again  brought  a 
garrison — this  time  under  the  command  of  Maj.  William  Whistler. 
On  July  8,  1832,  General  Scott  arrived  with  a  body  of  troops  to 
assist  in  quelling  the  Indians.  In  May,  1833,  Maj.  John  Fowle 
assumed  command,  but  one  month  later  was  succeeded  by  Maj. 
Lafayette  Wilcox.  Afterwards,  until  Aug.  1,  1836,  Maj,  John 
Bendu,  Maj.  John  Greene  and  Maj.  Joseph  Plympton  commanded, 
but  at  that  date  the  garrison  was  permanently  withdrawn. 

The  Chicago  government  agency  embraced  the  Pottawatomies, 
Sacs,  Foxes,  Kickapoos,  and  Charles  Jouett  became  the  first  agent 
here  in  1805.  Mathew  Irwin  was  factor  from  1810  to  the  date 
of  the  massacre.  He  reported  that  the  total  amount  of  business 
done  here  in  his  department  for  the  year  1810  was  $4,712.57  and 
for  the  year  1811  was  $6,055.89.  Jacob  B.  Varnum  became  factor 
in  1816,  but  could  do  little  business  owing  to  the  influx  of  British 
traders,  who  at  the  conclusion  of  the  War  of  1812  poured  into 
the  United  States,  intent  on  monopolizing  the  valuable  Indian 
trade.  Later  these  traders  were  thrown  out  of  business  by  an  order 
from  the  Secretary  of  War.  The  factory  was  abandoned  about 
1823.  Charles  Jouett  was  again  factor  from  1815  to  1818.  His 
residence  and  agency  house  stood  on  the  North  Side  and  consisted 
of  two  large  rooms.  This  house  stood  a  short  distance  west  of 
John  Kinzie's  home.  In  1816  a  Mr.  Bridges  lived  on  the  north 
bank  between  the  Kinzie  and  Jouett  houses.  James  E.  Herron 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  87 

and  Henry  Whiting  were  sutlers  at  Fort  Dearborn  in  1821-22.  A 
Doctor  McMahon  and  Dr.  John  Gale  were  here  as  early  as  1820. 
Dr.  Alexander  Wolcott,  in  1820,  succeeded  Mr.  Jouett  as  Indian 
agent,  and  resided  in  the  agency  house,  which  stood  near  the  foot 
of  North  State  street  and  was  called  "Cobweb  Castle."  The  next 
year  Doctor  Wolcott,  Indian  agent;  J.  B.  Varnum,  factor,  and 
John  Kinzie,  sub-agent,  signed  the  Indian  treaty  concluded  here. 
Doctor  Wolcott  on  Dec.  26,  1827,  became  a  justice  of  the  peace 
of  Peoria  county,  of  which  the  present  Cook  county  was  then  an 
adjacency.  Col.  Thomas  J.  V.  Owen  succeeded  Doctor  Wolcott 
as  Indian  agent  late  in  1830  or  early  in  1831,  and  under  him  were 
Gholson  Kercheval  and  James  Stuart,  sub-agents.  Connected 
with  the  agency  were  Billy  Caldwell  (Indian),  interpreter;  David 
McKee,  blacksmith,  and  Joseph  Porthier,  striker.  It  will  be  seen 
that  nearly  all  of  the  settlers  here  prior  to  1830  were  either  con- 
nected with  the  Government  Agency,  the  American  Fur  Company, 
the  Indian  trade  or  the  garrison.  Gurdon  S.  Hubbard  was  agent 
of  the  American  Fur  Company.  The  trading-house  at  "Lee's 
Place,"  conducted  after  1816  by  John  Crafts  for  Messrs.  Conant 
&  Mack,  merchants  of  Detroit,  was  very  successful,  monopolizing 
most  of  the  Indian  trade  owing  to  its  advantageous  location  and 
to  the  antipathy  of  the  Indians  against  the  government  factories. 
In  1818  Jean  B.  Beaubien  became  agent  at  Chicago  for  the  Ameri- 
can Fur  Company  and  built  a  trading  house  on  the  South  Side 
near  the  foot  of  Madison  street,  and  in  the  end  secured  the  trade 
of  the  Crafts  house  at  "Lee's  Place."  W.  H.  Wallace  traded  at 
the  latter  place  after  about  1822.  Associated  with  Wallace  was  a 
man  named  Davis.  George  Hunt  was  a  trader  at  Wolf  Point,  or 
perhaps  at  "Lee's  Place."  Nearly  all  of  these  men  were  connected 
with  the  American  Fur  Company.  Soon  after  1825  the  Indian 
trade  at  Chicago  rapidly  declined. 

Originally  Chicago  river,  from  the  forks  to  the  lake,  was  about 
forty  yards  wide.  Its  present  width  is  due  to  dredging.  Just  before 
reaching  the  lake  the  river  turned  southward  nearly  to  the  foot 
of  the  present  Madison  street.  South  of  the  Chicago  river  there 
were  two  sloughs  between  the  garrison  and  the  Point,  one  at  the 
foot  of  State  street.  It  ran  a  little  north  of  the  Sherman  House, 
crossing  Clark  street  near  the  old  postoffice,  thence  crossing  Lake 
street  nearly  in  front  of  the  Tremont  House.  The  latter  stood  on 
on  the  northwest  corner  of  Lake  and  Dearborn  and  as  late  as  1834 
sportsmen  could  shoot  ducks  in  the  slough  from  the  door  of  the 
Tremont  House.  The  other  slough  entered  the  river  at  the  foot 
of  La  Salle  street.  The  store  built  by  P.  F.  W.  Peck  in  1831-32 
at  the  southeast  corner  of  La  Salle  and  Water  streets  was  on  the 
high  point  of  land  formed  by  the  bend  of  this  slough.  These 
sloughs  were  crossed  on  logs.  Another  small  stream  entered  the 
river  on  the  North  Side,  west  of  Wells  street.  According  to  John 

Vol.  1—6. 


88  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

H.  Fonda,  of  Prairie  du  Chien,  Chicago  contained  about  fourteen 
houses  in  1825.  During  this  year  what  is  now  Cook  county  was 
attached  to  Peoria  county,  and  so  far  as  known  the  first  assessment 
at  Chicago  was  levied  by  John  L.  Bogardus,  assessor  of  that  county, 
as  follows : 


Valuation. 

Tax. 

Beaubien,  John   B  

$1,000 

$10.00 

Clybourne,  Jonas  

625 

6.25 

Clark,  John  K  

250 

2.50 

Crafts,  John  

5,000 

50.00 

Clermont,  Jeremy  

100 

1.00 

Coutra,  Louis  

50 

.50 

Kinzie,  John  

500 

5.00 

Laf  ramboise,  Claude  

100 

1.00 

Laframboise,  Joseph  

50 

.50 

McKee,  David  

100 

1.00 

Piche,    Peter    

100 

1.00 

Robinson,  Alexander  

200 

2.00 

Wolcott,  Alexander  

572 

5.72 

Wilemet  (Ouilmette),  Antoine  

400 

4.00 

$9,047        $90.47 

if  ~ 

Of  these,  Clybourn  and  Clark  lived  on  the  North  branch  where 
the  rolling  mills  were  later  located;  Crafts  lived  with  Beaubien; 
Clermont,  Coutra  and  Piche  were  traders  and  probably  lived  near 
the  forks;  the  Laframboise  brothers  were  located  at  or  near  "Lee's 
Place;"  David  McKee  was  the  agency  blacksmith,  near  Wolcott's, 
on  the  North  Side.  Archibald  Clybourn,  half  brother  of  John  K. 
Clark  and  son  of  Jonas  Clybourn,  came  here  first  on  Aug.  5,  1823. 
Later  his  father  and  family  came  on  and  built  two  cabins  on  the 
North  branch  where  the  rolling  mills  afterward  were  located. 
James  Galloway  arrived  in  1826  and  settled  at  "Hardscrabble ;" 
near  them,  southward,  was  another  trader  named  Barney  Lawton. 
During  1827  and  1828  the  Miller  tavern  was  erected  by  Samuel 
Miller  on  the  North  Side  where  the  North  branch  joined  the  South 
branch;  it  was  used  as  tavern,  store  and  residence.  About  the 
same  time  Wolf  tavern  was  built  at  the  forks,  but  on  the  West 
Side;  Elijah  Wentworth  occupied  it  in  1829.  At  the  forks  also, 
but  on  the  South  Side,  was  a  cabin  used  for  a  store  by  R.  A. 
Kinzie  and  David  Hall ;  this  no  doubt  was  the  building  occupied 
later  as  a  hotel  by  Mark  Beaubien.  Rev.  William  See  lived  here 
at  this  time.  In  June,  1829,  Archibald  Clybourn  and  Samuel  Miller 
were  authorized  by  Peoria  county  to  keep  a  ferry  near  Wolf  Point 
and  to  convey  passengers  across  both  branches  and  the  main  river. 
They  were  taxed  two  dollars  and  were  required  to  give  bond  with 
security  in  the  sum  of  $100.  The  Clybourns  were  butchers  for  the 
garrison,  and  in  fact  for  this  whole  region,  at  a  very  early  date, 
especially  during  the  Blackhawk  War  in  1832.  Mark  Beaubien, 
brother  of  Jean  B.,  came  to  Chicago  in  1826.  He  kept  tavern  on 
the  South  Side  at  the  forks  and  later  built  the  Sauganash  Hotel, 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  89 

an  early  frame  house  here.  It  stood  at  the  southeast  corner  of 
Lake  and  Market  streets.  It  was  named  in  honor  of  Billy  Cald- 
well,  the  Indian  chief,  that  being  his  Indian  name.  Russell  E.  Hea- 
cock  came  here  in  July,  1827,  but  the  following  year  located  on 
the  Peter  Lampsett  claim  about  three-quarters  of  a  mile  south  of 
the  lock  at  Bridgeport,  or  about  a  mile  directly  south  of  "Hard- 
scrabble."  He  was  one  of  the  first  justices  appointed  in  1831;  he 
had  been  admitted  to  the  bar  before  coming  here.  Alexander 
Robinson  (Che-che-pin-qua)  was  a  voter  here  in  1825,  1826  and 
1827,  as  shown  by  the  records  at  Peoria. 

For  the  year  ending  March  31,  1827,  the  net  amount  of  postage 
at  Chicago  was  so  small  that  it  was  not  reported ;  Peoria  reported 
$57  and  Edwardsville  $171.43.  In  1829  James  Thompson,  under 
authority  of  the  state,  came  here  to  make  an  official  survey  of  the 
site.  His  map  is  dated  April  4,  1830;  there  were  then  at  least 
seven  families  outside  of  the  fort. 

In  the  House  (Congress)  on  Jan.  27,  1830,  on  motion  of  Joseph 
Duncan,  of  Illinois,  it  was  "Resolved,  That  the  Committee  on  Com- 
merce be  instructed  to  inquire  into  the  expediency  of  improving 
the  harbor  at  Chicago,  on  Lake  Michigan,  in  the  State  of  Illinois." 
On  Feb.  10,  1830,  Mr.  Duncan  moved  the  following  resolution, 
but  it  was  laid  on  the  table:  "Resolved,  That  the  Secretary  of 
War  be  requested  to  furnish  this  House  with  a  survey  and  esti- 
mate for  the  improvement  of  the  harbor  at  Chicago,  on  Lake 
Michigan."  But  the  following  day  it  was  taken  up  and  agreed  to 
by  the  House.  The  matter  was  referred  to  the  appropriate  commit- 
tee as  soon  as  the  Secretary  of  War  had  furnished  the  matter 
desired. 

The  first  frame  house  in  Cook  county  was  built  in  1828  by 
the  Government  for  Billy  Caldwell,  chief  of  the  Pottawatomies. 
It  first  stood  on  Superior  street,  where  the  Catholic  church  was 
located,  but  later  was  moved  to  Indiana,  west  of  Cass. 

Governor  Bond  in  his  message  to  the  first  Legislature  in  1818 
brought  the  subject  of  the  canal  to  the  attention  of  that  body;  and 
in  1822  his  successor,  Governor  Coles,  devoted  considerable  space 
to  the  same  topic.  By  the  act  of  Feb.  14,  1823,  a  board  of  canal 
commissioners  was  appointed.  In  the  autumn  of  1823  a  portion 
of  the  Board  with  Col.  J.  Post,  of  Missouri,  as  chief  engineer, 
made  a  tour  of  inspection  and  in  the  autumn  of  1824  Col.  P.  Paul, 
of  St.  Louis,  an  engineer,  was  employed.  Five  different  routes 
were  surveyed  and  estimates  made  of  the  costs;  the  highest  esti- 
mate was  $716,110.  In  1823  Sangamon  river  and  Fulton  county 
were  the  northern  limit  of  settlement.  All  north  was  a  wilderness. 
But  the  people  of  the  south  half  of  the  state  wanted  water  com- 
munication with  New  York  via  the  Great  Lakes,  and  saw  it  could 
come  to  Chicago  through  the  Erie  canal  (completed  in  1825) 
and  the  Chicago  canal.  So  they  favored  the  law.  It  was  their 


90  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

influence  that  gave  Illinois  so  much  lake  coast  in  1818  when  the 
north  boundary  was  set  north.  In  January,  1825,  the  Illinois  and 
Michigan  canal  was  incorporated  with  one  million  capital.  The 
stock  was  not  taken,  so  the  act  was  repealed.  In  the  meantime  the 
Illinois  representatives  and  senators  in  Congress  were  urging  Con- 
gress to  grant  land  for  the  purpose.  Hon.  Daniel  P.  Cook  led  in 
this  movement.  On  March  2,  1827,  the  act  was  passed,  but,  owing 
to  the  financial  stringency,  nothing  was  done  till  Jan.  22,  1829, 
when  the  Legislature  passed  a  law,  organizing  a  Canal  Board. 
S.  D.  Lockwood  came  with  the  canal  commissioners  in  1829;  he 
said  the  residents  of  Chicago  then  were  John  Kinzie,  who  resided 
on  the  North  Side;  Doctor  Wolcott,  who  lived  on  the  North  Side, 
west  of  Kinzie,  and  was  the  son-in-law  of  Kinzie ;  John  Miller,  who 
kept  a  "log  tavern  at  the  Forks ;"  John  B.  Beaubien,  on  the  South 
Side;  and  three  or  four  Indian  traders  living  in  log  cabins  on  the 
West  Side;  these  were  in  addition  to  the  officers  and  soldiers  of 
the  garrison,  some  of  whom  had  wives  and  children. 

By  act  approved  February,  1831,  it  was  made  the  duty  of  the 
superintending  canal  commissioner  to  ascertain  whether  the  Calamic 
(Calumet)  would  be  a  sufficient  feeder  for  that  part  of  the  canal 
between  Chicago  and  Des  Plaines  rivers  "or  whether  the  construc- 
tion of  a  railroad  is  not  preferable  or  will  be  of  more  public  utility 
than  a  canal."  Should  the  said  river  be  found  sufficient,  excavation 
on  the  canal  was  ordered  to  proceed  without  delay. 

In  June,  1831,  pursuant  to  an  order  of  the  Secretary  of  War, 
this  post  was  abolished  and  the  fort  was  left  in  charge  of  Colonel 
Owen,  government  agent  of  the  Pottawatomies,  Ottawas  and  Chip- 
pewas.  In  July,  1831,  the  schooner  "Telegraph"  arrived  from 
down  the  lake  with  supplies.  By  September  the  fort,  the  Kinzie 
home,  the  other  buildings  and  the  hotels  were  filled  with  emigrant 
families.  Late  in  September  Colonel  Owen  paid  the  Indian  annui- 
ties. The  whites  while  the  Indians  were  drunk  stole  a  large  share 
of  what  they  had  received.  In  November,  1831,  the  schooner 
"Marengo,"  owned  by  Oliver  Newberry,  of  Detroit,  arrived  with 
supplies.  She  could  not  enter  the  river,  but  anchored  in  the  lake 
and  rode  out  the  storm  that  was  brewing.  Later  small  boats 
brought  her  cargo  ashore.  Captain  Stuart  commanded  the  "Ma- 
rengo." 

During  the  winter  of  1831-32,  nearly  all  families  here  lived  within 
the  fort  and  were  furnished  with  supplies  by  George  W.  Dole,  whose 
store  was  within  the  enclosure.  Another  store  was  conducted 
by  R.  A.  Kinzie  at  Wolf  Point,  where  the  river  forked.  There 
were  no  mail  routes,  post  roads  nor  postoffices.  Every  two  weeks 
a  half-breed  Indian  was  sent  to  Niles,  Michigan,  for  the  mail, 
covering  the  distance  on  foot  and  consuming  a  week.  Of  course 
the  arrival  of  the  mail  was  an  event  of  great  interest.  During 
the  Winter  a  debating  society  was  organized  with  J.  B.  Beaubien 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  UOUNTY  91 

i 

as  president.  An  occasional  dance  and  a  religious  meeting  once 
a  week  were  about  the  only  diversions.  Mark  Noble,  Jr.,  his  wife 
and  his  two  daughters  and  Mrs.  R.  J.  Hamilton  were  Methodists; 
the  latter  was  the  mainstay  of  that  church  here. 

Gurdon  S.  Hubbard  came  here  in  October,  1818.  He  was  an 
Indian  trader.  In  the  Fort  Dearborn  preemption  suit  he  testified 
as  follows :  "From  the  piazza,  of  the  Kinzie  house  we  could  look 
directly  down  the  river  about  half  way  to  the  mouth,  where  the 
view  was  obstructed  by  a  bank.  The  mouth  was  about  where 
Madison  street  now  is.  The  mouth  was  a  shifty  one ;  it  gradually 
went  farther  south.  At  one  time  it  went  down  as  far  as  where  the 
Illinois  Central  roadhouse  now  is,  about  a  mile  and  a  half  from  the 
fort.*  It  was  then  so  small  that  we  could  hardly  get  our  boats 
through.  I  should  say  that  the  mouth  at  Madison  street  was  the 
permanent  mouth.  We  used  to  hunt  foxes  on  the  bar.  The  foxes 
were  caught  in  the  woods  and  fed  and  got  in  condition  at  the  fort. 
On  festival  days  they  were  taken  to  the  upper  end  of  the  sand 
bar  and  loosed,  when  the  dogs  were  put  on  them  and  they  were 
chased  in  the  sand.  There  was  land  enough  to  make  the  sport 
entertaining.  The  bar  was  about  two  hundred  feet  wide,  but  ran 
off  to  a  mere  spit  at  the  end.  Lots  24  and  25  in  Kinzie's  addition 
would  strike  the  center  of  the  river.  Should  say  the  Kinzie  house 
was  on  Lot  23.  It  was  in  the  fall  of  1828  that  the  bar  extended 
down  to  the  pine  trees  about  one  and  one-half  miles.  In  1831  the 
mouth  of  the  river  was  not  far  from  Wright's  place.  In  1828  or 
1829  the  channel  was  dug  across  the  bar  where  it  now  is  by  the 
commanding  officer  of  Fort  Dearborn.  It  soon  was  a  deep  chan- 
nel, but  afterwards  rilled  up  again.  At  no  time  did  the  channel 
form  itself.  The  effect  of  the  piers  was  to  cause  the  washing 
away  of  the  sand  bar  and  the  increasing  of  land  north  of  the 
piers.  The  river  at  its  mouth  was  navigable  immediately  after 
crossing  the  bar.  At  the  mouth  we  could  ride  a  horse  across  and 
sometimes  we  had  difficulty  in  getting  into  it  with  Mackinac  boats. 
There  were  no  houses  on  the  sand  bar  in  1834.  There  were  some 
shanties  put  on  the  bar  in  1835,  which  were  carried  off  by  a  gale 
of  wind  that  fall.  The  sand  bar  at  the  upper  end,  opposite  the  old 
fort,  was  from  three  to  five  feet  high,  gradually  diminishing  toward 
the  south.  The  surface  was  unequal.  No  vegetation  was  on  the 
bar.  I  was  here  in  the  spring  and  fall  for  periods  of  from  four  to 
six  weeks — 1818  to  1825.  The  commandant  at  the  fort,  I  think, 
cut  across  the  bar  in  1822;  but  it  blocked  up.  It  was  cut  through 
again  in  1829  by  men  from  the  fort.  In  1829  it  took  us  not  over  two 
hours  to  cut  a  line  to  let  water  into  the  lake  from  the  river,  and  then 
the  river  cut  its  way  in  two  hours  to  admit  batteaux — was  five  feet 
deep  by  morning- — high  water  mark  where  the  piers  now  are — no  one 
here  to  do  it  but  from  the  fort.  They  used  to  receive  supplies  from 

*This  statement  should  be  specially  noted. 


92  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

* 

a  small  schooner,  forty  or  fifty  tons  (chartered  by  the  Government), 
once  a  year.  That  schooner  with  traders'  boats  was  all  the  marine 
of  Lake  Michigan.  The  boat  passed  through  the  cut  from  the 
fort  in  1829  merely  to  test  its  capabilities.  I  have  seen  the  river 
outlet  as  small  as  a  mere  ripple — could  step  across  it  in  1828  and 
have  seen  it  with  only  six  inches  of  water,  though  perhaps  a  hun- 
dred feet  wide — think  vessels  loaded  off  Madison  street,  and  we 
went  out  in  scows  to  get  goods.  We  would  take  goods  out  and 
lift  boats  over — have  seen  the  sea  make  completely  over  the  bar  into 
the  river  at  points  of  depression — went  over  in  1827  and  1828  at 
foot  of  Randolph  street.  John  H.  Kinzie  took  a  boat  and  went 
out  to  take  myself  and  friends  from  the  vessel.  On  going  out  they 
dragged  the  boat  over  the  bar — coming  back  we  jumped  the  bar."* 

Richard  J.  Hamilton's  testimony :  "Came  to  Chicago  in  April, 
1831 ;  never  saw  any  of  the  fox  chases  on  the  sand  bar;  cabins  were 
built  on  the  bar  in  1836  and  1837."  John  W.  Strode's  testimony: 
"Came  here  in  August,  1836;  was  here  several  days  in  1831 ;  there 
were  then  only  seven  or  eight  houses  outside  of  the  garrison." 
George  W.  Dole's  testimony:  "Came  here  in  May,  1831 — was 
clerk  of  Oliver  Newberry — was  on  the  sand  bar  often — we  entered 
the  river  in  a  yawl  boat  from  a  schooner — went  out  in  a  scow 
to  get  goods  from  vessels — used  setting  poles  in  the  channel — was 
in  the  garrison  from  May,  1831,  to  June,  1832 — then  lived  at  the 
corner  of  Decatur  and  South  Water  streets — had  my  store  there — 
one  of  the  cabins  on  the  bar  belonged  to  George  E.  Walker — Hard- 
scrabble  was  afterward  called  Bridgeport."  William  Brewster's 
testimony:  "Came  here  first  in  1818 — staid  two  or  three  weeks — • 
came  by  land  and  stopped  at  the  Kinzie  house — was  here  in  Septem- 
ber, 1833,  at  the  time  of  the  treaty — had  occasion  to  pass  out  at 
the  mouth  of  the  river — have  seen  it  not  more  than  six  or  eight 
inches  in  depth,  varying  with  the  wind."  Alexander  Robinson's, 
a  Pottawatomie  chief's,  testimony:  "Came  to  Chicago  about  1815 
— knew  the  Kinzies  well — for  seventeen  years  past  have  lived 
twelve  miles  from  Chicago — till  then  lived  at  the  forks  of  the 
river  for  eight  or  nine  years — was  an  interpreter  four  or  five  years." 

In  1829  the  Legislature  authorized  the  canal  commissioners, 
Dr.  Gershom  Jayne  of  Springfield,  Edmund  Roberts  of  Kaskaskia 
and  Charles  Dunn  of  Pope,  "to  locate  the  canal,  lay  out  towns,  sell 
lots  and  apply  the  proceeds  to  the  construction  of  the  canal."  They 
sent  here  James  Thompson,  who  surveyed  and  platted  what  after- 
wards became  known  as  the  "Original  Town  of  Chicago,"  locating 
it  on  Section  9,  Township  39  north,  Range  14  east.  It  extended 
from  State  to  Desplaines  and  from  Madison  to  Kinzie.  The  plat 
is  dated  August  4,  1830.  Colbert's  "directory"  thus  summarized 
the  town  at  this  date:  Taverns — Elijah  Wentworth,  west  of  the 

•Gurdon  S.  Hubbard's  testimony  in  the  suit  of  George  C.  Bates  against  the  Illinois  Central 
Railway  Co.,  September,  1858.  (Press  and  Tribune,  September  30,  1858.) 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  93 

river  near  the  fork ;  Samuel  Miller,  north  of  the  river  at  the  fork ; 
Mark  Beaubien,  south  of  the  river  and  east  of  the  South  fork. 
Indian  Traders — Robert  A.  Kinzie,  near  Wentworth's  tavern ;  Leon 
Bourisso,  just  south  of  Beaubien's  tavern;  a  log  trading  house  near 
the  foot  of  North  Dearborn  street;  J.  B.  Beaubien,  just  south  of 
the  fort.  Butcher — Archibald  Clybourn  of  the  North  branch,  about 
two  miles  from  Wolf  Point  and  west  of  the  stream.  James  Kinzie, 
Rev.  William  See  and  Alexander  Robinson  and  their  families  re- 
sided on  the  West  Side  near  Wentworth's  tavern.  David  McKee 
and  Billy  Caldwell  were  on  the  North  Side  near  "Cobweb  Castle," 
which  was  then  vacant.  Gholson  Kercheval,  Dr.  E.  Harmon  and 
James  Harrington  were  also  here.  At  an  election  held  at  the  house 
of  James  Kinzie  on  August  2,  1830,  this,  the  First  election  precinct 
of  Peoria  county,  polled  the  following  vote:  Jonathan  N.  Bailey 
(first  postmaster)  lived  in  part  of  old  Kinzie  house;  John  B.  Beau- 
bien, Medore  B.  Beaubien  moved  to  Kansas;  Leon  Bourassea 
(Bourisso);  James  Brown;  Billy  Caldwell  (Indian  chief);  Jean 
Baptiste  Chevalier;  John  L.  Davis,  a  tailor,  moved  to  Milwaukee; 
Russell  E.  Heacock  lived  near  Hardscrabble ;  John  S.  C.  Hogan ; 
James  Kinzie,  see  elsewhere ;  B.  H.  Lawton  or  Laughton  lived  at 
what  is  now  Riverside;  Joseph  Laframboise,  a  Frenchman  with  an 
Indian  wife;  Stephen  Mack,  clerk  of  the  American  Fur  Company; 
John  Mann;  Daniel  McKee,  agency  blacksmith,  moved  to  Aurora; 
Alexander  McDale;  Rev.  William  See,  blacksmith  also;  Stephen 
J.  Scott ;  Joseph  Thibeaut ;  Daniel  Van  Eaton ;  Rev.  Jesse  Walker, 
from  Peoria,  in  missionary  work;  Peter  Frique;  Mark  Beaubien; 
Laurant  Martin;  Jean  Baptiste  Secor;  Joseph  Banskey;  Michael 
Welch ;  Francis  Ladusier ;  Lewis  Ganday ;  Peresh  Le  Clerc,  Indian 
interpreter. 

Wolcott's  addition  on  the  North  Side  was  bought  in  1830  for 
$130;  in  1854  it  was  valued  at  $250,000.  Walter  L.  Newberry 
bought  forty  acres  of  Thomas  Hartzell  in  1853  for  $1,062;  in  1854 
it  was  valued  at  $500,000,  and  Mr.  Newberry  still  owned  the  most 
of  it.  On  it  was  Newberry's  addition.  In  1834  half  of  Kinzie's 
addition,  all  of  Wolcott's  addition  and  all  of  Block  1  of  the  Original 
Town  were  sold  for  $20,000;  in  1854  they  were  valued  at  $3,000,- 
000.  Every  foot  of  land  showed  a  proportionate  increase  at  the 
latter  date. 

Ellen  Hamilton,  daughter  of  Richard  J.,  was  born  in  Fort  Dear- 
born early  in  1832.  At  this  date,  Elijah  Wentworth  and  family  lived 
in  a  log  house  owned  by  James  Kinzie  and  kept  tavern  there.  James 
Kinzie  was  here  with  his  family,  also  William  See  and  family,  and 
Alexander  Robinson  and  family.  On  the  North  Side  was  Samuel 
Miller  and  family,  and  with  them  was  John  Miller,  a  brother.  East 
of  the  South  branch,  at  the  forks,  was  Mark  Beaubien  and  family, 
who  kept  tavern ;  above  him,  on  the  South  branch,  was  Bourisso,  an 
Indian  trader.  Between  Mark  Beaubien  and  the  fort — on  the 


94  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

South  Side — there  were  no  houses  except  a  small  log  cabin  near 
the  foot  of  Dearborn  and  used  as  an  Indian  trading  house.  Near 
the  garrison  and  south  was  J.  B.  Beaubien's  family,  connected  with 
the  American  Fur  Company  in  the  Indian  trade;  near  his  residence 
was  his  store ;  farther  south  was  a  house  then  unoccupied.  On  the 
North  Side,  opposite  the  fort,  was  the  Kinzie  home;  farther  west, 
on  the  North  Side,  was  what  had  been  the  government  agency 
house,  "Cobweb  Castle."  Dr.  Wolcott  had  died  there  the  fall 
of  1830  and  had  occupied  this  place,  but  it  was  now  vacant.  In  its 


The  first  sale  of  lots  resulted  as  follows: 


First  Purchaser. 

Lots. 

Blocks. 

Original 
Price. 

Valuation 
Jan.  1854. 

Sept.  27,  1830 
Benj    B    Kercheval  

5  and  6 

29 

$109 

$  21  300 

3  and  4 

31 

102 

108  000 

Thomas  Hartzell  

1 

20  ) 

Thomas  Hartzell  

8 

29  ) 

115 

62,000 

7 

5!Q 

RK 

10  000 

Edmund  Roberts  and  Peter  Menard. 

4 
2 

29 
18 

100 
45 

13,000 
40000 

5  and  6 

28 

21 

17000 

567  and  8 

2~l 

2357  and  8 

22  > 

418 

131  000 

James  Kinzie  

8  and  5 

44  1 

J   B  Beaubien  

7 

ifiS 

127  and  8 

17 

I 

18  V 

346 

450  000 

3  and  4 

36  | 

6 

35  J 

3 

20"! 

John  Kinzie  

5  and  6 

32 

John  Kinzie  

2 

2  1 

129 

163,000 

John  Kinzie     .        

2  7  and  8 

5 

23456  7  and  8 

1 

685 

128  000 

2 

20 

42 

32000 

Sept.  29,  1830 

7  and  8 

43 

53 

57000 

April  3,  1832 

5 

19 

39 

40000 

4 

16 

78 

39000 

Oliver  Newberry  

4 

17 

160 

46,000 

3 

20 

60 

28000 

8 

40 

34 

18000 

P    F  W.  Peck       

4 

18 

78 

42500 

April  5,  1832 
T.  J.  V.  Owen  

5 

20  ) 

R  J  Hamilton  

8 

21  f 

170 

83,300 

Tohn  Noble  

1 

56 

61 

18000 

John  Noble  

6 

18  ) 

John  Noble  

3 

7 

80 

105,000 

Hugh   Walker  

5 

31 

61 

35,000 

Sept.  3,  1832 
O.  Goss,  Wash   Co    Vt  

2 

56 

70 

16,000 

Dec.  4,  1832 

4 

38 

53 

50000 

HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 


95 


Purchasers. 

Description  of  Land. 

Acres. 

Original 
Cost. 

Valuation 
Jan.  1854. 

Sept.  27,  1830 
Thomas  Hartzell  

W    %  N  E  X    Sec  9 

Edmund  Roberts  and  Benj. 
B  Kercheval  

T.  39  N.,  R.  14  E. 

W  %  NW  J4'Sec   9 

80 

$124.00 

$800,000 

Sept.  28,  1830 

T.  39  N.,  R.  14  E. 
E    %  NW    Va,  Sec   9 

80 

100.00 

400,000 

J  B   Beaubien  

T.  39  N,  R.  14  E. 
N  y2  N  E    }4   Sec    29 

80 

140.00 

600,000 

J  B   Beaubien  

T.  39  N.,  R.  14  E. 
N  W     f  rac     N  W     X 

84.98 

424.90 

85,000 

Sec.  29,  T.  39  N.,  R. 
14  E. 

127.66 

638.30. 

132,000 

vicinity  were  several  log  buildings  for  a  blacksmith,  an  interpreter 
and  others  of  the  agency — the  blacksmith,  David  McKee,  and  Billy 
Caldwell,  head  chief  of  the  Pottawatomies,  Ottawas  and  Chippewas. 
He  was  interpreter.  Col.  Thomas  J.  V.  Owen  succeeded  Doctor 
Wolcott  as  Indian  agent,  but  had  not  yet  arrived.  Gholson  Kerch- 
eval was  a  sub-agent.  Dr.  E.  Harmon  and  James  Harrington 
were  here  and  were  making  claims  on  the  lake  shore.  About 
twelve  families  in  all  lived  here  in  the  Spring  of  1831. 

The  two  schooners  "Telegraph"  and  "Marengo,"  which  arrived 
here  in  1831,  came  loaded  with  emigrants,  the  preemption  law  being 
the  inducement.  The  former  came  from  Ashtabula,  Ohio,  and  the 
latter  from  Detroit.  The  first  deed  on  record  from  Governor 
Reynolds  to  Robert  Kinzie,  assignee  of  B.  B.  Kercheval,  conveyed 
Lots  5  and  6,  Block  29,  Original  Town,  for  $109;  it  was  recorded 
on  December  2,  1831,  by  R.  J.  Hamilton.  Wolf  Point  was  on  the 
West  Side  at  the  juncture  of  the  two  branches  of  the  river.  In 
1831  there  was  considerable  rivalry  between  the  "Point"  and  the 
"Lower  Town,"  near  the  fort.  P.  F.  W.  Peck,  who  had  come  here 
first  in  1831,  opened  a  store  in  the  Miller  building  on  the  North 
Side  at  the  juncture,  but  in  the  Fall  of  1832  erected  a  frame  build- 
ing on  the  southeast  corner  of  South  Water  and  La  Salle  streets. 
Lumber  was  brought  here  from  Plainfield,  forty  miles  southwest. 

The  important  questions  at  Chicago  during  the  first  six  years 
of  the  organization  of  the  county  were  the  following:  Postoffice, 
land  office,  a  newspaper  started,  formation  and  organization  of  the 
county,  with  Chicago  the  county  seat,  war  of  1832,  first  work  of  the 
harbor,  first  vessel  over  the  bar,  packing  trade,  schools  and  religious 
societies,  sale  of  school  lands,  disposal  of  wharf  rights,  incorporation 
of  Chicago,  first  work  on  the  canal,  drawbridges,  stage  line  to  the 
interior,  land  and  lot  speculation,  immense  travel  of  emigrants,  pork 
packing,  corporate  limits  bounded  by  State  to  Desplaines  and  Madi- 
son to  Kinzie — about  three-eighths  of  a  square  mile. 


96  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

Upon  the  organization  of  Cook  county,  Mark  Beaubien  gave  a 
bond  for  $200  for  his  ferry  license,  and  agreed  to  carry  free  all 
residents  of  the  county;  he  used  a  scow  that  cost  him  $65.  In  1831 
a  wooden  bridge  that  cost  $486.20  was  built  across  the  North 
branch  at  North  Water  street;  that  amount  was  raised  by  popular 
subscription.  About  the  same  time  another  was  built  across  the 
South  branch,  about  half  way  between  Lake  and  Randolph  streets. 
The  Pottawatomies  subscribed  $200  toward  this  bridge.  In  the 
Fall  of  1831  there  were  seven  taverns — that  number  being  filled 
constantly  with  the  numerous  settlers  and  travelers.  Wolves  were 
were  numerous  and  visited  all  parts  of  the  town  at  night.  The 
Indians  were  threatening;  in  May,  1832,  there  were  five  hundred 
persons  in  the  fort.  Upon  the  organization  of  Cook  county  in 
1831  Richard  J.  Hamilton  became  county  clerk  and  recorder,  and 
later  judge  of  probate,  treasurer  and  commissioner  of  schools.  The 
first  postofnce  was  established  in  the  spring  of  1831,  with  Jonathan 
N.  Bailey  postmaster. 

In  1832  the  schooner  "Austerlitz"  brought  from  Detroit  one 
hundred  barrels  of  coarse  and  120  barrels  of  fine  salt — received  by 
Newberry  &  Dole,  and  the  same  year  the  schooner  "Napoleon" 
brought  forty-one  barrels  of  fine  salt  from  Detroit.  In  1835  Doctor 
Wheeler  bought  all  the  salt  here  and  after  navigation  closed  sold 
it  at  $8  per  barrel.  In  1852  the  salt  receipts  were  92,907  barrels ; 
in  1858  they  were  333,983  barrels. 

"At  a  meeting  of  the  citizens  of  Chicago,  convened  pursuant  to 
public  notice  given  according  to  the  statute  for  incorporating  towns, 
Thomas  J.  V.  Owen  was  chosen  president  and  E.  S.  Kimberly  was 
chosen  clerk.  The  oaths  were  administered  by  Russell  E.  Heacock, 
a  justice  of  the  peace  for  Cook  county,  when  the  following  vote 
was  taken  on  the  proposition  of  incorporating  the  town  of  Chicago, 
county  of  Cook,  State  of  Illinois:  For  incorporation,  John  S.  C. 
Hogan,  C.  A.  Ballard,  G.  W.  Snow,  R.  J.  Hamilton,  J.  T.  Temple, 
John  Wright,  G.  W.  Dole,  Hiram  Pearsons,  Alanson  Sweet,  E.  S. 
Kimberly,  T.  J.  V.  Owen,  Mark  Beaubien — 12.  Against  incorpora- 
tion, Russell  E.  Heacock — 1.  We  certify  the  above  poll  to  be  cor- 
rect. (Signed)  T.  J.  V.  OWEN,  President. 

ED.  S.  KIMBERLY,  Clerk." 

This  election  record  was  not  dated,  but  Mr.  Kimberly  afterward 
said  it  was  held  about  twenty  days  before  the  election. 

On  August  10  the  election  of  Trustees  was  held,  with  the  follow- 
ing result :  T.  J.  V.  Owen,  26  votes ;  George  W.  Dole,  26  votes ; 
Madore  B.  Beaubien,  23  votes;  John  Miller,  20  votes;  E.  S.  Kim- 
berly, 20  votes.  On  the  12th,  at  its  first  meeting,  the  board  elected 
Colonel  Owen  president  and  appointed  Isaac  Harmon  clerk.  In 
September,  1833,  George  W.  Dole  was  appointed  town  treasurer; 
Charles  H.  Chapman  was  appointed  ferryman.  On  November  6 
the  town  limits  were  made  to  embrace  the  following  tract :  Bounded 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  97 

south  by  Jackson  street ;  west  by  Jefferson  and  Cook ;  north  by  Ohio ; 
east  by  the  lake  on  the  north  side  and  by  State  street  on  the  south 
side.  In  November  Benjamin  Jones  was  appointed  street  commis- 
sioner, and  in  December  George  Snow  assessor  and  surveyor,  and 
John  Dean  Caton  town  counsel. 

In  1833  a  second  ferry  was  started.  Work  on  the  piers  and 
harbor  was  begun  with  an  appropriation  of  $30,000.  A  brick 
building  was  erected  at  North  Water  and  State  streets.  A  clumsy 
drawbridge  was  built  at  Dearborn  street,  and  a  board  of  health 
was  organized.  This  year  the  first  considerable  fire  occurred.  A 
town  well  was  dug.  Over  two  hundred  frame  buildings  were 
erected  this  year  (1833).  A  jail  was  built  and  a  stage  line  to 
Ottawa  was  opened.  The  Democrat,  founded  by  John  Calhoun, 
was  started  in  November.  This  was  the  banner  year  for  develop- 
ment thus  far. 

The  Democrat  of  November  26,  1833,  said:  "The  rapidly  in- 
creasing importance  of  Chicago  in  a  commercial  point  of  view 
calls  aloud  for  the  speedy  commencement  and  completion  of  the 
long  contemplated  canal,  or  railroad,  which  is  to  connect  the  waters 
of  Lake  Michigan  with  those  of  the  Illinois  river.  *  *  *  To 
the  rushing  flood  of  population  that  is  constantly  pouring  in  upon 
our  western  borders,  we  have  never  given  full  faith  and  credit. 
We  have  supposed  it  but  the  fruit  of  an  overheated  brain.  We  have 
disbelieved;  we  have  doubted.  But  our  disbelief  has  been  con- 
verted to  belief.  The  reality  is  before  us.  Chicago,  nay,  the  very 
spot  of  ground  where  we  are  now  writing,  a  few  months  since 
was  the  abode  of  the  savage,  and  where  are  now  seen  a  long  line 
of  habitations  for  white  men,  a  short  time  ago  was  unoccupied  save 
by  the  wigwam  of  the  Indian.  The  change  has  been  wrought  by 
magic.  More  than  eight  hundred  souls  may  now  be  found  within 
the  limits,  that  within  a  few  short  months  since  included  less  than 
one-tenth  that  number.  *  *  *  Even  in  the  present  infant  state 
of  the  place,  we  are  informed  upon  the  most  unquestionable  author- 
ity that  one  single  mercantile  house  in  New  York  has  sent  to  Chi- 
cago during  the  past  year  goods  the  import  duties  of  which  were 
$35,000.  What  then  will  be  the  limit  to  commerce  when  our  popu- 
lation shall  have  increased  (as  it  surely  will  in  a  short  period  of 
time)  ten  fold;  and  when  the  harbor,  which  under  the  fostering 
care  of  the  Government  has  already  been  commenced,  and  is  yet 
in  progress,  shall  be  completed.  *  *  *  Two  recent  events  have 
contributed  to  diffuse  a  more  accurate  knowledge  of  the  resources 
and  prospects  of  this  locality — the  late  treaty  with  the  Indians  and 
the  sale  of  school  lands." 

A  remarkable  fact  about  Chicago  is  that  at  no  time  in  its  his- 
tory has  it  stood  still ;  all  other  towns  but  Chicago  have  had  their 
"ups  and  downs."  The  principal  cause  of  this  fact  was  the  rapid 
settlement  of  the  western  country  adjacent  to  Chicago  and  the 


98  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

facilities  of  inter-communication.  As  early  as  December,  1833,  a 
permanent  mail  route  between  Chicago  and  St.  Louis  was  pro- 
jected. The  route  was  in  operation  by  January  1,  1834.  Continu- 
ing until  nearly  the  middle  of  December,  1833,  the  packet  boat 
plied  between  Chicago  and  St.  Joseph.  In  December,  1833,  the 
Chicago  Polemical  Society  was  organized ;  J.  B.  Beaubien  was  its 
first  president.  By  1833  over  1,000  miles  of  railroad  had  been 
projected  in  this  state.  In  December,  1833,  the  mail  route  between 
Chicago  and  Green  Bay  was  discontinued  by  order  of  the  Postmas- 
ter General.  On  December  24,  1833,  the  Chicago  Temperance 
Society  was  organized;  J.  Watkins  was  secretary.  In  the  fall  of 
1833  Elijah  Wentworth  opened  a  tavern  on  Flag  creek,  eighteen 
miles  southwest  of  Chicago  on  the  Ottawa  road.  Early  in  Jan- 
uary, 1834,  a  man  was  frozen  to  death  on  the  prairie  between  Chi- 
cago and  Blue  Island  and  was  devoured  by  wolves. 

On  Saturday,  January  11,  1834,  a  mass  meeting  of  the  citizens 
was  held  at  Steele's  Eagle  hotel  to  petition  Congress  for  the  com- 
pletion of  the  post  route  from  Detroit  to  Chicago.  John  Beaubien 
presided  and  J.  Dean  Caton  was  secretary.  Post  coaches  carried 
the  mail  from  Detroit  to  Niles,  whence  it  was  brought  once  a  week 
over  a  very  difficult  route  to  Chicago. 

"Butchering. — The  subscriber  intends  butchering  from  four  to 
five  hundred  hogs  this  present  week,  all  of  which  have  been  well 
fatted  on  corn.  He  wishes  to  inform  his  old  customers,  and  the 
people  generally,  that  he  intends  selling  cheap  for  cash  at  whole- 
sale at  his  butcher  shop,  two  miles  from  Chicago,  and  at  wholesale 
and  retail  at  his  market  on  the  market  square  in  Chicago.  He 
further  wishes  to  inform  the  public  that  he  keeps  constantly  on 
hand  and  for  sale  at  his  farm  two  miles  from  Chicago  work  oxen 
and  beef  cattle.  Beef,  both  fresh  and  salt,  at  wholesale  and  retail 
at  his  market  in  Chicago. 

"A.  CLYBOURN. 

"December  3,  1833." 

"Look  Out  for  Trouble. — All  persons  who  have  or  shall  be  found 
trespassing  upon  the  fractional  Section  29,  Township  39  north, 
Range  14  east,  commonly  called  Hardscrabble,  shall  be  severally 
prosecuted  by  the  subscriber  without  any  regard. 

"J.  B.  BEAUBIEN. 

"Chicago,  December  4,  1833." 

"The  spring  of  1833  may  be  marked  as  a  new  era  in  the  history 
of  Chicago,  and,  in  fact,  all  the  northern  part  of  the  state,  or  in- 
deed that  may  be  referred  to  as  the  commencement  of  their  im- 
provement. At  that  time  Chicago  did  not  contain  more  than 
five  or  six  regular  stores  and  now  may  be  counted  from  twenty 
to  twenty-five;  then  it  did  not  contain  more  than  one  hundred  and 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  99 

fifty  inhabitants;  whereas  now  there  are  from  eight  to  ten  hun- 
dred ;  then  it  did  not  contain  more  than  thirty  buildings,  now  may 
be  seen  more  than  one  hundred  and  eighty.  During  the  past  sum- 
mer (1833)  eighty  vessels  have  arrived,  bringing  goods  and  pros- 
perity to  a  vast  amount,  yet  notwithstanding  these  immense  impor- 
tations during  the  past  season,  hardly  three  good  assortments  could 
now  be  made  in  this  place.  After  the  fall  stock  of  goods  had  ar- 
rived, every  store  was  crowded  to  excess — now  they  look  quite 
empty.  But  the  mercantile  business  has  not  alone  flourished ; 
indeed  that  in  the  business  of  Chicago  has  been  but  of  small 
moment.  Building  and  real  improvements  have  been  the  order  of 
the  day.  To  describe  the  want  that  has  been  for  building  material 
and  mechanics  would  be  only  to  excite  incredulity.  .  .  .  The 
harbor  which  is  now  in  progress  at  this  place,  it  is  confidently  hoped, 
will  be  so  far  advanced  in  the  early  part  of  the  season  as  to  admit 
vessels  into  the  river,  when  the  danger  that  has  hitherto  existed  to 
vessels  laying  in  the  offing  to  discharge  and  receive  their  cargoes 
will  be  remedied.  Then  our  advancement  will  receive  a  new  im- 
pulse. .  .  .  Most  of  the  town  is  now  in  the  hands  of  individuals, 
besides  all  laying  north  of  the  river,  between  the  North  Branch 
and  the  lake  and  west  of  the  North  Branch.  The  school  sec- 
tion which  lays  on  both  sides  of  the  South  Branch,  most  of  which 
is  in  town,  was  sold  in  the  latter  part  of  October  last,  placing  the 
largest  portion  of  the  town  in  a  tangible  condition,"  said  the  Dem- 
ocrat, January  28,  1834. 

But  notwithstanding  this  big  increase,  the  town  could  not  bor- 
row $2,000  for  one  year  at  10  per  cent.  People  could  do  better  in 
land  and  lot  speculation.  But  laws,  streets,  repairs  and  drainage 
required  attention.  At  the  fort  the  county  commissioners  met  and 
the  judges  held  court  there.  All  shows  that  the  officials  were  ener- 
getic and  vigilant.  Mud  holes  were  labeled  "bottomless  pits"  by 
wags  amid  jibes  and  jeers.  The  officers  could  do  little  and  re- 
signed in  June,  1833. 

Before  1834,  hardly  a  building  devoted  to  business  stood  south 
of  the  river.  In  1834,  Thomas  Church  erected  a  store  on  Lake 
and  then  others  came  rapidly.  Ira  Couch  conducted  the  Tremont 
House.  Mark  Beaubien's  ferry  and  one  at  Dearborn  street  were 
the  only  two.  A  bridge  was  soon  built  at  or  near  Dearborn  street. 
It  was  torn  down  owing  to  jealousy  and  one  was  built  at  Clark 
street.  In  1834  Capt.  R.  C.  Bristol,  in  the  brig  "John  Kinzie," 
took  a  cargo  of  2,000  bushels  of  wheat  from  St.  Joseph,  Michigan, 
to  Buffalo.  It  is  claimed  that  this  trip  was  made  before  that  of  the 
"Post  Boy."  Late  in  May,  1834,  the  schooner  "Post  Boy,"  Capt. 
Jeremy  Hickson,  left  Michigan  City  for  Buffalo  with  a  cargo  of 
wheat  owned  by  G.  W.  Harrison,  of  La  Porte,  Indiana,  and  shipped 
by  Samuel  Miller,  of  Michigan  City.  The  vessel  reached  Buffalo 
in  June.  The  wheat,  which  had  cost  Mr.  Miller  50  cents  per 


100  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

bushel,  brought  75  cents  per  bushel  at  Buffalo. — (Daily  Democrat, 
April  13,  1849.) 

"Chicago  Harbor. — ;Owing  to  the  heavy  rains  that  fell  on 
Friday  last,  the  Chicago  river  was  swollen  to  an  unusual  height. 
At  sunrise  on  Saturday  this  great  volume  of  water  had  forced 
a  passage  over  the  bar  at  the  mouth  of  the  harbor  that  is  con- 
structing, and  notwithstanding  the  great  impediments  which  it  met 
from  the  large  quantities  of  ice  in  the  sand,  it  progressed  with 
such  astounding  rapidity  that  by  evening  a  channel  was  cleared 
about  eighty  feet  in  width  and  from  seven  to  eight  feet  in  depth. 
Nearly  all  the  water  from  the  river  now  passes  into  the  lake  through 
this  new  channel,  which  from  the  effect  of  the  pier  that  is  thrown 
across  the  old  channel  of  the  river  on  the  south  side  of  the  harbor, 
it  is  confidently  hoped  will  be  kept  open.  This  is  a  most  fortunate 
ocurrence,  not  only  for  the  citizens  but  for  the  Government.  The 
hands  employed  at  the  harbor  were  very  actively  engaged  during 
the  day  rendering  what  service  they  could  in  aiding  the  operations 
of  the  current.  The  amount  of  sand  and  gravel  removed  by  the 
force  of  the  stream  is  immense,  and  but  for  this  most  fortunate 
occurrence  would  most  probably  have  required  the  labor  of  an 
hundred  hands  for  some  time  to  effect  what  was  done  by  the  water 
in  a  few  hours.  Vessels  will  now  be  able  to  discharge  their  car- 
goes with  more  facility  than  formerly." — (Democrat,  Tuesday,  Feb- 
ruary 18,  1834.) 

"At  a  meeting  of  the  citizens  of  Cook  county  held  at  the  Eagle 
hotel,  February  15,  1834,  Dr.  J.  T.  Temple  was  appointed  a  dele- 
gate to  the  convention  to  be  held  at  Rushville  to  determine  a  new 
capital  for  the  state.  It  was  "Resolved,  That  said  delegate  be 
instructed  to  oppose  to  the  utmost  of  his  ability  any  measure  that 
may  tend  to  connect  the  location  of  the  seat  of  government  with  the 
question  of  the  construction  of  a  canal  or  railroad  between  the 
Illinois  river  and  Lake  Michigan."  The  following  citizens  were  ap- 
pointed a  committee  to  draft  a  petition  to  Congress  on  the  subject 
of  preemption  rights  to  present  and  future  actual  settlers.  J.  D. 
Caton,  R.  J.  Hamilton,  J.  H.  Collins,  E.  S.  Casey,  Giles  Spring 
and  R.  T.  Kinzie.  This  petition  to  Congress  recited  that  the  public 
lands  of  Cook  county  had  not  yet  been  offered  for  sale  by  the 
general  government,  owing  to  the  fact  that  the  survey  of  the 
same  had  not  been  completed ;  that  the  said  lands,  being  very  rich, 
had  been  settled  upon  by  permanent  residents  who  expected  to  be 
protected  as  other  localities  had  been  by  suitable  preemption  laws; 
that  failure  to  complete  the  survey  and  place  the  lands  in  market 
was  retarding  the  settlement  and  development  of  the  country;  that 
justice  toward  this  hitherto  neglected  portion  of  the  state,  to  the 
infant  town  of  Chicago  and  to  your  petitioners,  demands  reason- 
able despatch  to  encourage  emigration  and  the  settlement  of  the 
said  lands."  Of  this  meeting,  J.  V.  Owen  was  chairman,  and  P. 
F.  W.  Peck,  secretary. 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  101 

"The  United  States  is  now  constructing  a  harbor  by  making 
a  passage  through  this  bar  into  the  Chicago  river  and  fortifying 
the  sides  with  piers  to  protect  the  channel  from  the  winds  and  ice. 
When  this  work  shall  be  completed  the  channel  between  the  piers 
and  the  Chicago  river  will  itself  form  the  best  harbor  in  all  the 
northern  lake  country,  -as  the  river  is  from  fifty  to  seventy-five 
yards  wide  and  from  fifteen  to  twenty-five  feet  deep,  forming  a 
great  natural  canal." — (Democrat,  January,  1834.) 

"Chicago  must  eventually  become  the  greatest  place  for  business 
and  commerce  in  all  the  Northwest.  Already  it  is  a  great  thorough- 
fare for  so  new  a  place.  Merchants  through  the  northern  por- 
tions of  Indiana  as  far  south  as  Terre  Haute;  those  of  Edgar, 
Vermilion,  Champaign,  Iroquois,  and  all  the  northern  counties  in 
Illinois,  with  the  adjacent  territory,  now  receive  their  goods  through 
this  channel.  Schooners  are  the  principal  vessels  that  now  navigate 
Lake  Michigan.  In  1831  the  number  of  arrivals  was  seven;  in 
1832,  about  forty-five;  during  1833,  about  one  hundred  twenty. 
More  than  one  hundred  dwelling  houses,  stores  and  shops  were 
erected  during  the  summer  of  1833.  There  are  about  thirty  stores, 
some  of  which  do  extensive  business.  Three  houses  for  public 
worship  were  built  in  1833.  A  respectable  academy  is  taught  by 
a  gentleman  and  lady." — (A  letter  in  the  Democrat,  dated  Feb- 
ruary 17,  1834.) 

"Emigration  to  this  place  has  commenced  in  earnest.  Within 
the  last  ten  days  over  one  hundred  persons  have  arrived  by  boat 
and  otherwise,  and  it  is  with  pleasure  that  we  witness  the  arrival 
at  our  wharves  of  articles  of  which  we  have  been  deprived  for 
some  months  past.  There  are  now  three  vessels  engaged  to  supply 
this  place  with  lumber,  which  gives  new  life  to  the  business  appear- 
ance of  the  town." — (Democrat,  April  30,  1834.) 

"It  is  with  pleasure  that  we  witness  the  continued  influx  of  emi- 
gration that  is  rapidly  pouring  into  this  place.  As  near  as  we 
can  ascertain  from  two  hundred  and  fifty  to  three  hundred  per- 
sons have  arrived  here  within  the  last  week,  and  rumor  says  that 
thousands  are  on  their  passage  to  this  state,  the  garden  of  the 
West."— (Democrat,  May  31,  1834.) 

"We  have  lived  our  whole  life  in  a  flourishing  town  in  New 
York  and  it  seems  that  hardly  so  great  a  change  has  taken  place 
there  since  our  remembrance  as  we  have  witnessed  in  Chicago  in 
the  past  six  months.  We  dare  not  venture  on  anticipation  of  the 
future.  Reason  looks  on  in  astonishment  and  all  calculation  is 
abandoned.  Since  emigration  commenced  this  spring,  we  hesitate 
not  to  say  that  more  than  one  thousand  emigrants  have  arrived, 
intending  to  settle  in  Chicago  or  the  country  back.  We  are  happy 
to  say  that  the  emigrants  appear  to  be  wealthy,  enterprising  and 
industrious.  Such  inhabitants  constitute  the  wealth  of  a  country." 
—(Democrat,  May  28,  1834.) 


102  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

"We  feel  again  called  upon  to  advert  to  the  still  increasing  tide 
of  emigration  that  is  constantly  flowing  into  the  northern  part  of 
the  state.  Hardly  a  vessel  arrives  but  that  is  literally  crowded 
with  emigrants,  and  the  stage  which  now  runs  twice  a  week  from 
the  East  is  also  thronged  with  travelers.  The  steamboat  "Pioneer" 
which  now  performs  her  regular  trips  to  St.  Joseph,  is  also  a  great 
accommodation  to  the  traveling  community.  Loaded  teams  and 
covered  wagons,  laden  with  families  and  goods,  are  daily  arriving 
and  settling  upon  the  country  back." — (Democrat,  June  11,  1834.) 

On  January  2,  1834,  a  Mrs.  Smith,  of  Blue  Island,  was  frozen 
to  death  on  the  prairie  about  a  mile  and  a  half  from  her  home. 
When  found  she  had  been  torn  to  pieces  by  the  wolves;  she  left 
five  children.  In  January  the  Polemical  Society  debated  the  ques- 
tion :  "Has  the  Congress  of  the  United  States  Constitutional 
Power  to  Make  Internal  Improvement?"  John  A  Clark  was  now 
secretary  of  the  society.  Lieut.  J.  Allen,  of  the  U.  S.  army,  became 
superintendent  of  the  harbor  in  January,  1834. 

The  Northeast  Land  district  of  Illinois  was  created  early  in 
1834;  it  embraced  all  east  of  a  north  and  south  line  between 
Ranges  3  and  4  east ;  headquarters  were  fixed  at  Chicago.  On  Feb- 
ruary 15,  1834,  an  adjourned  meeting,  held  at  Steele's  Eagle  hotel, 
decided  to  elect  a  delegate  to  the  Ottawa  convention  pledged  to 
work  for  "the  immediate  construction  of  a  communication  either 
by  a  canal  or  railroad  between  Lake  Michigan  and  the  Illinois 
river."  A  writer  in  the  Democrat  thus  expressed  himself:  "The 
long  contemplated  but  hitherto  worse  than  neglected  Illinois  and 
Michigan  canal."  Joseph  Duncan,  representative  in  Congress, 
wrote  in  February,  1834,  that  a  bill  had  been  reported  appropria- 
ting $32,800  for  carrying  on  the  work  of  improving  Chicago 
harbor.  Saganaskee  swamp  was  a  well  known  locality  west  of  the 
head  of  the  South  branch  in  early  years.  On  March  4,  1834, 
Lieutenant  Allen  advertised  for  written  proposals  to  supply  oak 
timber  for  the  Chicago  harbor — 10,000  feet  of  squared  logs,  350 
feet  of  round  logs  for  ties  and  fifty  round  logs  for  piles.  Mark 
Noble,  Senator,  published  a  notice  in  January,  1834,  that  he  would 
prosecute  all  trespassers  on  the  west  half,  southwest  quarter,  Sec- 
tion 4,  Township  39  north,  Range  14  east,  where  the  steam  saw 
mill  stood.  This  tract  was  on  the  North  Branch.  Railroads  from 
Chicago  to  Milwaukee  and  from  Chicago  to  Ottawa  were  talked 
of  in  1834.  It  was  noted  in  the  spring  of  1834  that  Michigan 
and  other  states  eastward,  through  envy,  did  all  in  their  power 
to  prevent  emigrants  bound  for  Chicago  from  going  to  their  des- 
tination. Chicago  and  vicinity  were  "represented  as  being  a  low, 
wet,  sickly  and  barren  country,  destitute  of  every  attraction  that 
can  invite  emigration." 

"Chicago. — Our  town  is  building  up  rapidly.  Since  spring  com- 
menced there  have  been  built  upwards  of  seventy-five  buildings,  and 


JOHN    ANDERSON. 


PAUL    A.    HAZARD. 


PETER    B.     OLSEX. 


A.    F.    NIGHTINGALE. 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  105 

among  these  we  note  some  substantial  ones  of  three  stories  high, 
and  the  commencement  of  two  or  three  others  for  stores  of  three 
stories.  Emigration  is  still  increasing  and  has  increased  one-half 
since  last  year,  having  already  a  settled  population  of  at  least  1,500 
and  the  country  is  filling  up  in  like  proportion.  Rents  are  high 
and  lots  rent  on  the  principal  street  for  $3  a  foot  front.  The  com- 
mercial business  is  by  no  means  contemptible,  for  already  has  ar- 
rived nearly  as  great  a  number  of  vessels  as  arrived  during  the 
whole  of  last  season." — (Democrat,  June  18,  1834.) 

"Lithographic  Maps  of  Chicago. — Mr.  John  H.  Kinzie  procured 
while  in  New  York  a  few  lithographic  maps  of  this  town.  They 
are  beautifully  executed  and  contain  the  Town  Plat,  together  with 
the  School  Section,  Wabansia,  and  Kinzie's  addition." — (Demo- 
crat, June  18,  1834.) 

Referring  to  the  growth  of  Chicago,  a  writer  in  the  Democrat 
of  June  18,  1834,  said :  "In  a  few  months  we  have  seen  the  number 
of  buildings  double,  and  even  yet  there  are  not  houses  enough 
to  contain  our  population.  What  Chicago  will  be  by  the  close  of 
navigation  we  can  only  conjecture.  The  country  immediately 
around  us  is  filling  up  in  proportion.  From  the  country  of  the 
Wabash  alone,  there  are  frequently  in  town  at  one  time  from 
twenty  to  thirty  wagons  loaded  with  breadstuff,  and  the  necessary 
products,  some  of  them  brought  from  a  distance  of  a  hundred  or 
a  hundred  and  fifty  miles  over  a  road  so  notoriously  bad  that  it 
often  requires  eight  yoke  of  oxen  to  draw  a  single  wagon.  We,  in 
turn,  send  them  back  salt  and  merchandise  of  every  description. 
A  railroad  from  Chicago  to  Vincennes  should  be  built.  Let  our 
citizens  and  those  of  the  Wabash  unite  at  once  in  a  work  so  much 
to  their  mutual  benefit.  There  should  be  no  delay  or  postpone- 
ment. The  railroad  will  not  build  itself.  If  there  is  that  inaction 
among  us  regarding  works  of  internal  improvement  of  such  vital 
interest  to  us  as  we  have  seen  displayed  on  the  subject  of  the  Illi- 
nois and  Michigan  canal,  we  will  soon  win  the  name  once  bestowed 
for  the  like  cause  in  reproach  upon  North  Carolina,  the  'Rip  Van 
Winkle  of  the  Union.' ' 

"Our  citizens  were  not  a  little  delighted  on  Saturday  morning 
last  by  a  sight  as  novel  as  it  was  beautiful.  About  9  o'clock  their 
attention  was  arrested  by  the  appearance  of  the  splendid  schooner 
'Illinois'  as  she  came  gliding  up  the  river  into  the  heart  of  the  town 
under  full  sail.  The  'Illinois'  is  a  new  vessel  of  nearly  one  hun- 
dred tons,  launched  this  spring  at  Sackett's  Harbor,  New  York,  is 
a  perfect  model  of  a  schooner,  and  is  commanded  by  Captain 
Pickering.  Her  top  masts  were  covered  with  flags  and  streamers 
and  her  canvas  was  all  spread  to  invite  the  gentle  breeze.  The 
banks  of  the  river  were  crowded  with  a  delighted  crowd,  and  as 
she  reached  the  wharf  of  Newberry  &  Dole,  where  she  first  stopped, 
she  was  hailed  with  loud  and  repeated  cheers.  Her  decks  were 

Vol.  1—7. 


106  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

immediately  crowded  by  die  citizens,  all  anxious  to  greet  her  gal- 
lant commander  with  a  warm  and  hearty  welcome.  The  draw- 
bridge was  soon  raised  and  she  passed  into  the  upper  end  of  the 
town  and  came  to  at  Ingersoll's  wharf  in  front  of  the  Western 
Stage  house.  On  her  passage  up  the  river  more  than  two  hundred 
of  our  citizens  were  on  board." — (Democrat,  July  16,  1834.) 

Although  the  article  does  not  say  so,  this  was  the  first  lake  vessel 
to  sail  up  the  Chicago  river.  On  Monday  night  following,  the 
schooner  "Philip,"  Captain  Howe,  also  entered  the  river,  and  on 
Tuesday  discharged  her  cargo  at  the  wharf  of  Newberry  &  Dole. 

"Chicago  Harbor. — This  work  is  now  in  rapid  progress  and 
never  has  it  before  presented  so  busy  and  active  a  scene  as  at  the 
present  time.  About  one  hundred  hands  are  employed  upon  this 
work  and  more  are  still  wanted.  The  North  pier  is  rapidly  extend- 
ing into  the  lake  and  as  soon  as  it  shall  be  built  across  the  sand 
bar  lying  opposite  the  mouth  of  the  river,  so  that  the  channel  shall 
be  protected  from  the  northeast  winds,  we  may  soon  expect  to 
find  it  of  sufficient  depth  to  admit  vessels  of  the  larger  class  into 
the  river.  Under  its  present  very  active  and  efficient  superintendent, 
Lieut.  J.  Allen,  much  may  be  expected  this  season." — (Democrat, 
August  13,  1834.) 

"Mails. — The  apathy  prevalent  among  our  citizens  is  astonish- 
ing, with  a  population  of  over  two  thousand  five  hundred,  de- 
pendent upon  the  postoffice  in  this  town;  with  the  business  trans- 
acted equal  to  some  places  where  a  semi-daily  mail  is  required; 
with  a  garrison  of  troops ;  with  important  public  works  in  progress ; 
with  an  Indian  agency  through  which  the  Government  is  now  nego- 
tiating the  ratification  of  a  treaty;  with  all  these  it  is  a  matter  of 
astonishment  that  the  people  should  feel  such  indifference  on  the 
subject  of  mails." — (Democrat,  August  13,  1834.) 

"Chicago  Piers. — Since  the  commencement  upon  the  United 
States  piers  this  work  has  progressed  rapidly.  The  pier  on  the 
north  side  has  been  extended  into  the  lake  six  hundred  feet  and 
to  near  eight  feet  of  water.  This  pier  is  to  be  finished  thus  far 
before  it  is  extended  farther.  Much  credit  is  due  to  Lieutenant 
Allen,  the  superintendent,  in  forwarding  this  work." — (Democrat, 
October  1,  1834.) 

In  the  summer  of  1834  Chicago  began  to  be  visited  once  a  week 
by  the  steamboat  "Uncle  Sam"  from  Buffalo.  The  steamboat 
"Pioneer"  plied  regularly  between  Chicago  and  St.  Joseph.  Four 
to  five  schooners  ran  regularly  across  the  lake.  At  this  time,  also, 
the  stage  began  to  run  twice  a  week  between  Niles  and  St.  Joseph. 
The  steamboat  "Pioneer"  was  wrecked  near  St.  Joseph  in  July, 
1834,  but  the  passengers  were  saved  by  the  "Marengo."  A  bill 
in  the  Legislature  in  1833-34  proposed  to  incorporate  the  "Mich- 
igan and  Illinois  Railroad  Company."  The  trustees  of  Chicago 
elected  in  1834  were  John  H.  Kinzie,  Gurdon  S.  Hubbard,  J.  K. 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  107 

Boyer,  Ebenezer  Goodrich  and  J.  S.  C.  Hogan.  In  August,  1834, 
four-horse  post  coaches  ran  twice  a  week  between  St.  Louis  and 
Chicago;  the  route  ran  through  Ottawa,  Peoria  and  Springfield. 
A  big  mass  meeting  at  the  "Methodist  Chapel"  on  October  4, 
1834,  appointed  a  committee  of  thirty  to  collect  facts  in  regard 
to  "a  canal  or  railroad  and  an  extension  of  the  post  road  beyond 
Ottawa." 

On  October  6,  1834,  it  was  reported  that  a  black  bear  had  been 
seen  in  the  woods  on  the  South  branch  above  Madison  street. 
Many  went  out  and  finally  located  bruin  in  a  big  tree.  A  shot 
brought  it  down,  but  two  more  shots  were  required  before  it  was 
dispatched.  This  little  adventure  stirred  the  hunting  instincts  of 
the  inhabitants,  who  thereupon  determined  to  have  a  wolf  hunt. 
Three  or  four  divisions  were  formed  and  many  of  the  animals 
were  routed  out — one  took  to  the  lake  when  surrounded;  another 
was  driven  into  the  town  and  was  killed  by  an  officer  of  the  fort 
with  a  sword.  About  twenty  wolves  were  slain. — (Democrat, 
October  8,  1834.) 

In  March,  1834,  a  water  front  lot  sold  for  $3,500— Lot  4,  Block 
17,  near  all  the  business  houses.  Merchants  did  not  want  back 
lots.  The  lot  was  80  by  150  feet.  "I  think  father  will  not  give 
half  that  for  it.  But  his  ideas  do  not  keep  up  with  property  in 
Chicago.  I  am  sure  that  lot  will  fetch  $5,000  in  less  than  three 
months.  What  makes  me  think  so  is,  there  are  a  great  many  mer- 
chants coming  this  summer.  .  .  .  Last  evening  I  made  an- 
other bargain  for  ninety  and  one-half  acres  of  land,  for  which 
I  am  to  pay  $3,500,  the  same  sum  that  the  town  lot  cost;  seventy- 
three  acres  lie  on  the  North  Branch  of  the  Chicago  river." — (A 
young  land  speculator's  correspondence  in  1834.) 

In  1832  the  above  lot  had  been  sold  for  $100.  The  young  man 
who  paid  $3,500  for  it  in  1834,  sold  it  fifteen  months  later  for 
$15,000.  In  June,  1835,  the  fight  for  government  land  at  $1.25 
per  acre  was  hotly  contested.  In  1836  the  rush  was  nearly  as 
great.  All  money  went  to  the  government  for  land;  promissory 
notes  circulated  as  money.  A  hundred  emigrant  vessels  arrived 
between  April  and  September  1834;  besides  many  persons  came 
by  land.  In  the  fall  of  1834  the  village  population  was  a  little 
over  1,500;  in  November,  1835,  there  were  3,265  by  the  census 
and  9,773  in  Cook  county.  Most  all  of  them  were  valid  settlers. 

In  November  1834,  the  gamblers  here  began  to  be  a  serious 
menace  to  the  peace  and  quiet  of  the  town;  thus  far  no  ordinance 
checking  them  had  been  passed.  On  November  18,  1834,  Billy 
Caldwell,  chief  of  the  United  Pottawatomies,  Ottawas  and  Chip- 
pewas,  married  in  Chicago  Sangua  Le  Grand,  a  Pottawatomie 
young  lady.  In  December,  1834,  proposals  to  carry  the  mails  be- 
tween Chicago  and  Green  Bay,  once  a  week  on  horseback,  for 
three  years,  were  called  for.  In  December,  1834,  the  Democrat, 


108  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

the  only  newspaper  here,  ran  out  of  paper  and  as  no  more  could  be 
obtained,  the  issue  was  stopped  until  May,  1835.  On  Monday, 
June  15,  1835,  the  public  lands  of  Cook  county  were  offered  for 
sale  and  the  offer  remained  open  for  two  weeks.  Emigration  into 
this  part  of  the  state  was  so  immense  in  1835  that  Chicago  was 
often  out  of  provisions;  flour  was  $12  per  barrel  in  June;  corn  $1 
per  bushel ;  oats,  62  to  78  cents ;  wheat,  63  to  69  cents ;  beef, 
4  to  6  cents  a  pound ;  butter,  20  to  25  cents  a  pound ;  potatoes, 
$1  to  $1.50  per  bushel.  In  1835  a  new  mail  route  ran  from  Chi- 
cago to  Galena  via  Naperville.  The  first  annual  fair  of  the  ladies 
of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  was  held  June  18,  1835.  At 
this  time  the  streets  and  open  lots  were  so  filthy  that  a  mass  meet- 
ing of  the  citizens  requested  the  officials  to  "clean  up."  At  the 
meeting  were  Messrs.  Hubbard,  Curtiss,  Peck,  Morris,  Fullerton, 
Sweet,  Temple  and  King.  By  June  24  flour  was  $15  to  $16  per 
barrel ;  there  was  no  corn  in  the  market. 

"Everything  about  our  town  looks  flourishing  and  prosperous. 
Whichever  way  we  turn  our  eyes  encounter  new  buildings  and 
new  business — all  giving  evidence  of  an  accession  of  population 
and  enterprise  hitherto  unknown  even  here.  Several  things,  how- 
ever, require  immediate  attention.  First,  the  gutters  ought  to  be 
drained  and  the  sunken  spots  in  the  vacant  lots  and  about  the 
buildings  should  be  drained  or  filled  immediately.  Health  is  the 
first  consideration ;  second,  is  it  not  time  that  something  was  done 
to  protect  the  town  from  the  ravages  of  fire?  So  far  as  we  are 
advised,  there  is  not  even  a  fire  bucket  in  Chicago." — (Democrat, 
May  20,  1835.) 

"On  Monday  morning  last  we  counted  twelve  vessels  anchored 
off  our  harbor  from  the  lower  lakes,  all,  we  believe,  loaded  with 
merchandise  for  this  place.  We  would  like  some  of  our  southern 
fellow  citizens  who  are  opposed  to  a  canal  just  to  drop  in  upon 
us  and  see  how  we  are  doing  things  up  about  this  time  in  Chicago. 
We  apprehend  some  of  our  farmers  below  would  begin  to  think  it 
was  time  for  them  to  have  some  convenient  way  of  getting  their 
produce  to  a  market  where  flour  brings  $10  to  $12  per  barrel  and 
other  things  in  proportion,  and  where  they  can  obtain  merchandise 
a  little  cheaper  than  at  any  other  place  in  the  country." — (Demo- 
crat, June  10,  1835.) 

"We  have  heretofore  called  the  public  attention  to  the  deplor- 
able state  of  Chicago  as  regards  filth.  Every  day  the  situation 
of  our  streets  and  the  vacant  lots  is  becoming  worse  and  nothing 
is  done.  .  .  .  Our  streets  would  disgrace  a  piggery.  The 
vacant  lots  and  places  about  buildings  abound  with  holes  filled  with 
green  putrid  water  and  decaying  vegetable  matter.  The  atmo- 
sphere has  already  become  poisoned.  ...  Is  there  no  time — 
no  care  in  the  community — for  these  things?  Is  the  reputation  of 
Chicago  for  health,  and  the  lives  of  the  people  thus  negligently  to 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  109 

0 

be  fooled  away?  The  corporation  have  the  necessary  power  to  act 
if  they  will  exercise  it;  and  if  they  do  not  the  community  ought 
to  take  the  matter  into  their  own  hands.  Our  town  still  con- 
tinues healthy,  but  we  warn  our  fellow  citizens  that  they  may 
expect  sickness  and  the  pestilence.  To  the  crowded  streets  and 
dwellings  may  be  superadded  the  immense  congregation  of  stran- 
gers crowding  every  room  of  our  public  houses  and  every  room  in 
which  they  can  obtain  accommodations,  even  to  the  extent  of 
sleeping  on  the  floor." — (Democrat,  June  10,  1835.) 

By  act  of  February  11,  1835,  John  H.  Kinzie,  Gurdon  K.  Boyer, 
John  S.  C.  Hogan  and  others,  were  "constituted  a  body  politic  and 
corporate  to  be  known  by  the  name  of  the  Trustees  of  the  Town 
of  Chicago."  They  and  their  successors  were  made  perpetual. 
The  corporate  powers  and  duties  of  Chicago  were  vested  in  nine 
trustees  to  be  elected  annually.  They  were  given  large  powers  for 
the  government  of  the  town.  The  other  officers  were  to  consist  of 
one  clerk,  one  treasurer,  one  street  commissioner,  one  assessor  and 
collector  of  taxes,  one  surveyor,  two  measurers  of  wood  and  coal, 
two  measurers  of  lumber  and  two  measurers  and  weighers  of  grain. 
The  corporation  was  divided  into  three  districts  as  follows:  "All 
that  part  which  lies  south  of  the  Chicago  river  and  east  of  the 
South  branch  of  said  river  shall  be  included  in  the  First  district. 
All  that  part  which  lies  west  of  the  North  and  South  branches  of 
said  river  shall  be  included  in  the  Second  district;  and  all  that 
part  which  lies  north  of  the  Chicago  river  and  east  of  the  North 
Branch  of  said  river  shall  be  included  in  the  Third  district.  The 
taxes  for  each  district  were  to  be  collected  and  expended  independ- 
ently, but  all  elections  for  trustees  were  to  be  by  the  whole  town. 

"Land  Sales. — For  a  few  weeks  past  our  town  has  been  the  scene 
of  extensive  land  operations.  Great  speculations  have  been  made  in 
Chicago  town  lots  as  well  as  in  the  lots  of  other  towns  which  are 
as  yet  unknown  to  fame.  If  our  land  speculators  have  not  the 
facilities  of  the  genii  of  the  Arabian  Knights  Entertainment  for 
bringing  flourishing  towns  and  villages  into  existence  at  a  word, 
they  certainly  possess  an  art  unknown  even  in  fairy  tales  of  spread- 
ing them  out  on  paper.  We  have  no  seven  days'  wonder,  each 
town  has  had  its  day,  and  each  day  has  had  its  town ;  and  so  vorac- 
ious has  been  the  appetite  for  land  speculations  in  this  flourishing 
section  that  all  have  found  ready  purchasers  at  prices  exceeding, 
we  believe,  the  highest  expectations  of  the  proprietors.  Very  heavy 
sales  have  taken  place  in  the  town  lots  of  Chicago.  Vendors  of  one 
day  have  offered  the  next  20  to  25  per  cent  advance  for  cancella- 
tions. Indeed  the  advance  in  the  price  of  town  lots  in  Chicago  is 
wholly  unprecedented.  What  was  six  months  since  one  thousand 
dollars  in  value  of  land  in  town  is  now  four  and  five  times  that 
value.  .  .  .  We  have  been  gratified  at  the  respect  which  has 
been  had  for  the  claims  of  the  settlers  upon  their  lands — especially 


110  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

by  speculators  from  abroad.  Lynch's  law  is  the  best  of  preemp- 
tion laws.  It  saves  a  world  of  hard  swearing  and  fraud,  and  ac- 
complishes the  same  object  with  half  the  trouble  and  expense." — 
(Democrat,  July  18,  1835.) 

A  new  board  of  trustees  was  elected  July  10,  1835,  and  they 
constituted  a  board  of  health  with  extra  police  powers.  Gaming 
houses,  the  sale  of  liquor  on  Sundays,  firing  guns  and  pistols 
within  the  corporate  limits,  etc.,  were  prohibited.  Bonds  were  ex- 
acted of  fiduciary  and  other  officials.  Cemeteries  were  located  at 
Wabash  and  Twenty-third  street  and  at  Chicago  avenue  and  the 
lake  shore  on  the  north  in  1835.  It  was  not  dreamed  that  the 
town  would  soon  go  far  beyond  those  points.  On  August  22, 
1835,  the  American  was  established.  Public  buildings,  a  small 
pound,  a  small  brick  house  for  county  officers  and  their  records, 
an  engine  house,  a  jail  of  logs  (all  in  the  courthouse  square),  a 
fire  engine  costing  $896.38,  an  engine  company,  a  hook  and  ladder 
company,  of  which  all  leading  citizens  were  members,  were  among 
the  advances  in  1835.  On  February  11,  1835,  the  corporate  limits 
were  extended  to  include  all  east  of  State  from  Twelfth  and  Chi- 
cago avenue  to  the  lake,  including  the  Reservation,  which  was  sub- 
ject to  government  control.  Business  was  excellent  but  city  and 
state  finances  were  alarming. 

The  first  fire  department  was  authorized  September  19,  1835, 
by  the  following  resolution :  "Resolved,  That  the  president  order 
two  engines  for  the  use  of  the  corporation,  of  such  description  as 
he  shall  deem  necessary,  and  also  1,000  feet  of  hose,  on  the  credit 
of  the  corporation."  James  H.  Collins,  attorney,  was  paid  $5  fee 
for  his  opinion  concerning  leasing  the  river  front  lots.  His  opinion, 
despite  protracted  legal  controversy  at  a  later  date,  held  good. 
John  Dean  Caton's  bill  for  counsel  fees  and  services  in  1833-34 
amounted  to  $75. 

"Fire!  Fire! — The  citizens  of  the  town  of  Chicago  are  requested 
to  meet  at  the  Methodist  Church  tomorrow  evening,  Wednesday, 
October  29,  to  take  into  consideration  the  formation  of  an  engine 
company,  hook  and  ladder  company  and  the  further  prevention  of 
fire." — (Democrat,  October  28,  1835.) 

"We  should  be  wanting  in  our  duty  to  the  officers  engaged  in  the 
work,  were  we  not  to  notice  the  great  improvements  which  have 
been  made  in  the  streets  of  our  town  the  past  season.  They  are 
alike  creditable  to  this  new  place  and  the  officers  engaged  in  super- 
intending them.  We  have  not  as  yet  paved  streets ;  but  one  year 
since  we  had  nothing  in  the  shape  of  a  street  in  this  place  beyond 
the  sticking  up  of  stakes,  and  here  and  there  a  building  on  the 
line  showing  where  a  street  was  intended  to  be.  Now  the  prin- 
cipal streets  are  well  turnpiked,  and  so  graduated  and  ditched  as 
to  drain  them  thoroughly." — (Democrat,  October  7,  1835.) 

Fractional  Section  10,  Township  39,  Range  14,  on  which  stood 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  111 

Fort  Dearborn,  was  reserved  for  military  purposes  in  1824.  Sev- 
eral bold  attempts  were  made  to  fasten  preemption  claims  in  this 
land — both  at  Palestine  and  at  Danville  when  those  towns  had 
jurisdiction  of  the  lands  in  this  quarter;  but  such  attempts  were 
repelled  and  discountenanced  by  the  General  Land  office.  This 
region  was  detached  from  the  Danville  section  and  made  a  part  of 
the  Northeast  Land  district.  The  fact  that  the  above  tract  was 
reserved  was  heralded  everywhere,  yet  private  persons  in  Chicago 
tried  to  fasten  preemption  claims  on  the  same.  "It  is  surprising 
that  in  the  face  of  all  the  circumstances,  the  Land  Offices  of  Chi- 
cago should  have  admitted  this  tract  of  land  (represented  to  be 
worth  from  half  a  million  to  a  million  dollars)  to  be  entered  on  the 
allegation  of  a  preemption  right.  Such  a  reprehensible  and  pre- 
posterous act,  originating  in  whatever  cause  it  may,  is,  of  course, 
of  no  sort  of  validity.  As  soon  as  the  fact  was  ascertained,  the 
officers  were  instantly  ordered  to  cancel  the  proceedings,  and  the 
Receiver  has  been  directed  to  refund  the  amount  of  purchase 
money  (a  little  less  than  one  hundred  dollars)  paid  by  the  alleged 
preemptor.  I  request  you  will  have  the  goodness  to  cause  this 
letter  to  be  published  in  the  town  of  Chicago,  in  order  to  guard 
the  public  against  imposition." — (Extract  from  a  letter  dated  Sep- 
tember 14,  1835,  signed  by  Ethan  A.  Brown,  commissioner  of  the 
General  Land  office,  and  addressed  to  a  gentleman  in  Chicago. 
Published  in  the  Chicago  Democrat,  October  7,  1835.) 

It  was  predicted  by  the  Democrat  that  Fort  Dearborn  would  be 
abandoned  within  a  year.  It  was  recommended  that  the  citizens 
should  assemble  and  petition  Congress  for  a  grant  of  the  land  of 
this  tract.  The  paper  said  significantly :  "There  are  many  peculiar 
reasons  why  the  general  government  should  pursue  that  course  in 
the  present  instance. 

A  big  meeting  to  petition  Congress  to  grant  the  city  the  Fort 
Dearborn  reservation  was  held  November  2,  1835,  at  the  Presby- 
terian Church.  Three  of  the  resolutions  were  as  follows :  "Re- 
solved, That  a  grant  of  the  said  Military  Reservation  shall  be  ap- 
plied for  upon  the  express  condition  that  twenty  acres,  parcel  of  the 
said  reservation,  to  be  taken  from  the  center  thereof  in  a  block 
having  four  sides  of  equal  dimensions  as  nearly  as  may  be,  one  of 
which  shall  be  fronting  upon  Lake  Michigan — shall  be  reserved  in 
all  time  to  come  for  a  public  square,  accessible  at  all  times  to  the 
people,  and  also  upon  the  condition  that  if  the  said  public  square 
shall  at  any  time  be  built  upon,  then  the  same  shall  revert  to  the 
general  government  and  cease  to  be  the  property  of  the  town  of 
Chicago.  Resolved,  That  the  said  reservation  shall  be  applied  for 
to  the  end  that  the  same  (save  so  much  thereof  as  may  be  reserved 
for  a  public  square  as  aforesaid),  may  be  sold  by  the  corporate 
powers  of  the  town  of  Chicago  at  their  discretion,  and  that  the 
proceeds  therefrom  may  be  appropriated  to  the  uses  of  the  said 


112  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

town.  Resolved,  That  if  the  County  of  Cook  shall  fail  to  obtain 
the  right  of  preemption  to  one  quarter  section  of  land  by  virtue  of 
the  act  of  Congress  of  the  26th  of  May,  1834,  then  the  said  cor- 
porate authorities  of  the  town  of  Chicago  shall  contribute  out  of  the 
proceeds  of  the  said  reservation  a  sum  sufficient  to  erect  a  court- 
house and  common  jail  for  the  said  county."  Hiram  Hugunin  was 
chairman  of  this  meeting  and  H.  B.  Clarke  secretary.  Ebenezer 
Peck,  H.  B.  Clarke,  J.  C.  Goodhue,  Eli  B.  Williams  and  Walter 
Kimball  were  appointed  a  committee  to  draft  a  memorial  to  Con- 
gress to  the  above  effect. 

In  November,  1835,  the  Board  of  Trustees  of  the  Town  of  Chi- 
cago selected  the  following  persons  to  constitute  a  hook  and  ladder 
company:  John  L.  Wilson,  E.  C.  Bracket!,  J.  Holbrook,  T.  Jen- 
kins, T.  F.  Spalding,  I.  Cook,  George  Smith,  J.  J.  Garland,  J.  K. 
Palmer,  P.  F.  W.  Peck,  Thomas  S.  Eells,  Joseph  L.  Hanson,  S.  B. 
Cobb,  James  A.  Smith,  John  R.  Livingston,  Henry  G.  Hubbard, 
Thomas  J.  King,  N.  L.  F.  Monroe,  J.  K.  Botsford,  G.  W.  Snow, 
G.  W.  Merrill,  Joseph  Meeker,  Samuel  S.  Lathrop,  Thomas  S.  S. 
Hyde  and  J.  McClure.  Early  in  November,  1835,  full  ordinances 
for  the  control  of  fires  were  passed  by  the  town  board.  A  fire  de- 
partment was  erected,  to  consist  of  a  chief  engineer,  two  assist- 
ants, four  fire  wardens,  in  addition  to  the  trustees,  and  such  fire 
engine  men,  horsemen,  hook  and  ladder  men,  and  ax  and  saw  men 
as  might  be  appointed  from  time  to  time  by  the  trustees.  The 
firemen  were  divided  into  companies.  The  board  of  trustees  had 
full  power  to  organize  an  efficient  fire  fighting  department. 

"The  Board  of  Trustees  have  at  length  decided  upon  leasing  the 
wharfing  privileges  of  the  town,  in  pursuance  of  the  authority 
granted  by  their  act  of  incorporation :  this  is  a  judicious  step,  and 
calculated  to  advance  the  interest  of  the  town  and  promote  its 
commercial  prosperity,  and  we  doubt  not  that  it  will  meet  the  con- 
currence of  a  large  majority  of  the  citizens.  A  few,  we  understand, 
are  opposed  to  the  proceeding." — (Democrat,  November  18,  1835.) 

Leasing  the  wharfing  privileges  in  Chicago  for  nine  hundred  and 
ninety-nine  years  was  advertised  for  sale,  November  23,  1835 ; 
terms,  one-fourth  down  and  the  remainder  in  three  equal  annual 
installments,  bearing  interest  at  the  rate  of  6  per  cent.  Owners 
or  occupants  of  the  lots  fronting  the  river  were  given  the  prefer- 
ence at  a  minimum  price  fixed  by  the  board.  This  lease  was  applic- 
able to  the  Old  or  Original  Town  of  Chicago.  Such  of  these  leases 
as  were  not  taken  by  the  owners  or  occupants  of  lots  were  to  be 
sold  at  auction  to  the  highest  bidder.  The  privilege  was  to  extend 
forty  feet  in  depth  toward  the  river,  bounded  by  the  river  and  its 
two  branches,  "and  on  the  other  side  by  North  and  South  and 
West  Water  streets,  which  said  streets  are  to  be  and  to  remain 
open  eighty  feet  in  width,  as  is  set  forth  and  exhibited  by  a  plan 
prepared  by  Edward  B.  Talcott,  town  surveyor." 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  113 

"On  the  morning  of  the  21st  ult.  a  handbill  was  issued  from  the 
office  of  the  American  calling  a  meeting  of  the  citizens  at  11 
o'clock  to  take  into  consideration  the  measures  adopted  by  the 
trustees  for  the  sale  of  wharfmg  privileges.  Everything  was  cut 
and  dried  beforehand  by  the  opponents  of  the  measure;  resolu- 
tions were  drawn,  speeches  prepared  and  recruits  drummed  up  from 
all  quarters  of  the  town.  The  meeting  was  one  of  the  largest  ever 
held  in  Chicago  and  the  subject  was  debated  from  11  to  1:30  by 
Messrs.  Spring,  Richards  and  Moore,  opposed  to,  and  Messrs. 
Ceilings,  Peck  and  Temple,  in  favor  of,  the  measures  of  the  trus- 
tees. The  meeting  adjourned  sine  die,  but  adjournment  was  op- 
posed. In  the  evening  handbills  were  again  issued  calling  upon 
all  opposed  to  the  measure  to  meet  that  evening  at  the  Presby- 
terian Church.  About  forty  (four  of  whom,  by  the  way,  were 
blacks)  assembled  and  passed  the  resolutions  which  had  been  dis- 
cussed in  the  morning.  A  long  remonstrance  was  also  drawn  up 
and  circulated  for  subscription.  The  American  said :  'By  Tuesday 
evening  over  two  hundred  names  (about  one-half  the  legal  voters 
of  the  town)  were  affixed  to  the  remonstrance.'  We  have  read  the 
signatures  attached  to  the  protest,  and  assert  that  not  more  than 
one-half  are  legal  voters  of  Chicago,  nor  is  'two  hundred  about 
one-half  the  legal  voters  of  the  town.'  A  large  number  of  the 
signers  are  minors,  and  several  are  not  residents  of  Chicago  at 
all.  Is  this  the  way  to  arrive  at  public  opinion  upon  an  important 
subject?  As  a  matter  of  fact  the  act  incorporating  Chicago  as  a 
town  gave  the  trustees  power  'to  lease  the  wharfing  privileges  of 
said  town,  giving  to  the  owners  or  occupants  of  the  lots  fronting 
the  river  the  right  of  preference  of  such  privileges.'  ...  'It  is 
detrimental  to  the  future  interests  of  the  town,'  says  the  American. 
What,  $100,000  detrimental  to  the  town!  Commend  us  to  such 
detriments  every  day  of  our  lives.  Who  are  they  that  are  opposed 
to  the  trustees  on  this  question?  Those  who  could  not  make  great 
speculations  out  of  the  wharves  and  those  who  are  the  owners  of 
water  lots  and  other  property  in  Kinzie's  addition.  These  are  the 
men  who  squirmed  under  the  act  of  the  trustees — who  wished  to 
monopolize  all  the  storage  and  wharfage  and  deprive  other  parts 
of  the  town  of  an  equal  and  just  participation  in  these  privileges. 
The  measure,  however,  has  been  carried  through  and  the  trustees 
have  been  sustained  by  the  voice  of  the  people." — (Democrat,  De- 
cember 2,  1835.) 

On  November  14,  1835,  the  town  trustees  resolved  to  sell  the 
wharf  rights,  which  for  some  time  had  been  yielding  a  good  rev- 
enue; there  was  no  immediate  necessity  for  selling  and  the  act 
was  greatly  deplored  as  the  rights  grew  in  value  rapidly  with  the 
years.  A  covenant  lease  for  nine  hundred  and  ninety-nine  years 
was  decided  upon,  the  lessee  to  erect  docks  within  two  years  and 
the  town  to  dredge  the  river  ten  feet  deep  within  four  years.  The 


114  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

prices  of  lots  were  as  follows:  North  Water  street  $8.50  to  $15 
per  front  foot ;  South  Water  street  $25  per  front  foot ;  West 
Water  street,  $18  per  front  foot.  It  was  assumed  at  the  time  and 
generally  believed  ever  since  that  this  sale  of  the  wharfing  rights 
of  the  town  was  dishonest,  but  the  sale  was  valid  and  held  good 
in  law. 

A  very  severe  storm  on  the  lake,  late  in  November,  1835, 
wrecked  the  schooners  "Bridget,"  "Austerlitz,"  "Marengo," 
"Utica,"  "Chance,"  "Lafayette,"  "Swan"  and  "Lady."  "Utica" 
was  owned  by  A.  Clybourn.  Newberry  &  Dole  lost  over  $25,000 
worth  of  goods  in  the  "Austerlitz." 

"The  Cry  Is  Still  They  Come. — The  tide  of  emigration  which 
is  flowing  in  this  season,  far  exceeds  that  of  any  former  period. 
The  floodgates  of  enterprise  seem  to  be  let  loose  upon  us.  In  addi- 
tion to  the  actual  emigrants  that  are  now  pressing  into  this  region, 
the  approaching  land  sale  is  bringing  into  our  town  a  crowd  of 
strangers  and  capitalists.  Strangers  to  the  amount  of  some  hun- 
dreds fill  our  public  houses  and  streets;  our  wharves  are  covered 
with  men,  women  and  children,  just  landed  from  the  vessels,  and 
even  some  storehouses  have  been  thrown  open  to  receive  the  un- 
sheltered emigrants.  Some  build  tents  upon  the  spot  where  they 
are  landed  from  the  boat  in  the  middle  of  our  streets,  then  raise 
them,  and  move  on.  Cook  county,  which  two  years  ago  exhibited 
a  few  scattered  dwellings  along  the  groves  or  by  the  streams,  is 
now  rife  with  thriving  settlements;  and  some  smart  villages  have 
arisen,  too,  as  by  enchantment.  The  solitary  inhabitant  of  a  grove 
has  seen  a  community  suddenly  gather  round  him.  Some  schools 
are  actually  in  successful  operation,  where  a  year  since  was  but  a 
solitary  emigrant." — (American,  June  13,  1835.) 

"The  amount  of  money  received  at  the  land  office  in  this  town 
for  lands  sold  from  May  28  till  the  close  of  the  sale,  is  a  little 
over  $386,500,  of  which  about  $353,500  was  for  lands  sold  at 
auction  and  the  balance  under  the  preemption  law." — (American, 
July  18,  1835) 

"Up  to  September,  1834,  that  office  (school  commissioner)  has 
in  all  yielded  me  in  all  but  about  $200.  Up  to  the  present  time 
the  gross  receipts  of  the  office  of  notary  public  have  probably  not 
exceeded  $50.  The  judge  of  probate's  fees  since  the  appointment 
in  this  county  have  not  amounted  to  more  than  $50;  and  I  have 
not  realized  from  all  these  offices,  including  that  of  recorder,  more 
than  $1,500." — (Hamilton  in  American,  August  1,  1835.) 

"We  have  seen  during  the  past  week  fourteen  vessels  lying  to- 
gether at  our  harbor,  principally  of  the  large  class  of  schooners, 
bearing  each  one  hundred  tons  burden,  while  nine  more,  all  freighted 
for  this  port  were  on  their  passage  from  Mackinac." — (American, 
September  19,  1835.) 

An  ordinance  passed  in  August,  1835,  levied  a  fine  of  $10  for 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  115 

burials  within  the  corporate  limits — cemeteries  north  and  south  of 
the  city  had  already  been  laid  out.  A  juvenile  sewing  society  of 
the  Presbyterian  Church  raised  $150  from  March  to  September, 
1835.  In  September,  1835,  goods  arrived  here  by  schooner  twenty 
days  from  New  York,  and  came  addressed  to  all  parts  of  the  West 
— Crawfordsville,  Indiana;  Terre  Haute,  Indiana;  Peoria,  Illinois, 
and  even  Galena.  G.  S.  Hubbard  ordered  on  his  own  responsi- 
bility the  first  fire  engine  brought  to  Chicago — summer  of  1835. 
The  first  meeting  of  the  Chicago  Bible  Society  was  held  November 
25,  1835.  The  American  of  December  5,  1835,  said  that  during 
the  previous  spring  flour  sold  here  as  high  as  $20  to  $25  per  barrel ; 
in  December,  1835,  it  sold  at  $12;  salt  was  $8.  During  the  sum- 
mer of  1835,  when  salt  was  low,  Michigan  City  speculators  bought 
all  the  salt  in  Chicago — about  3,000  barrels — paying  from  $3  to 
$6,  expecting  to  corner  the  market  during  the  succeeding  winter ; 
but  the  citizens  here  had  provided  themselves  with  a  goodly  sup- 
ply, so  that  in  April,  1836,  the  speculators  were  forced  to  sell  their 
stock  for  about  $2.50. 

Before  July,  1835,  a  reading  room  had  been  established.  In 
the  fall  of  1835  there  were  many  "land  floats"  in  the  county.  On 
September  3,  1835,  Lieutenant  Allen  called  for  twenty  carpenters 
and  forty  common  laborers  to  work  on  the  harbor.  In  September, 
1835,  it  was  announced  that  coaches  from  Chicago  to  St.  Louis 
would  run  through  in  five  days  by  daylight.  J.  T.  Temple  &  Co. 
were  mail  contractors  between  Chicago  and  Peoria.  The  dwelling 
formerly  occupied  by  Joseph  Laframboise  was  burned  down  in 
October.  Mr.  Hugunin's  residence,  near  town,  was  burned  during 
a  prairie  fire.  Twenty  tons  of  coal  were  received  by  vessel  from 
Albany  in  October,  1835.  At  this  time  John  S.  C.  Hogan  was 
postmaster.  Two  newspapers,  Democrat  and  American,  were  be- 
ing issued. 

The  public  sale  of  lots  in  Calumet  in  the  fall  of  1835  was  post- 
poned several  times.  So  great  was  the  demand  for  building  ma- 
terial in  the  fall  of  1835  that  W.  B.  Ogden  and  W.  L.  Newberry 
advertised  for  one  million  brick  and  two  hundred  thousand  feet 
of  pine  lumber  to  be  delivered  early  in  1836,  for  which  cash  would 
be  paid.  John  Ludley  established  a  soap  and  candle  factory  in 
1835.  Elston  &  Chever  had  a  soap  and  candle  factory  on  the 
north  side  near  the  Point.  In  November,  1835,  Capt.  Joseph 
Naper  was  active  in  the  formation  of  a  new  county  to  be  carved 
from  Cook — Du  Page.  Chicago  citizens  remonstrated  against  a 
division. 

The  census  of  November,  1835,  showed  that  Chicago  had  a 
population  of  3,279.  There  were  here  44  dry  goods,  hardware 
and  grocery  stores;  2  of  books,  4  druggists,  2  silversmiths  and 
jewelers,  2  tin  and  copper  factories,  2  printing  offices — Democrat 
and  American;  1  steam  saw-mill,  2  breweries,  1  iron  foundry,  4 


116  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

storage  and  forwarding  houses,  8  taverns,  1  lottery  office,  1  bank, 
5  churches,  7  schools,  22  lawyers,  14  physicians,  a  lyceum  and 
reading-room.  During  1835  nine  brick  buildings  were  erected, 
among  which  was  a  tavern  three  stories  high,  and  a  county  clerk's 
office.  The  foundations  of  two  churches  (Episcopal  and  Baptist) 
were  laid,  but  could  not  be  completed  for  want  of  material,  which 
ran  short.  The  Democrat  said  on  December  9 :  "It  is  well  known 
that  the  reason  why  a  greater  number  of  brick  buildings  were  not 
erected  the  last  season  was  owing  to  the  want  of  materials  of  a 
proper  quality."  In  1835  Congress  was  petitioned  to  build  a  harbor 
at  Calumet.  The  lot  at  the  corner  of  South  Water  and  Dearborn 
streets,  called  "Dole's  Corner,"  was  sold  in  December,  1835,  for 
$25,000.  In  the  preceding  March  it  had  been  sold  for  $9,000. 
For  Hogan's  block  $100,000  was  offered  and  refused  in  December, 
1835.  As  late  as  December  30,  the  prairies  around  Chicago  were 
still  burning.  A  young  Men's  Temperance  Society  was  organized 
December  19,  with  Thomas  Wright  president.  On  December  30, 
flour  was  $12  a  barrel;  salt,  $7.50;  corn,  $1.25;  wheat,  $1  to  $1.25. 
In  December,  1835,  the  residents  of  Joliet  petitioned  for  a  division 
of  Cook  county — wanted  a  new  one,  to  be  called  Will. 

At  the  close  of  1835  the  piers  forming  the  artificial  harbor  had 
been  extended  nearly  500  feet,  enclosing  a  channel  200  feet  wide, 
varying  from  three  to  seven  feet  deep.  "In  their  present  incom- 
plete state  (the  piers)  great  protection  has  been  afforded  to  the 
increasing  commerce  of  the  place,  and  as  many  as  five  schooners 
have  at  one  time  discharged  their  cargoes  under  their  shelter. 
Since  the  opening  of  navigation  to  the  30th  of  September,  upwards 
of  two  hundred  vessels  have  arrived  at  this  port." — (Democrat, 
January  13,  1836.)  "From  a  circular  published  in  the  Alton 
Spectator,  we  learn  that  the  number  of  wagons  to  the  upper  Wabash 
from  Chicago,  freighted  with  dry  goods  and  groceries,  during  the 
past  year  (1835)  amounts  to  2,000." — (Democrat,  December  30, 
1835.)  'A  lot  fronting  one  hundred  feet  on  Dearborn  street,  about 
fifty-five  feet  deep  next  the  corner  of  Water  street,  was  sold  a 
few  days  since  for  $11,000." — (American,  October  17,  1835.) 
"Five  hundred  barrels  of  flour  were  received  here  this  week  by 
the  way  of  the  lakes  by  Newberry  &  Dole,  every  one  of  which  was 
sold  to  the  citizens  before  it  was  removed  from  the  wharf  for  $9 
per  barrel.  It  is  a  fact  creditable  to  the  proprietors  that  they  re- 
fused $9.50  per  barrel  by  the  quantity,  laudably  preferring  to  afford 
it  to  those  who  wished  it  for  domestic  purposes  at  $9,  than  by  put- 
ting $2.50  more  into  their  pockets  and  subjecting  the  citizens  to 
the  necessity  of  paying  $10." — (American,  November  14,  1835.) 

The  bridges  were  unwieldy — were  mostly  floats  sliding  to  one 
side  to  admit  vessels.  On  Lake  and  Randolph  streets  were  consid- 
erable grading  and  macadamizing.  The  water  works  consisted  of 
a  hogshead  on  wheels,  with  a  faucet  for  buckets  and  a  price  to  the 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  117 

driver.  In  1836  the  exports  were  $1,000;  imports,  $325,203;  they 
were  little  in  1835,  and  nothing  before  1835.  The  Legislature 
granted  Chicago  the  right  to  borrow  $50,000,  but  the  branch  of  the 
state  bank  here  refused  to  loan.  William  B.  Ogden,  for  the  town, 
tried  elsewhere,  but  could  not  raise  the  cash. 

"The  amount  of  business  transacted  by  the  merchants  of  Chi- 
cago this  season  is  among  the  multiplying  evidence  of  our  pros- 
perity. There  are  those  who  call  Chicago  a  fiction  and  her  realities 
ideals.  It  is  estimated  by  good  judges  that  the  amount  of  capital 
invested  in  goods  purchased  at  the  East  during  the  present  season 
and  sold  here,  and  still  selling,  is  $600,000.  There  are  forty  dry 
goods  merchants  and  druggists,  many  of  whom  have  been  trading 
upon  a  capital  of  $20,000,  and  some  $30,000.  Add  to  this  $200,000 
as  the  amount  of  produce  and  other  articles  not  before  included 
passing  through  their  hands  and  we  have  a  sum  total  of  $800,000." 
—  (American,  November  28,  1835.)  "Masons  and  bricklayers  will 
be  wanted  in  any  number  next  season  in  Chicago.  Brickmakers, 
in  particular,  as  the  present  scarcity  of  brick  is  a  great  obstacle 
to  builders.  Three  brick  churches  and  many  large  brick  stores  are 
to  be  built  next  summer." — (American,  November  28,  1835.)  "The 
number  of  arrivals  of  vessels  and  steamboats  in  Chicago  from  the 
opening  of  navigation  this  season  to  the  26th  of  November  is  235. 
Last  season,  as  near  as  we  can  recollect,  it  was  176.  The  vessels 
this  year  have  doubled  the  burden  of  last  year.  And  our  store- 
houses show  that  the  amount  of  tonnage  received  this  season  ex- 
ceeds by  more  than  five  times  the  amount  of  last  year." — (Ameri- 
can, December  5,  1835.) 

"A  fire  or  two  more  is  necessary  for  the  benefit  of  Chicago. 
Nothing  is  done  toward  preparing  for  the  protection  of  the  town. 
The  engines  ordered  by  the  corporation,  of  course,  cannot  be  here 
till  next  year,  and  no  efforts  are  made,  as  we  understand,  to  fit 
and  man  the  one  already  in  town,  for  use  in  a  sudden  emergency. 
Why  is  not  the  fire  company  in  preparation  and  training  for  ser- 
vice? What  has  become  of  the  hook  and  ladder  company?" — 
(American,  December  12,  1835.) 

"Our  citizens  look  forward  with  considerable  anxiety  to  the 
action  of  Congress  upon  their  petition  to  obtain  a  grant  of  the 
site  of  Fort  Dearborn.  It  becomes  them  to  keep  an  eye  upon  this 
matter,  as  the  present  claimant  has  sold  to  a  large  number  of  indi- 
viduals here  and  elsewhere,  who  will  not  remain  inactive  while 
there  remains  the  least  hope  of  success.  Judging  from  the  past 
policy  of  the  Government  as  regards  reservations,  its  freedom  from 
debt,  the  importance  of  Chicago,  and  the  real  injury  she  has  sus- 
tained by  the  withholding  from  market  the  canal  lands  and  the 
reservation  itself,  we  have  but  little  doubt  of  our  corporation  ob- 
taining it.  The  value  of  the  reservation  can  be  of  but  little  con- 
sideration with  the  Government,  while  it  would  be  of  the  utmost 


118  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

importance  to  Chicago.  By  the  way,  what  has  become  of  the 
memorial  to  Congress?" — (Democrat,  December  9,  1835.) 

"Colonel  Beaubien,  the  claimant  and  occupant  of  the  'land,'  was 
emphatically  the  'pioneer'  of  this  youthful  city,  which  has  sprung 
up  as  if  by  the  act  of  the  necromancer  to  its  present  unparalleled 
prosperity.  No  collateral  considerations  of  public  convenience  or 
common  weal  should  be  suffered  to  meddle  with  the  intrinsic  merits 
of  his  title.  And  surely  the  accidental  value  and  importance  of  the 
land  which  is  acknowledged  to  be  owing  to  the  enterprise  of  our 
citizens  should  not  be  urged  as  an  objection  against  the  strong 
claim  of  an  individual  who  was  enduring  the  privations  and  gloom 
of  that  wilderness  when  it  commenced  its  transit  into  the  present 
Chicago.  Appeals  to  public  interest  and  public  power  are  always 
formidable  and  often  hazard,  if  not  forever  bar,  the  most  valid 
rights  of  individuals ;  and  private  prosperity  is  thus  often  sacrificed 
on  the  rapacious  altar  of  public  aggrandisement.  As  the  claim  of 
Colonel  Beaubien  is  contested,  the  strict  and  uncompromising  prin- 
ciples of  law  should  prevail  and  shut  out  all  extraneous  consid- 
erations."— (Correspondent  in  Chicago  Democrat,  December  16, 
1835.) 

The  following  points  were  discussed  in  a  reply  in  the  Chicago 
American  to  the  claims  of  Colonel  Beaubien  to  the  Fort  Dearborn 
Reservation:  That  the  citizens  had  no  controversy  with  Colonel 
Beaubien ;  that  his  claim  was  a  question  between  him  and  the  Gov- 
ernment ;  that  the  evidence  in  the  case  was  sufficient  to  satisfy  any- 
one that  his  claim  would  not  be  allowed ;  that  the  tract  as  early  as 
1824  had  been  reserved  by  the  Government  for  military  purposes; 
that  several  attempts  had  been  made  before  by  Colonel  Beaubien  to 
claim  the  tract,  both  at  Palestine  and  later  at  Danville,  but  the 
claim  had  been  rejected;  that  Colonel  Beaubien,  by  counsel,  had 
applied  to  the  district  court  of  the  United  States  for  the  district  of 
Illinois  for  a  writ  of  mandamus,  requiring  the  land  officers  at  Dan- 
ville to  show  good  and  sufficient  cause  why  his  preemption  claims 
should  not  be  granted;  that  the  refusal  of  the  land  officers  had 
been  sustained  by  the  court;  that  the  notoriety  of  the  fact  that 
this  portion  was  a  reservation  was  the  occasion  of  not  giving  ex- 
press instructions  to  the  officers  at  Chicago  when  this  land  district 
was  detached  from  Danville;  that  this  was  not  a  controversy  where 
public  good  was  brought  to  overpower  private  interest,  because  the 
Government  owned  the  land  and  Colonel  Beaubien  did  not,  nor 
had  the  right  of  preemption,  though  he  occupied  the  land,  as  the 
tract  was  a  reservation ;  that  therefore  the  citizens  did  not  ask  for 
the  grant  in  preference  to  Colonel  Beaubien,  but  asked  it  from 
the  Government,  whose  property  it  was  in  fact;  that  in  addition 
the  citizens  desired  the  grant  as  a  public  good. 

By  act  of  January  16,  1836,  the  Galena  &  Chicago  Union  Rail- 
road Company  was  incorporated.  William  Bennett,  Thomas 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  119 

Drummond,  J.  C.  Goodhue,  Peter  Semple,  J.  M.  Turner,  E.  D. 
Taylor  and  J.  B.  Thomas,  Jr.,  were  appointed  commissioners  to 
receive  stock  subscriptions.  The  Chicago  Marine  and  Fire  Insur- 
ance Company  was  incorporated  in  1836. 

"We  regret  to  learn  that  it  is  probable  that  the  county  of  Cook 
is  likely  to  be  divided ;  we  say  regret  because  we  think  it  is  too 
soon  to  divide  the  county  and  because  we  are  afraid  that  it  will 
diminish  our  political  influence  in  the  state.  We  are  told  that 
the  new  county  is  to  be  named  Wills." — (Democrat,  January  20, 
1836.) 

"On  Wednesday  last  our  citizens  received  the  joyful  news  that 
the  bill  providing  for  the  construction  of  the  Illinois  and  Michi- 
gan Canal  became  a  law  by  a  vote  of  18  to  7  in  the  Senate,  and 
38  to  16  in  the  House.  The  town  was  immediately  illuminated 
and  guns  were  fired  at  intervals  during  the  evening.  On  Thurs- 
day at  twelve  o'clock  fifty-six  guns  were  fired  in  honor  of  the 
senators  and  representatives  who  had  voted  for  the  final  passage 
of  the  bill.  At  three  o'clock  a  large  number  of  our  citizens  with- 
out distinction  to  party  sat  down  to  a  dinner  prepared  at  the 
Tremont  House,  where  appropriate  and  patriotic  toasts  were  drank 
in  honor  of  the  joyful  event.  In  the  evening  a  second  illumination 
took  place,  more  brilliant  than  the  first.  The  whole  was  closed 
with  a  ball  at  the  Sauganash  Hotel  on  Friday  evening.  We  will 
not  attempt  to  describe  the  joy  that  pervaded  all  classes  of  our 
citizens  upon  receipt  of  the  intelligence  that  the  question  was 
finally  disposed  of  to  the  satisfaction  of  all.  The  canal  which 
had  excited  public  attention  for  fifteen  years  was  to  be  commenced 
and  the  system  of  internal  improvements  in  Illinois  had  received 
a  new  impulse  which  was  to  render  her  a  great  and  powerful 
state.  The  cares,  labors,  anxieties  and  disappointments  of  the 
past  were  forgotten  in  the  joyful  anticipations  of  the  future  and 
the  utmost  hopes  and  expectations  of  the  prosperity  of  Chicago 
were  to  be  realized.  And  well  might  our  citizens  rejoice.  To 
this  event  they  have  looked  forward  with  anxiety,  as  upon  it 
depended  the  prosperity  of  their  town." — (Democrat,  January  20, 
1836.) 

The  Democrat  denounced  the  act  approved  January  15,  1836, 
concerning  the  wharfing  privileges  at  Chicago.  "It  will  be  seen 
from  a  slight  inspection  of  this  law  that  it  aims  a  deadly  blow 
at  the  most  valuable  and  important  commercial  portions  of  the 
Original  Town  of  Chicago,  while  at  the  same  time  it  basely  and 
wantonly  attempts  to  assail  the  property  and  vested  rights  of  the 
lessees  of  the  wharfing  privileges  by  declaring  that  all  buildings 
that  may  be  erected  between  the  south  line  of  South  Water  street 
and  the  north  line  of  North  Water  street  shall  be  considered  pub- 
lic nuisances  and  liable  to  be  abated.  The  act  professes  to  give 
the  trustees  the  power  to  lease  wharfing  privileges,  while  the 


120  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

proviso  declares  they  shall  lease  no  privilege  opposite  to  the  lots 
owned  by  individuals  or  by  the  state,  thus  leaving  nothing  to  be 
leased,  or  nothing  for  this  power  to  act  or  operate  upon.  The 
object  and  design  of  this  law  cannot  be  mistaken.  They  are  too 
palpable  to  require  comment.  This  is  the  second  time  that  this 
charter  has  been  altered  in  less  than  one  year  without  the  knowl- 
edge or  consent  of  the  citizens  of  this  town.  .  .  .  We  know 
full  well  that  what  has  been  done  was  caused  by  the  application 
and  management  of  some  four  or  five  of  our  citizens  who  have 
had  the  hardihood  to  intermeddle  in  the  private  affairs  and  with 
the  private  property  of  their  fellow  citizens  and  to  attempt  to  pros- 
trate the  corporate  powers  of  the  town  it  is  feared  for  unjustifiable 
and  unworthy  purposes.  It  is  proper  that  these  gentlemen  should 
be  known  and  their  conduct  and  motives  duly  understood  and 
duly  appreciated.  The  act  which  was  procured  last  year  and 
under  which  the  present  trustees  had  leased  wharfing  privileges 
was  drawn  up  by  John  H.  Kinzie;  and  the  clause  conferring  the 
power  to  lease  was  inserted,  if  not  by  him,  at  least  with  his 
knowledge  and  consent.  Gurdon  S.  Hubbard  was  also  privy  to  it. 
These  gentlemen  were  then  members  of  the  board  of  trustees 
and  this  clause  was  inserted  in  order  to  obviate  all  doubts  which 
before  had  existence  in  reference  to  the  right  to  lease." — (Demo- 
crat, February  24,  1836.) 

By  the  act  of  January  18,  1836,  the  Chicago  Hydraulic  Com- 
pany was  incorporated  with  James  B.  Campbell,  Gholson  Kerche- 
val,  Robert  A.  Kinzie,  Richard  J.  Hamilton,  Henry  G.  Hubbard, 
David  Hunter,  Peter  Cohen,  Ed.  W.  Casey,  Gurdon  S.  Hubbard, 
G.  W.  Dole,  John  H.  Kinzie,  William  Forsythe  and  Solomon  Wills 
as  corporators.  They  were  authorized  to  take  the  necessary  steps 
to  supply  Chicago  with  Lake  Michigan  water — build  fountains, 
reservoirs,  lay  pipes,  conduits,  use  the  streets,  etc. 

The  act  of  1835  empowered  the  trustees  to  lease  the  wharfing 
privileges  of  the  town  without  restricting  the  duration.  The 
trustees  under  the  charter  prepared  to  widen  the  river  to  200  feet 
and  to  lay  off  wharfing  lots  on  each  side  of  the  river,  leaving 
South  Water  street  and  North  Water  street  eighty  feet  wide. 
Leases  were  granted  for  999  years.  "The  present  trustees,  whose 
conduct  has  been  so  severely  censured  by  certain  individuals  inter- 
ested in  Kinzie's  addition,  merely  put  in  operation  the  machine 
which  had  previously  been  provided  for  use.  It  worked  well ; 
and  had  the  inventors  been  permitted  by  the  people  of  the  town 
to  use  it  to  subserve  their  own  purposes,  probably  no  alteration 
would  have  been  deemed  necessary.  When,  however,  they  dis- 
covered that  leases  were  to  be  given  for  long  periods,  by  which 
the  lessees  would  be  placed  in  a  condition  to  compete  in  some 
measure  with  the  proprietors  in  Kinzie's  addition  by  erecting 
wharves  and  storehouses  on  the  water,  the  alarm  was  sounded. 


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HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  123 

The  trustees  were  charged  with  usurpation,  with  leasing  property 
which  did  not  belong  to  the  town,  with  squandering  property 
which  had  been  given  to  the  town,  with  leasing  property  which 
belonged  to  individuals — which  belonged  to  the  state — to  the 
canal  fund — to  the  public  at  large.  And  yet  these  contradictory 
charges  related  to  the  same  property.  A  bill  was  filed,  an  injunc- 
tion served  upon  the  board,  and  finally  the  law  to  lease  was  repealed 
under  the  pretence  of  amending  the  charter.  Can  any  unpreju- 
diced mind  mistake  these  last  maneuvers?  If  no  leases  could  be 
given,  or  those  only  of  five  years  duration,  permanent  improve- 
ments would  not  be  made  on  the  lands  lying  between  the  river 
and  the  north  and  south  lines  of  South  and  North  Water  streets. 
Business  men  would  thus  be  forced  to  seek  places  where  these 
difficulties  did  not  exist ;  they  would  at  present  be  compelled  to 
purchase  or  lease  in  Kinzie's  addition  or  go  up  the  Branches  above 
the  original  town.  It  has,  however,  been  suggested  by  way  of 
defense  that  the  health  and  beauty  of  the  town  would  be  injured 
by  the  erection  of  lines  of  warehouses  along  the  river.  But  are 
not  warehouses  to  be  built  adjacent  to  the  river  on  the  addition 
and  on  the  reservation  opposite,  as  also  up  both  Branches?  And 
is  not  this  common  in  all  commercial  towns?  .  .  .  The  plan 
adopted  by  the  board  contemplated  the  dredging  of  the  shallow 
parts  near  the  banks  to  the  depth  of  ten  feet." — (Democrat,  March 
2,  1836.) 

On  February  13,  1836,  the  trustees  of  Chicago  gave  notice  of 
the  dangerous  condition  of  the  bridges  over  the  Chicago  river — 
would  not  be  responsible  for  injuries  or  accidents.  A  meeting  on 
Des  Plaines  river  at  the  office  of  H.  Kennicott  was  held  February 
27,  1836,  to  consider  building  a  plank  road  to  Chicago  on  the 
county  road  recently  laid  out.  Richard  Steele  was  chairman  and 
S.  M.  Salisbury  secretary.  A  committee  of  seven  to  circulate  a 
subscription  list  for  the  funds  necessary  was  appointed  and  R.  J. 
Hamilton,  J.  Filkins,  A.  I.  Walls,  E.  Haddock,  Mark  Noble,  Jr., 
and  Rufus  Scales  were  appointed  to  attend  the  matter.  It  was 
"Resolved,  That  whatever  sum  of  money  may  be  raised  by  said 
subscription  shall  be  appropriated  for  improving  said  road;  and 
if  the  sum  raised  shall  not  be  sufficient  to  effect  the  completion 
of  the  whole  route  it  shall  be  laid  out  in  improving  the  worst 
places."  Chicago  was  expected  to  assist. 

"Real  Estate. — Several  large  sales  in  town  property  have  been 
made  during  the  last  two  weeks,  one  of  which  amounted  to  $96,- 
700,  one-fourth  of  which  was  paid  down.  It  was  predicted  last 
year  by  many  that  the  prices  of  Chicago  property  were  higher  than 
they  could  be  sustained,  notwithstanding  which  real  estate  has 
been  steadily  advancing  and  has  been  sought  after  with  avidity. 
The  sale  of  canal  lots  in  June  offers  the  greatest  inducements  to 
capitalists  for  the  investment  of  their  money." — (Democrat,  April 

Vol.  1—8. 


124  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

27,  1836.)  "The  canal  commissioners  have  already  commenced 
making  the  tow-path  upon  the  east  side  of  the  South  branch.  It 
is  truly  gratifying  to  know  that  this  work  has  commenced.  We 
learn  that  several  individuals  have  associated  themselves  together 
for  the  purpose  of  starting  a  canal  packet  boat  on  the  river,  as 
soon  as  the  tow-path  shall  be  completed,  which  it  is  expected -will 
be  about  the  15th  or  20th  of  June." — (Democrat,  May  4,  1836.) 

"Prosperity  of  Chicago. — The  spirit  of  enterprise  is  working 
wonders-  in  this  town.  The  cutting  out  and  leveling  of  new 
streets — the  active  preparations  for  extensive  building — the  spade, 
the  plow  and  the  scraper,  daily  employed  by  scores  of  industrious 
hands,  in  making  the  rough  places  smooth  and  the  crooked  places 
straight — the  piles  of  lumber  lying  at  intervals  waiting  for  their 
turn  to  be  moulded  into  the  'habitations  of  man,'  and  all  the  well- 
directed  attacks  upon  the  remaining  features  of  the  wilderness — 
are  signs  cheeringly  full  of  the  present  energy  and  future  great- 
ness of  this  young  queen  of  the  West." — (American,  April  30, 
1836.)  "Charge  Specific. — The  mail  arrived  at  the  postoffice  on 
last  Thursday  evening  at  half  past  six  o'clock  and  was  not  opened 
for  delivery  until  half  past  eight  o'clock  on  Friday  morning,  being 
fourteen  hours  from  the  time  of  its  arrival  until  it  was  ready  for 
delivery." — (Democrat,  May  11,  1836.)  "Launch. — The  sloop 
'Clarisa'  was  launched  on  Thursday  last  (May  12,  1836).  As  this 
was  the  first  vessel  that  was  ever  built  in  our  harbor,  a  large  num- 
ber of  spectators  were  present  to  witness  the  event." — (Democrat, 
May  18,  1836.) 

"The  stores  of  our  merchants,  just  before  the  opening  of  spring 
navigation,  have  heretofore  generally  presented  a  beggarly  account 
of  empty  shelves,  but  we  must  remark  that  the  amount  of  stock 
brought  into  this  town  has  not  been  very  extensive  in  comparison 
with  the  demand.  The  growth  of  Chicago  has  so  wonderfully 
exceeded  the  most  sanguine  expectations  that  the  scale  of  calcula- 
tions for  the  wants  of  the  inhabitants  has  proved  imperfect  and 
contracted.  The  average  cost  of  transportation  from  New  York 
is  $1.50  per  cwt.  and  the  time  varies  from  eighteen  to  twenty 
days.  The  brig  'Indiana'  arrived  here  on  the  23rd  of  May  last, 
bringing  goods  in  seventeen  days  and  a  half,  including  time  lost 
in  transshipments,  etc.  The  sales  are  generally  cash,  and  the 
payment  of  debts  contracted  with  our  merchants,  for  the  most 
part,  is  prompt  and  certain.  Stores  and  business  stands  are  in 
great  demand.  Many  goods  are  sold  at  wholesale.  Nearly  all 
the  mercantile  establishments  of  any  importance  make  extensive 
sales  to  the  traders  of  the  interior  and  especially  from  the  Wabash, 
and  many  country  branches  are  carried  on  and  supplied  by  Chicago 
merchants." — (American,  July  9,  1836.)  "The  most  prominent 
nuisance  is  a  pond  on  Lake  street,  corner  of  La  Salle,  in  the  very 
heart  of  the  city,  and  inhabited  by  FROGS.  It  smells  strong  now. 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  125 

Cannot  the  hole  be  filled  up?  If  any  of  the  trustees  are  fond  of 
frog  music,  they  can  enjoy  a  most  delicious  treat  by  taking  a  seat 
on  the  doorsteps  of  this  office  at  the  hour  of  sunset." — (American, 
July  9,  1836.) 

The  trustees  offered  $25  in  January,  1836,  for  the  best  plans 
of  a  drawbridge  to  be  built  across  the  South  branch  at  Randolph. 
Regular  stages  ran  between  Chicago  and  Detroit.  Hiram  Pear- 
sons and  Richard  J.  Hamilton,  proprietors,  offered  100  lots  in 
Canalport  for  sale  at  public  auction  at  Garrett's  auction  room  in 
January,  1836.  Canalport  was  at  the  head  of  navigation  of  the 
South  branch  and  at  the  point  where  the  canal  touched  the  river. 
The  Chicago  Athenaeum  was  organized  February,  1836,  with 
R.  J.  Hamilton  president  and  John  H.  Kinzie  secretary.  At  this 
time  the  citizens  held  a  public  meeting  and  requested  the  trustees 
to  build  a  bridge  across  the  river  at  Randolph  street.  Work  on 
the  canal  was  advertised  to  commence  in  the  spring  of  1836, 
greatly  to  the  delight  of  all  Chicago.  Sections  were  then  to  be 
let  to  contractors.  David  Carver  advertised  that  he  would  saw 
lumber  to  order,  and  would  run  a  weekly  vessel  between  Chicago 
and  Grand  river,  Michigan.  The  Chicago  Marine  and  Fire  Insur- 
ance Company  was  founded  in  February,  1836;  also  the  Galena 
&  Chicago  Railway.  In  March,  1836,  Captain  Tolcott  reported 
that  the  southernmost  point  of  Lake  Michigan  was  41  degrees, 
37  minutes,  7  seconds  north  latitude.  Claim  jumpers  gave  the 
preemptioners  much  trouble  at  this  time. 

In  April,  1836,  the  trustees  resolved  to  build  two  bridges,  one 
at  Randolph  street  and  one  at  Kinzie  street.  Early  in  1836  the 
canal  commissioners  laid  out  fractional  Section  15  (south  of  Madi- 
son and  east  of  State)  into  lots  and  streets,  to  correspond  with 
others  on  the  school  section  and  the  Original  Town.  Everybody 
liked  Michigan  avenue  and  gave  Mr.  Archer  credit  for  its  design. 
Sealed  proposals  for  the  construction  of  sections  of  the  canal  were 
called  for  in  April,  1836.  The  license  for  a  turnpike  from  Ran- 
dolph street  to  Laughton's  Ford,  on  the  Des  Plaines,  was  granted 
in  June,  1836.  The  American  announced  in  March,  1836,  a  semi- 
weekly  edition  soon  to  be  issued,  Thomas  O.  Davis,  editor.  In 
May,  1836,  John  Calhoun  offered  for  sale  a  one-half  interest  in 
the  Chicago  Democrat.  At  this  time  John  H.  Kinzie  lived  on  the 
North  branch,  five  miles  from  Chicago.  W.  L.  May,  in  Congress, 
called  attention  to  the  fact  in  the  spring  of  1836  that  during  1835 
eight  or  ten  vessels  laden  with  merchandise  and  produce  had  been 
lost  on  Lake  Michigan  owing  to  the  lack  of  suitable  harbors.  At 
Chicago  he  said  the  sand  bar  at  the  mouth  of  the  river  was  a  seri- 
ous obstacle;  a  dredging  machine  costing  $12,000  would  have  to 
be  bought. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  mechanics  of  Chicago  on  May  14,  when 
H.  Volk  was  chairman,  it  was  resolved,  "That  ten  hours  be  con- 


126  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

sidered  sufficient  for  a  day's  work;"  "That  we  pledge  ourselves  to 
abide  by  the  foregoing  resolution."  About  forty  mechanics  signed 
this  agreement.  In  May,  1836,  W.  B.  Archer,  acting  commis- 
sioner on  the  canal,  called  for  forty  laborers  at  $20  per  month. 
They  were  asked  to  report  to  Major  Hackleton  at  his  camp  near 
Saganaskee  Swamp,  twenty  miles  from  Chicago. 

A  public  sale  of  lots  in  Calumet  was  again  advertised  foe  June 
11,  1836,  by  E.  K.  Hubbard,  George  W.  Dole  and  Lewis  Benton— 
200  hundred  at  auction.  A  survey  of  that  region  had  been  ordered 
by  Congress  and  was  in  progress  at  this  time.  Roads  had  been 
built,  streets  laid  out.  Thornton,  Athens  and  Manchester  villages 
had  recently  sprung  into  life  in  that  part  of  the  county.  It  was 
declared  that  canals  there  were  bound  to  be  built — one  from  Kan- 
kakee  river  to  the  "Calamic"  and  another  from  Des  Plaines  river  to 
the  same.  It  was  noted  that  in  that  region  were  Grand  Calumet 
river  and  Stony,  Thorn,  Hawk,  Deep  and  Salt  creeks.  In  June, 
1836,  the  canal  commissioners  offered  for  sale  571  lots  valued  at 
$1,464,900.  The  Democrat  expressed  the  opinion  that  this  valua- 
tion was  much  too  high.  The  amount  realized  was  $1,619,848, 
with  fully  $200,000  worth  remaining  unsold.  The  land  thus 
offered  for  sale  embraced  every  alternate  section  of  a  tract  twenty 
miles  wide  and  about  nine  miles  long,  with  the  canal  in  the  cen- 
ter. The  sales  in  Chicago  amounted  to  $386,500.  The  sale  was 
considered  the  correct  test  of  the  value  of  Chicago  property — 
prices  being  higher  than  the  high  valuation  of  the  commissioners. 
The  school  commissioner  offered  at  public  auction  a  number  of 
school  lots  before  the  canal  lots  were  put  on  the  market,  hoping 
thus  to  get  a  better  price.  The  old  Steamboat  Hotel  was  renamed 
American  by  W.  McCorriston.  Up  to  1836  Chicago  en  masse 
had  not  yet  formally  celebrated  the  Fourth  of  July. 

In  the  spring  of  1836  a  post  route  from  Chicago  to  Galena  via 
Elgin  was  put  in  operation.  In  April,  1836,  flour  was  $10  to  $12; 
pork  $20  to  $22;  fresh  beef  10  cents  per  pound;  ham  \2l/2  cents; 
eggs  37  cents  a  dozen;  potatoes  $1.25  a  bushel.  On  June  8,  1836, 
Joel  Manning,  secretary  of  the  canal  commissioners,  called  for 
10,000  laborers  for  the  canal ;  at  the  same  time  he  offered  for 
sale  all  the  unsold  canal  lots  in  Chicago;  also  the  town  lots  on 
fractional  Section  15 — the  sale  to  take  place  June  20,  one- fourth 
down  and  the  balance  in  three  annual  installments  at  6  per  cent. 
He  said:  "Section  15  is  a  dry  ridge  commencing  near  the  harbor 
(at  Madison  street)  and  extending  south  one  mile  along  the  shore 
of  Lake  Michigan."  At  a  ladies'  fair  held  in  the  Lake  House  late 
in  June,  1836,  over  $2,000  was  realized  for  the  construction  of  a 
new  church.  The  prosperity  of  Chicago  at  all  times  kindled  the 
envy  of  every  Western  city  of  importance.  It  was  declared  in 
the  summer  of  1836  that  prices  of  lots  were  so  high  that  rents 
would  not  pay  a  satisfactory  per  cent  to  the  owner.  The  news- 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  127 

papers  here  refuted  this  assertion.  It  was  shown  that  a  store  and 
lot  on  Lake  street  that  sold  for  $8,000  had  rented  for  $1,000. 
Other  similar  instances  were  cited. 

In  May,  1836,  a  mass  meeting  was  held  and  a  committee  of 
fifteen  appointed,  to  prepare  a  plan  for  celebrating  the  commence- 
ment of  work  on  the  canal.  R.  J.  Hamilton  was  chairman  and 
Giles  Spring  secretary.  The  committee  were  as  follows:  George 
W.  Dole,  W.  B.  Ogden,  Ashbel  Steele,  F.  C.  Sherman,  Francis 
Peyton,  J.  B.  F.  Russell,  R.  J.  Hamilton,  L.  T.  Jamison,  Hiram 
Hugunin,  J.  B.  Campbell,  J.  E-  McClure,  Gholson  Kercheval, 
J.  H.  Kinzie,  Giles  Spring  and  N.  J.  Brown.  At  eleven  a.  m. 
on  July  4,  1836,  the  steamboat  "Chicago,"  loaded  with  people,  left 
the  bridge  at  Dearborn  street  and  moved  up  the  river,  followed 
by  the  schooners  "Sea  Serpent"  and  "Llewellyn"  and  other  lighter 
craft,  drawn  by  horses.  It  was  a  beautiful  day  and  music  added 
to  the  attractiveness  and  joy.  Upon  the  arrival  at  Canalport  the 
large  assemblage  first  listened  to  the  reading  of  the  Declaration 
of  Independence  by  Judge  Smith  and  then  to  a  suitable  address 
by  Dr.  W.  B.  Egan,  orator  of  the  day.  This  ceremony  occurred 
at  Canalport.  The  crowd  then  marched  to  where  the  excavation 
had  been  commenced  and  there  Colonel  Archer,  acting  commis- 
sioner, delivered  a  short  address  and  then  broke  ground  amid 
the  cheers  of  the  spectators.  Short  speeches  by  Judges  Smith 
and  Brown  of  the  Supreme  Court  were  then  delivered.  G.  S. 
Hubbard  also  spoke.  The  American  of  July  9  said :  "Colonel 
Hubbard  in  an  impressive  manner  contrasted  the  condition  of 
this  place  and  the  northern  part  of  Illinois,  eighteen  years  ago, 
when  he  first  ascended  the  Chicago  river  in  a  canoe."  After  a 
sumptuous  dinner  served  to  all  by  a  special  committee,  the  assem- 
blage returned  to  their  homes.  The  American  said :  "The  steam- 
boat Chicago,  on  her  way  down,  was  assailed  by  a  small  corps  of 
Irishmen,  who,  stationing  themselves  at  the  stone  quarry  on  the 
banks  of  the  river,  showered  full  vollies  of  stones  amid  the  thick 
crowd  of  ladies  and  gentlemen  on  the  upper  deck.  The  order 
was  immediately  given  to  land.  Some  fifty  passengers  leaped 
ashore,  some  with  bludgeons  and  to  some  furor  arma  ministrat. 
The  assailants  were  soon  led,  covered  with  blood  and  wounds, 
captive  to  the  boat,  where  they  were  safely  lodged  in  the  hold 
and  brought  into  town." 

In  July,  1836,  the  sum  of  $120,000  was  subscribed  in  one 
day  by  a  few  citizens  of  Chicago,  to  be  used  in  building  the 
steamboat  "Illinois,"  the  construction  to  be  by  Captain  Case  of 
Buffalo.  Early  in  August,  James  M.  Strode  became  register  of 
the  land  office  here.  During  July  and  August  the  authorities 
effected  large  improvements  in  grading,  sidewalks,  filling,  etc. 
The  canal  lots  which  were  forfeited  were  resold  September  5,  and 
brought  less  than  the  appraisement.  The  times  were  dull.  Late 


128  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

in  August,  1836,  $61,000  was  paid  here  in  amnities  to  Indians. 
In  the  fall  of  1836  it  was  noted  that  citizens  at  their  own  expense 
put  down  sidewalks  in  front  of  their  own  residences. 

A  city  charter  began  to  be  talked  about  as  early  as  August, 
1836,  and  began  urgently  to  be  demanded  in  September.  The 
Northern  Baptist  association  was  held  here  on  September  21. 
About  this  time,  day  after  day,  the  sky  was  black  with  countless 
wild  pigeons  and  the  roar  of  their  wings  was  incessant.  They 
were  shot  by  everybody,  but  it  made  no  difference  in  the  number 
or  the  ranks.  The  people  sang: 

"When  I  can  shoot  my  rifle  clear, 

At  pigeons  in  the  skies, 
I'll  bid  farewell  to  every  fear, 
And  live  on  good  pot-pies." 

"Everything  in  and  about  Chicago  presents  an  appearance  of 
bustle  and  business  never  before  witnessed  on  the  shores  of  Lake 
Michigan.  Our  harbor  is  filled  with  shipping,  an  average  of  from 
twenty  to  thirty  being  discharged  here  every  day  for  two  or  three 
weeks  past.  Occasionally  we  have  had  two  or  three  of  the  largest 
steamboats  from  the  lower  lakes  lying  at  the  pier  together.  The 
only  limit  to  the  building  and  improvement  of  every  kind  is  the 
supply  of  labor  and  materials.  Everything  connected  with  labor 
and  materials  bears  an  exorbitant  price,  and  the  most  important 
building  materials  cannot  be  procured  at  any  price.  Fifteen 
minutes'  walk  in  our  streets  or  a  single  look  at  our  harbor  and 
wharves  and  into  our  stores  would  be  sufficient  to  remove  the 
doubts  of  the  most  skeptical  as  to  the  present  business  and  future 
growth  and  prosperity  of  Chicago." — (Democrat,  June  29,  1836.) 
"The  citizens  of  the  town  of  Chicago  remained  idle  observers  of 
that  day  (Fourth  of  July)  on  which  half  a  century  since  our  fore- 
fathers staked  their  lives,  their  honor  and  their  fortunes  for  the 
purchase  of  liberty." — (Democrat,  July  6,  1836.)  "The  whole 
number  of  lots  to  be  offered  is  571,  which  are  valued  by  the  com- 
missioners at  $1,464,900.  We  think  the  valuation  in  general  much 
too  high  and  are  strong  in  the  belief  that  a  considerable  portion 
will  remain  unsold  for  this  cause."  Reference  was  made  to  a  sale 
of  lots  by  the  canal  commissioners.  "The  amount  of  sales  of 
the  lands  by  the  board  of  canal  commissioners,  lying  in  the  Original 
Town  and  on  fractional  Section  15  adjoining,  aggregates  the  sum 
of  $1,619,848.  There  still  remain  unsold,  as  estimated,  lots  to 
the  amount  of  $200,000,  making,  with  the  interest  that  will  accrue, 
nearly  $2,000,000  which  will  be  realized  by  the  sale  of  the  lots 
in  the  town  of  Chicago  alone  towards  completing  the  Illinois  and 
Michigan  canal.  With  these  prospects,  who  will  longer  doubt 
of  the  utility  of  at  once  commencing  a  ship  canal?" — (Democrat, 
July  13,  1836.) 

A   traveling   circus   here   in    September   was   crowded   to    suf- 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  129 

location  afternoon  and  evening.  During  a  terrible  gale  Octo- 
ber 3,  1836,  vessels  in  and  off  Chicago  harbor  suffered  an  estimated 
loss  of  from  $150,000  to  $200,000.  All  vessels  at  the  pier  were 
more  or  less  damaged.  The  schooner  "Van  Buren"  was  wrecked 
and  ruined;  the  "Harrison"  was  seriously  damaged;  the  "Celeste" 
was  dashed  ashore  and  greatly  damaged ;  the  "Erie"  the  same ; 
the  barque  "Detroit"  was  badly  damaged;  the  schooner  "Sea  Ser- 
pent" was  totally  wrecked;  the  sloop  "Clarisa"  was  damaged,  etc. 
"For  the  above  pithy  epitome  of  losses  we  may  thank  the  Twenty- 
third  Congress  of  the  United  States.  Instead  of  appropriating 
funds  for  the  completion  of  the  harbor,  at  an  early  stage  of  the 
session,  they  frittered  away  their  time  in  fruitless  discussions,  and 
at  the  very  last  moment  of  the  session  voted  us  about  one-half  the 
amount  asked  for  and  required.  For  many  weeks,  by  good  work- 
ing weather,  affairs  remained  in  statu  quo,  and  now  when  our 
harbor  ought  to  be  accessible,  and  as  safe  as  any  in  the  country, 
our  merchants  are  made  to  sustain  tremendous  losses  on  account 
of  the  inactivity  of  our  servants  in  Congress.  The  case  admits 
of  no  apology — of  no  palliation.  It  is  the  result  of  gross  and 
unpardonable  negligence." — (American,  October  8,  1836.) 

"Court  House. — The  citizens  of  this  place  feel  severely  the  want 
of  a  proper  place  for  holding  court.  Hitherto  we  have  been  in- 
debted to  the  courtesy  of  the  trustees  of  our  churches  for  the 
accommodations  of  the  circuit  court.  .  .  .  We  are  happy  to 
learn  that  it  is  in  contemplation  to  apply  to  the  next  Legislature  for 
an  appropriation  toward  accomplishing  the  object  in  question  in  a 
manner  worth  the  splendid  prospects  of  our  growing  town.  In  con- 
nection with  this  subject  we  would  suggest  that  a  lot  fronting  on  the 
public  square  should  be  purchased  for  the  purpose.  The  system  now 
adopted  of  placing  the  public  buildings  on  the  ground  set  apart 
for  the  square  appears  very  narrow  and  in  bad  taste.  The  Record 
office,  the  jail,  the  alms  house  and  the  engine  house  already  dis- 
figure this  ground,  and  a  few  more  public  buildings  would  com- 
pletely shut  it  out  from  view.  We  trust,  therefore,  that  the  new 
building  may  be  an  ornament,  not  an  eye  sore." — (American,  Octo- 
ber 15,  1836.) 

In  October,  1836,  three  newspapers  were  conducted  here — 
Democrat,  American  and  Commercial  Advertiser.  The  Illinois 
Packet  Boat  company  was  in  operation  here  in  October,  1836.  In 
November  the  Chicago  Lyceum  resumed  its  debates.  In  Novem- 
ber, it  having  been  proposed  to  form  a  new  county  with  the  Naper 
settlement  as  a  nucleus,  the  newspapers  and  citizens  vigorously 
opposed  any  further  division  of  Cook  county.  Late  in  1836 
Lyman  Gage  erected  a  steam  flouring  mill  on  the  South  branch 
about  one  hundred  rods  above  the  Randolph  street  bridge. 

"Mr.  Editor:  Would  it  not  be  desirable  for  the  trustees  of  this 
flourishing  place  to  construct  foot  bridges  at  the  intersection  of  the 


130  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

principal  streets,  or  declaring  their  design  to  leave  them  as  they  now 
are,  give  some  of  our  enterprising  citizens  an  opportunity  of 
applying  for  licenses  to  establish  ferries  at  the  different  routes  of 
intersection?" — (Jotham  in  Chicago  American,  November  12, 
1836.)  "In  1836  the  most  notable  structures  erected  were  Steele's 
block  of  four-story  brick  stores  on  Lake  street ;  Harmon  &  Loomis' 
block  of  four-story  brick  stores  on  Water  street;  the  Episcopal 
brick  church ;  some  ten  or  twenty  fine  two  to  four  story  brick 
stores  in  various  parts  of  the  town;  about  twenty  large  two  and 
three  story  wooden  stores;  a  steam  flouring  mill  with  two  run  of 
stone;  from  100  to  150  dwellings  of  all  descriptions,  from  the 
humble  wooden  cottage  to  the  splendid  brick  mansion ;"  the  streets 
were  thoroughly  turnpiked. — (American,  December  10,  1836.) 
"In  1833  there  were  but  four  arrivals  from  the  lower  lakes — two 
brigs  and  two  schooners,  say  700  tons.  In  1835  there  were  about 
250  arrivals,  nearly  all  of  which  were  schooners,  averaging  about 
ninety  tons  each,  or  22,500  tons  in  all.  In  1836  the  first  arrival 
was  on  the  18th  of  April.  From  that  time  to  the  first  of  December 
(226  days)  456  vessels  (forty-nine  steamboats,  ten  ships  and  barges, 
twenty-six  brigs,  363  schooners  and  eight  sloops)  arrived,  aggre- 
gating 57,550  tons.  Is  there  any  other  town  within  the  borders  of 
our  Union  which  can  boast  of  as  large  an  increase  in  commerce?  We 
challenge!" — (American,  December  10,  1836.) 

The  canal  road  extending  from  Chicago  to  Joliet  cost  $40,500. 
From  State  street  to  the  Summit  the  distance  was  thirteen  miles; 
to  the  Desplaines — Saganaskee  Swamp,  twenty-three  miles;  to 
Lockport,  thirty-two  miles;  to  Joliet,  thirty-six  and  a  quarter 
miles.  Late  in  1836  the  troops  were  finally  withdrawn  from  Fort 
Dearborn. 

"That  the  size  of  the  harbor  must  be  increased  there  can  be  no 
doubt.  Two  ways  present  themselves  to  effect  this  object:  One 
by  a  breakwater  in  the  lake,  thus  forming  an  external  harbor; 
the  other  that  of  enlarging  the  river  by  excavation." — (Writer  in 
Chicago  American,  December  10,  1836.)  "I  went  to  Chicago  a 
few  days  since  and  purchased  two  barrels  of  mess  pork  at  the 
highest  price  and  had  them  shipped  to  this  place.  One  of  them 
I  sold  without  opening,  the  other  was  sold  out  by  the  pound.  When 
the  latter  barrel  was  about  two-thirds  gone,  the  clerk  sold  out  of 
it  six  tails  and  declared  that  there  were  nine  left  in  the  barrel.  A 
few  days  afterwards  one  of  my  customers  proposed  buying  the 
pork  for  the  sake  of  getting  the  barrel.  I  took  him  into  the  back 
store  and  showed  him  the  barrel.  He  picked  out  from  one  side 
fifteen  tails  and  said  it  was  enough — he  was  satisfied.  There  hav- 
ing been  considerable  talk  and  excitement  made  about  it,  we  finally 
concluded  to  take  an  inquest  over  the  tails  of  the  deceased,  and 
the  next  day  the  neighbors  were  called  in  and  upon  careful  exam- 
ination there  were  found  to  be  thirty-nine  tails  left,  making  in  all 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  131 

forty-five  tails  in  one  barrel  of  mess  pork.  Among  those  there 
were  a  great  variety,  some  short  and  some  long,  some  spindling 
and  some  stubbed,  many  that  reached  clear  round  the  sides  of 
the  barrel,  some  that  would  make  good  whistles,  and  a  few  that 
appeared  to  have  been  drove  in." — (Ichabod  in  Milwaukee  Adver- 
tiser, December,  1836.)  "New  subscribers  to  Chicago  papers 
are  increasing  so  rapidly  that  the  proprietors  have  been  compelled 
to  borrow  paper  to  satisfy  the  demand." — (American,  February 
25,  1837.) 

In  January,  1837,  the  steamboat  "Illinois"  was  being  built  at 
Newberry's  shipyards,  Detroit.  On  January  21,  an  urgent  call 
was  made  upon  the  citizens  for  a  draft  of  the  proposed  city  char- 
ter, and  they  made  haste  to  comply  so  as  to  accomplish  that  object 
before  the  Legislature  adjourned.  Late  in  1836  the  canal  commis- 
sioners reported  that  the  canal  would  cost — Summit  division, 
$5,871,325;  Middle  division,  $1,510,957;  Western  division,  $1,- 
272,055 ;  total,  $8,654,337.  The  Illinois  Central  Railway  was  up 
for  consideration  in  January,  1837.  In  January,  1837,  an  alms- 
house  or  poorhouse  stood  on  the  public  square.  In  1837  the 
appropriation  for  Chicago  harbor  was  $40,000;  for  Calumet  har- 
bor $20,000.  In  February,  1837,  the  Legislature  authorized  the 
formation  of  a  cemetery  association  here.  In  March  the  citizens 
subscribed  $36,000  toward  a  steamboat  to  ply  between  St.  Joseph 
and  Chicago.  The  organization  of  Rush  Medical  College  in 
March,  1837,  was  an  important  event.  In  the  spring  of  1837, 
William  B.  Egan  was  asked  to  run  for  Mayor  of  the  new  city,  but 
declined.  John  Wentworth,  for  many  years  afterward  the  most 
powerful  factor  in  local  politics,  became  the  owner  of  the  Democrat 
in  1837. 

"Illinois  and  Michigan  Canal. — Contracts  to  the  amount  of  about 
$1,000,000  were  made  by  the  commissioners  on  Saturday  last  and 
at  about  $60,000  less  than  the  estimated  prices.  Laborers  to 
almost  any  number  can  now  find  employment  in  the  different  sec- 
tions of  the  line  and  receive  high  prices.  Several  thousand  are 
wanted  immediately." — (American,  May  27,  1837.) 

The  Cook  county  congressional  vote  in  1838  was:  Democrat, 
1,324;  Whig,  1,032.  By  act  of  July  21,  1837,  special  provision  for 
the  sale  of  canal  lands  was  made.  The  canal  commissioners  were 
authorized  to  enlarge  the  natural  basin  at  the  confluence  of  the 
North  and  South  branches  of  the  Chicago  river,  and  Block  7  of 
the  canal  lots  in  the  city  of  Chicago  was  reserved  from  sale  for 
the  purpose  of  exchanging  the  same  for  Block  14,  which  would  be 
removed  in  the  proposed  enlargement.  Block  14  was  appropriated 
for  the  uses  of  the  basin.  Both  blocks  were  to  be  appraised  and  the 
exchange  was  to  be  made  if  the  owners  of  Block  14  were  willing. 

On  October  26,  1836,  the  first  steps  to  obtain  a  city  charter  were 
taken.  The  town  before  had  been  divided  into  three  districts. 


132  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

The  president  of  the  meeting  invited  people  to  select  the  following 
three  representatives  of  each  district  to  consider  the  question : 
First  district,  Ebenezer  Peck,  William  Stuart,  E.  W.  Casey;  Sec- 
ond district,  J.  D.  Caton,  Mr.  Chadwick,  W.  Forsythe,  Third  dis- 
trict, John  H.  Kinzie,  W.  L.  Newberry,  T.  W.  Smith.  These 
delegates  and  the  board  of  trustees  met  November  25,  in  the 
trustees'  room  opposite  the  Mansion  house,  and  resolved  "That  it 
is  expedient  for  the  citizens  of  Chicago  to  petition  the  Legislature 
for  a  city  charter."  A  commission  of  five,  two  members  of  the 
board  and  one  from  each  district,  was  appointed  to  prepare  a  city 
charter.  E.  B.  Williams,  president  of  the  meeting,  appointed  for 
District  1,  Ebenezer  Peck;  District  2,  J.  D.  Caton;  District  3, 
T.  W.  Smith,  and  also  Bolles  and  Ogden  of  the  board.  The  com- 
mittee met  December  9,  and  Ebenezer  Peck,  Esq.,  presented  the 
draft  for  a  city  charter.  It  was  adopted  with  some  changes  and 
500  copies  were  ordered  printed.  This  charter  was  duly  presented 
to  the  Legislature  and  passed  by  that  body  on  March  4,  1837. 

The  first  election  of  city  officers  was  held  on  the  first  Tuesday  of 
May,  1837,  and  resulted  as  follows:  Mayor,  William  B.  Ogden; 
aldermen,  First  ward,  J.  C.  Goodhue;  Second  ward,  J.  S.  C. 
Hogan ;  Third  ward,  J.  D.  Caton ;  Fourth  ward,  A.  Pierce ;  Fifth 
ward,  B.  Ward;  Sixth  ward,  S.  Jackson.  John  Shrigley  was 
elected  high  constable  at  the  first  meeting  of  the  Council,  and 
Norman  B.  Judd  city  attorney.  The  total  vote  for  Mayor  was 
703,  as  follows." — (Democrat,  November  30,  1851.) 

PRECINCTS.  W.  B.  Ogden.     J.  H.  Kinzie. 

First  ward 102  65 

Second  ward 182  61 

Third  ward 21  14 

Fourth  ward 34  19 

Fifth  ward 58  2 

Sixth  ward 73  72 

Totals 470  233 

MAYORS    OF    CHICAGO,    1837 — 1854. 

1837,  William  B.  Ogden.  1846,  John  P.  Chapin. 

1838,  Buckner  S.  Morris.  1847,  James  Curtiss. 

1839,  Benjamin  W.  Raymond.  1848,  James  H.  Woodworth. 

1840,  A.  Lloyd.  1849,  James  H.  Woodworth. 

1841,  Francis  C.  Sherman.  1850,  James  Curtiss. 

1842,  Benjamin  W.   Raymond.  1851,  Walter  S.  Gurnee. 

1843,  Augustus  Garrett  1852,  Walter  S.  Gurnee. 

1844,  A.  S.  Sherman.  1853,  C.  M.  Gray. 

1845,  Augustus  Garrett.  1854,  Isaac  L.   Milliken. 

In  1821  fractional  Section  10  contained  165.36  acres,  and  frac- 
tional Section  15  contained  159.45  acres,  both  of  Township  39 
north.  Range  14  east,  and  they  were  surveyed  and  platted.  On 
September  30,  1824,  the  Secretary  of  War  requested  the  commis- 
sioner of  the  general  land  office  to  reserve  the  land  occupied  by 
Fort  Dearborn.  On  October  1,  the  general  land  office  notified  the 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  133 

Secretary  of  War  that  it  had  directed  that  a  portion  of  fractional 
Section  10,  Township  39  north,  Range  14  east,  containing  57.50 
acres  and  "within  which  Fort  Dearborn  is  situated  be  reserved 
from  sale  for  military  purposes."  On  June  6,  1837,  the  above 
reservation  was  surveyed  into  streets,  blocks  and  lots  by  Asa  F. 
Bradley,  city  and  county  surveyor,  under  the  directions  of  Mathew 
Burchard,  agent  and  attorney  for  the  Secretary  of  War. 

The  whole  of  fractional  Section  15,  Township  39,  Range  14, 
was  selected  for  the  Illinois  and  Michigan  canal  under  the  act  of 
March  2,  1827.  On  February  4,  1837,  the  surveyor  general  desig- 
nated the  sandbar  as  an  addition  to  fractional  Sections  10  and  15. 
This  sandbar  contained  37.78  acres  and  was  entered  by  Mark 
Noble,  Sr.,  and  Mark  Noble,  Jr.,  on  May  31,  1836,  but  the  entries 
were  cancelled  and  the  money  refunded.  The  land  belonged  to 
fractional  sections  10  and  15.  In  front  of  section  10  were  26.17 
acres,  and  in  front  of  Section  15  were  11.61  acres.  The  survey 
of  the  bar  was  unwarranted. — (House  Reports,  Forty- fourth  Con- 
gress, first  session,  Vol.  III.) 

Fort  Dearborn  reservation  was  bounded  east  by  the  lake  and 
south  by  Madison  street.  A  small  piece  of  ground  between  Madi- 
son and  Randolph,  east  of  Blocks  12  and  15,  was  called  public 
ground.  Michigan  avenue,  ninety  feet  wide,  was  extended  through 
Fort  Dearborn  addition.  In  1839  the  public  land  east  of  Michigan 
avenue  was  nearly  eight  hundred  feet  long,  fifty  feet  wide  at  Ran- 
dolph and  about  one  hundred  feet  wide  at  Madison.  In  1852  the 
land  was  only  22*4  feet  wide  at  Randolph  and  nil  at  Madison. 
The  Illinois  Central  railway  was  to  occupy  a  strip  300  feet  wide 
built  on  piles  in  front  of  Sections  10  and  15,  providing  they  would 
build  a  breakwater.  The  inner  line  of  the  right  of  way  was  located 
four  hundred  feet  east  of  the  west  line  of  Michigan  avenue.  The 
government  had  no  title  to  the  bed  of  the  lake  nor  to  the  bed  of  the 
river. 

On  May  2,  1838,  the  following  petition  was  addressed  to  Con- 
gress by  the  officials  of  Chicago :  "The  petition  of  the  Mayor,  Al- 
dermen and  citizens  of  the  City  of  Chicago,  in  the  State  of  Illinois, 
respectfully  showeth,  that  the  military  reservation  upon  which  Fort 
Dearborn  is  situated  at  the  mouth  of  Chicago  river  being  the  south 
fraction  of  Section  10,  Township  39  north.  Range  14  east,  con- 
taining about  fifty-four  acres,  has  become  useless  for  a  military 
post.  Your  petitioners  further  show  that  the  said  military  reserva- 
tion adjoins  the  city  of  Chicago  and  its  value  above  the  minimum 
price  of  government  land  has  been  principally  occasioned  by  the 
enterprise  and  expenditures  of  our  citizens  in  building  up  and 
improving  the  city  of  Chicago.  Your  petitioners  further  show 
that,  so  far  as  they  are  informed,  it  has  been  the  practice  of  the 
general  government  to  grant  military  sites,  which  have  become 
useless  in  the  Western  states,  to  the  cities  or  towns  within  which 


134 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 


they  are  located.  Your  petitioners  therefore  humbly  pray  that  an 
act  may  be  passed  granting  the  said  reservation  to  the  corporation 
of  the  City  of  Chicago,  or  that  the  said  corporation  may  be  allowed 
to  enter  the  same  at  the  minimum  price  of  public  land,  and  your 
petitioners  will  ever  pray,  etc." 


W.  B.  Ogden,  mayor  of 

Chicago. 
J.  C.  Goodhue, 
Asaliel  Pierce, 
Peter  Bolles, 
John  S.  C.  Hogan, 
John  Dean  Caton, 
Samuel  Jackson, 
K.  C.  Sherman, 
Bernard   Ward, 
Hirman  Pearsons, 

Aldermen. 
].  M.  Coffin, 
Joseph  Robbins, 
H.  G.  Loomis, 
C.  L.  Harmon, 
H.  Loomis, 
T.  G.   Wright, 
Charles  B.  Farham, 
J.  Dixon, 
B.  F.  Knapp, 
E.  Doolittje, 
Bynum  King, 
B.  A.  Berry, 
Henry  Clark, 
William  B.  Dodge, 
A.  F.  Clark, 
H.  H.  Magill, 
A.  E.  Fuller, 
J.  Gray, 

Stephen  F.  Gales, 
George  Blair, 
James   McClennan,   Jr., 
George  W.  Merrill, 
E.   Reynolds, 
J.  M.  Ford, 
E.  Higgins, 
Edward  Simmons, 
George  T.   Hulse, 
Benjamin   H.    Gift, 
Thomas  C.  James, 
David  Byard, 
Reuben  Welch, 
Thomas  Joslin, 
Griffith  J.  Pierce, 
Alanson  Barnes, 
Gorham  Bunker, 
Andrew  Benning, 
James  Brand, 
A.  F.  Miltimore, 
E.  A.  Miltimore, 
Smith  Dunlap,  Jr. 
Augustus  Frisbie, 


Ira  Corwin, 
Jeremiah  Briggs, 
Samuel  Greer, 
William  Briggs, 
William  Wade, 
Henry  C.  West, 
John   Harrison, 
Charles  Clever, 
Thomas  Cook, 
Lemuel   Brown, 
Wm.  H.  Brown, 
Jacob  Norris, 
Joseph  L.  Hanson, 
Thomas  Whitlock, 
Leonard  Kimball, 
Guild  &  Durant, 
Oliver   Morse, 
P.  F.  W.  Peck, 
D.  S.  Dewey, 
Thomas   Brook, 
Eli   S.  Prescott, 

D.  Bradley, 
David  Hunter, 
Denison  Horton, 
Nathaniel  Snell, 
William  Otis  Snell, 
John  M.  Smith, 
William  G.  Pettigrew, 
Peter  Jones, 
Edward  Fogarty, 
John  Baxter, 
William  McCarty, 
George  Vardon, 

H.  D.  Wing, 
J.   W.   Hooker, 
John  Blatchford, 
F.  Moseley, 

E.  D.  Ely, 
W.  Mifflure, 

W.  N.  Larrabee, 
Eli   A.   Rider, 
Daniel   B.   Heartt,   Esq., 
Charles  L.  P.  Hogan, 
John  T.  Temple, 
Jacob  Sauter, 
Vinsius  Sauter, 
John  Murphy,  2nd, 
Abram  Gale, 
S.   D.   Scott, 
B.  N.  Stratton, 
Samuel  J.  Lowe, 
O.  H.  Thompson, 
Lewis  M.  Wood, 


George  Raymond, 
Francis  Walker, 
Nichols  Wheeler, 
William  H.  Stow, 
Daniel  Breulley, 
Silas  Ayers, 
John  Ruddiman, 
Otis  Barnes, 
Alexander   Lloyd, 
James  Curtis, 
Peter  Cohin, 
Julius  Wadsworth, 
J.  R.  Botsford, 
Erastus  Bowen, 
John  L.  Huntington, 
John  F.  Brown, 
E.  B.  Hulbert, 
J.  E.  McClure, 
E.   Dunning, 
W.  H.  Brown, 
Walter  Kimball, 
Henry   B.   Clarke, 
E.  L.  Harmon, 
Francis  Howe, 

C.  H.  Chapman, 
P.   MacFarlane, 
John  Shrigley, 
Robert  Jones, 
Thomas  Reed, 
John  Bates,  Jr., 
William  B.  Noble, 
Robert  Heartt, 
John  Norton, 
Luther  Nichols, 
James   M.   Smith, 
Frederick  Fisher, 
George  Ott, 
Augustus  S.  Butts, 
James  Rockwell, 
George  Low, 
Martin  Pludingal, 
Peter  Luze, 
Charles  Sauter, 

A.   Logan, 
John   Fussy, 
Major   Noble, 

D.  Lyman, 
John  Gage. 
"W.  Mitchell, 
John   Temouth, 
Ira  Miltimore, 
H.  Barnes, 

Citizens. 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 


135 


FIRST  CENSUS    OF   THE  CITY   TAKEN    JULY    1,    1837. 


First  Ward... 
Second  Ward 
Third  Ward.. 
Fourth  Ward. 
Fifth  Ward... 
Sixth  Ward  .. 

Under  5 
M. 

F. 

5'to  21. 
M. 

F. 

Over  21. 
M.        F. 

Colored. 
M. 

F. 

57 

76 

11 

15 

32 
53 

59 
77 
16 
15 
37 
65 

109 
129 
33 
31 
26 
72 

135 
148 
19 
27 
20 
101 

444 
630 
70 
101 
135 
470 

218 
262 
46 
42 
70 
207 

10 
13 

5 
13 

7 
18 

2 
9 

244 

269 
244 

381 

450 
381 

1800 

845 
1800 

41 

36 
41 

513 

831 

2645 

77 

There  were  also  here  104  transient  sailors.  In  1837  there  were 
4  warehouses,  398  dwellings,  29  dry  goods  stores,  5  hardware 
stores,  3  drug  stores,  19  grocery  and  provision  stores,  10  taverns, 
26  groceries  (wet),  17  lawyers'  offices  and  5  churches,  with  about 
150  children  in  school.  The  city  was  bounded  south  by  Twenty- 
second  street;  north  by  North  avenue;  west  by  Wood  street,  and 
east  by  the  lake. 

In  the  crash  of  1837,  the  peltry  trade  ran  low;  emigrants  were 
not  so  many  and  produce  in  part  went  elsewhere.  There  was  no 
money;  people  lived  on  the  harbor  laborers'  and  canal  laborers' 
wages.  There  were  450  buildings  in  1837.  By  1842  there  were  1 
brick  store  and  78  brick  houses,  1,061  frame  houses,  224  other 
structures  of  logs,  etc.,  in  all  1,364.  By  1842  over  sixty  business 
houses  had  become  bankrupt.  But  growth  was  steady — firms  went 
down,  individuals  passed  on,  but  others  took  'their  places.  The 
growth  was  like  that  after  the  great  Chicago  fire.  During  the 
panic  real  estate  stood  still ;  banking  was  abolished  in  the  state 
unless  secured.  In  1840,  George  W.  Dole  built  at  the  junction  of 
the  branches,  out  of  timber  cut  ten  miles  up  the  North  Branch  and 
hauled  in  with  teams,  the  first  considerable  vessel  constructed  at 
Chicago,  a  side-wheel  steamer  named  after  himself.  Like  all  West- 
ern cities,  Chicago  has  had  her  reverses.  In  1835-36  real  estate 
had  a  fictitious  value.  The  whole  country  was  mad  with  the  spirit 
of  speculation.  When  the  crash  came,  in  the  latter  part  of  1837, 
hundreds  in  this  city  found  themselves  bankrupt.  Real  estate  re- 
mained stationary. 

"What  a  change!  In  the  month  of  November,  1831,  the  first 
frame  house  was  erected  in  Chicago.  But  seven  years  have 
passed  onward  to  the  tomb  of  time,  and  a  small  United  States  fort 
with  its  little  garrison,  disputing  the  ascendency  with  the  untutored 
Indian,  has  been  surrounded  with  a  bustling  city  of  6,000  ( ?)  in- 
habitants. The  frail  canoe  of  the  savage  that  then  dimpled  in 
undisturbed  supremacy  the  modest  waters  of  Skunk  creek  and  the 
shores  of  Lake  Michigan  is  now  succeeded  by  roaring  steamers, 


136  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

with  their  700  tons  and  high  masted  vessels  with  their  thousands 
of  freight.  The  creek  has  become  a  river  and  from  its  mouth  the 
merchandise  of  the  far  Eastern  ports,  transported  over  our  great 
lakes,  is  discharged  into  our  capacious  warehouses  for  the  traffic 
and  consumption  of  a  city  and  an  extensive  country  rapidly  filling 
up  around  it.  ...  Hard  times,  or  easy  times,  blue  devils,  or 
what  not — say  what  you  will — feel  how  you  will — Chicago  is  a 
wonderful  city." — (American,  April  12,  1839.) 

"Business  statistics  of  Chicago:  We  present  the  following 
table  of  the  business  establishments  in  Chicago  and  challenge  any 
place  of  its  age  to  beat:  Seventy-eight  dealers  in  merchandise,  2 
wholesale  dealers  in  merchandise,  1  bank,  2  broker's  offices,  2  flour 
mills,  1  sash  factory,  1  iron  foundry,  1  brass  foundry,  4  markets, 
10  taverns,  5  forwarding  houses,  12  tailoring  houses,  8  lumber  mer- 
chants, 2  printing  houses,  3  auction  rooms.  'No  establishments 
where  liquor  is  solely  or  principally  retailed  or  distilleries  are  in- 
cluded in  the  above  list.'  The  business  of  the  city  has  heretofore 
employed  about  twenty  draymen." — (American,  April  19,  1839.) 

"Our  streets  are  becoming  quite  respectable — no  instances  of 
horses  and  oxen  being  lost  entirely  during  the  past  day  or  two.  We 
hate  to  expose  the  infirmities  of  our  streets  to  our  strangers,  but 
it  is  the  duty  of  a  paper  to  produce  as  much  reform  as  possible." — 
(American,  April  10,  1839.) 

ASSESSED   VALUATION. 

1839 $1,829,420      1844 $3,166,945  1849 $  7,617,102 

1840 1,864,205      1845 3,669,124  1850 8,101,000 

1841 1,888,160      1846 5,071,402  1851 9,431,826 

1842 2,325,240      1847 6,189,385  1852 12,035,037 

1843 2,250,785      1848 9,986,000  1853 22,929,637 

The  steamboat  "James  Allen"  was  built  in  Chicago  in  1838; 
James  Stuart  was  captain.  In  April,  1839,  the  steam  packets  run- 
ning between  Chicago  and  Buffalo  were  "Thomas  Jefferson," 
Thomas  Wilkins,  master;  "James  Madison,"  R.  C.  Bristol,  master; 
"Buffalo,"  Levi  Allen,  master;  "Illinois,"  Chelsey  Blake,  master. 
The  first  issue  of  the  American  appeared  on  April  9,  1839, 
with  William  Stuart,  editor  and  proprietor.  It  spoke  of  Chicago 
as  the  "Queen  City  of  the  State"  and  said :  "This  paper  will  be 
devoted  principally  to  the  commercial  and  business  interests  of 
Chicago."  In  April,  1839,  the  citizens  interested  put  in  operation 
a  ferry  across  the  river  at  State  street;  a  scow  was  used  and  the 
expense  was  borne  by  subscription.  The  American  of  April  20, 
1839,  spoke  thus  derisively  of  the  muddy  streets:  "The  ludicrous 
antics,  which  have  this  season  been  exhibited  in  the  mud  by  horses, 
oxen  and  men  would  well  embellish  the  frontispiece  of  a  sporting 
journal  and  furnish  capital  subjects  for  the  cutting  art  of  the  inim- 
itable Cruickshank." 

"In  taking  a  stroll   last  week  up  the  beautiful  avenue,   Clark 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  137 

street,  beyond  the  school  section,  we  observed  that  a  considerable 
portion  of  the  rich  prairie,  which  in  the  eventful  days  of  speculation 
was  staked  out  and  held  as  thousand  dollar  city  lots  without  bring- 
ing in  a  cent,  is  now  plowed  up  for  potato  patches  and  purposes  of 
cultivation.  This  is  right.  When  in  the  course  of  a  few  years 
these  lands  which  now  lie  in  the  suburbs,  shall  be  wanted  for  the 
building  purposes  of  the  city,  they  will  not  be  injured  by  their  pres- 
ent uses." — (American,  April  22,  1839.)  "We  are  glad  to  see  a 
commendable  rivalry  in  our  two  ferries  for  the  convenience  of  our 
citizens.  A  footpath  of  boards  has  been  made  on  the  south  side  of 
the  State  street  ferry,  on  the  right  hand  side,  which  will  be  very  con- 
venient for  passengers  when  waiting  for  the  scow,  preventing  them 
from  being  crowded  by  the  teams.  The  street  commissioner,  under 
the  instructions  of  the  Common  Council,  has  provided  a  small  ferry 
room  and  two  lamps  for  the  city  ferry  at  Clark  street." — (Amer- 
ican, April  22,  1839.)  "When  Daniel  Webster  was  in  Chicago, 
Mr.  B.,  a  well  known  citizen,  upon  being  introduced  to  him,  ad- 
dressed him  as  follows :  'I  have  read  your  spelling-book  and  dic- 
tionary, Mr.  Webster,  but  I  never  before  had  the  pleasure  of  your 
acquaintance.'' — (American,  April  22,  1839.) 

The  government,  having  settled  the  claim  of  Colonel  Beaubien 
on  the  Fort  Dearborn  reservation  adversely  to  him,  offered  the  lots 
for  sale  in  .1839.  The  land,  with  the  exception  of  the  block  includ- 
ing the  lighthouse  and  such  adjacent  lots  as  the  agent  should  deem 
proper  to  retain  for  the  use  of  the  government,  was  to  be  sold  for 
cash  under  sealed  proposals — not  at  public  auction.  The  sale  was  set 
for  the  second  Monday  in  June.  The  American  of  April  25  said : 
"We  may  safely  say  that  the  citizens  of  Chicago  will  have  no  money 
to  spare  for  the  purchase  of  these  lots.  The  consequence  is  that  if 
sold  in  June  they  will  be  bought  by  non-resident  capitalists  on  specu- 
lation and  held  for  the  most  part  unproductive  and  useless  in  the 
hope  of  future  advances  on  the  investment.  Believing  that  the  in- 
tended sale  will  work  a  serious  injury  to  the  general  interests  of 
Chicago,  we  hope  that  our  citizens  will  respectively  remonstrate 
with  the  Government  against  its  occurrence.  We  yet  hope  that  the 
Government  will  be  induced  to  review  its  action  in  this  matter  and 
will  grant  the  land  for  the  proper  purposes  and  uses  of  the  city. 
But  if  this  expectation  shall  prove  a  delusion,  we  yet  finally  trust 
that  Colonel  Beaubien,  the  old  settler,  now  deprived  by  the  decree 
of  the  highest  legal  tribunal  in  the  land  of  the  other  title  of  the  old 
preemptioner,  will  be  permitted  by  the  magnanimity,  if  not  the  jus- 
tice of  our  great  nation,  to  retain  in  peace,  through  the  brief  rem- 
nant of  his  days,  his  old  homestead  which  he  has  occupied  for  so 
many  years,  through  scenes  of  savage  wars,  massacres  and  carnage, 
long  ere  Chicago  was." 

"As  Judge  Burchard.  the  government  agent,  has  ample  power, 
according  to  the  advertisement  of  sale,  to  reserve,  if  not  donate, 


138  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

portions  of  the  reservation  grounds,  we  hope  he  will  be  induced  to 
reserve  enough  for  a  city  common  or  square  of  that  portion  which 
extends  along  the  shore  of  the  lake  for  about  half  a  mile,  and 
which  the  lake,  in  defiance  of  the  Government  reservations  or  pri- 
vate claims,  is  fast  appropriating  to  its  own  extensive  domain. 
State  street  and  Madison  street,  which  divide  the  old 
town  from  the  school  section,  also  require  a  set  off  of  lands,  for  the 
purpose  of  widening  and  uniformly  straightening  them  throughout 
their  extent." — (American,  May  28,  1839.) 

Sealed  proposals  for  construction  work  on  the  Illinois  Central 
railroad  were  called  for  in  April,  1839.  In  the  spring  of  1839  the 
superintendent  of  construction  of  Chicago  harbor  was  instructed  to 
spend  until  July  only  enough  on  that  work  to  save  what  had  already 
been  done  from  damage;  it  looked  as  if  appropriations  were  to  be 
cut  off.  The  Lake  house  was  ready  for  occupancy  in  June,  1839. 
It  accommodated  200  persons,  was  located  on  South  Water  street 
and  Michigan  avenue  and  commanded  a  fine  view  of  the  lake.  In 
1839,  "the  magical  days  of  '35"  were  referred  to.  The  "Great 
Western,"  built  at  Huron,  Ohio,  was  781  tons  burden  and  186 
feet  long.  The  American  of  May  22  said :  "What  city  would  not 
be  proud  of  such  arrivals  as  the  "Illinois"  and  the  "Great  Western." 
During  the  summer  of  1839,  outside  newspapers  admitted  that  great 
advancement  in  growth  and  morals  had  been  made  in  Chicago. 
At  this  time  the  state  was  bankrupt,  and  work  on  the  canal  had 
been  stopped.  There  was  a  general  movement  in  all  parts  of  the 
state  in  opposition  to  all  internal  improvements  until  the  state  could 
readjust  its  financial  affairs. 

"When  the  mammoth  system  was  first  adopted  and  commenced, 
we  were  heartily  in  favor  of  it,  and  advocated  its  vigorous  and  im- 
partial prosecution.  Our  pride  as  a  citizen  of  a  young  giant  state 
was  heartily  enlisted.  What  state  could  show  such  an  advance? 
All  went  on  finely.  Deceptive  calculations  were  made  and  generally 
believed  to  show  the  practicability  and  profit  of  the  system.  Money 
appeared  to  be  plenty.  The  school,  literature  and  other  funds  of 
the  state,  were  silently  borrowed  from,  to  pay  the  expenses  and  sus- 
tain the  credit  of  the  state,  and  without  a  resort  to  taxation.  But 
this  delusion  could  not  long  continue.  By  the  new  revenue  law 
the  people  were  forcibly  and  feelingly  appealed  to  through  their 
pockets.  The  imposition  of  this  tax,  though  collected,  as  the  act 
represents,  expressly  to  defray  the  expenses  of  administrating  the 
government,  and  not  to  be  applied  to  the  payment  of  the  interest 
on  the  internal  improvement  moneys,  has  set  the  people  to  thinking 
on  the  affairs  and  financial  conditions  of  the  state ;  and  in  this  county 
the  people  are  in  favor  of  a  speedy  action  of  the  Legislature  in 
classifying  of  modifying  in  some  just  and  equitable  manner  the 
internal  improvement  system." — (American,  May  29,  1839.) 

About  June  1,  1839,  Judge  Burchard,  in  spite  of  the  expressed 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  141 

wishes  of  Chicago  for  a  postponement,  began  laying  out  the  Fort 
Dearborn  reservation  into  lots.  The  County  Commissioners  asked 
to  have  the  sale  of  lots  postponed;  two  petitions  of  the  citizens 
prayed  for  the  same,  but  the  sale  continued  for  the  reason  given 
by  the  Secretary  of  War  "that  after  an  attentive  examination  of  the 
subject  and  a  respectful  consideration  of  the  reasons  assigned  for 
suspending  the  sale,  he  is  of  opinion  that  it  cannot  be  done  without 
injury  to  the  public  service."  The  American  was  so  indignant  that 
it  was  imprudent  enough  to  say  editorially :  "We  must  confess  that 
we  think  there  is  now  strong  ground  for  the  opinion  generally  en- 
tertained in  this  city,  that  the  President  and  Cabinet  are  connected 
by  some  direct  or  indirect  partnership  with  an  Eastern  speculating 
land  company  in  the  purchase  of  these  lots  at  a  nominal  price." 
The  American  stated  the  case  thus :  "What  are  some  of  the  facts 
in  the  history  of  this  whole  case?  Many  years  after  Colonel  Beau- 
bien  had  paid  for  and  obtained  his  preemption  from  the  Govern- 
ment land  agents  in  Chicago,  Murray  McConnell  sued  out  a  writ 
of  ejectment  in  the  Cook  Circuit  court  against  Major  Wilcox,  then 
commander  of  the  fort,  to  obtain  possession  of  one  of  the  lots 
deeded  to  him  by  Colonel  Beaubien.  Judge  Ford,  on  the  principles 
and  rights  of  the  case,  decided  in  favor  of  Colonel  Beaubien's  title, 
but  on  other  grounds  against  the  action.  On  error,  the  Supreme 
court  in  a  long  and  able  argument,  sustained  the  action  on  all  points. 
On  writ  of  error  the  Supreme  court  of  the  United  States  have 
recently  reversed  this  decision  with  costs  and  decided  against  the 
preemption.  But  in  the  meantime  the  United  States,  as  plaintiffs, 
have  filed  a  bill  in  chancery  against  Colonel  Beaubien  and  his  con- 
federates, the  Government  officers  and  agents,  to  vacate  the  cer- 
tificate of  preemption  on  allegations  among  others  of  fraud  in  their 
own  agents — which  suit  is  still  undetermined." 

In  spite  of  the  wish  of  nearly  every  citizen  that  Colonel  Beau- 
bien should  not  be  bid  against  on  his  home  lots,  21  and  22,  Block 
4,  James  H.  Collins,  attorney,  outbid  him  and  secured  Beaubien's 
home.  A  public  meeting,  of  which  W.  H.  Brown  was  chairman, 
and  John  H.  Kinzie  and  Julius  Wadsworth,  secretaries,  was  called 
at  the  City  Saloon  and  the  act  of  Mr.  Collins  was  roundly  denounced. 
The  following  resolutions  were  passed : 

"Resolved,  That  we  sympathize  deeply  with  Colonel  Beaubien  in 
this  attempt  to  rob  him  in  the  decline  of  life  of  the  graves  of  his 
children  and  the  home  which  he  has  so  long  occupied.  Resolved, 
That  the  individual,  James  H.  Collins,  who  bid  unconditionally 
against  and  over  Colonel  Beaubien  for  the  premises  aforesaid,  has 
outraged  public  opinion  and  feeling,  no  less  than  the  better  feelings 
of  human  nature.  Resolved,  That  the  man  who  would  thus  render 
houseless  and  homeless  this  old  man  .  .  .  deserves  now  the  execra- 
tion of  all  honest  men  and  should  be  admonished  of  the  claims  which 
retributive  justice  may  have  upon  his  own  old  age.  Resolved,  That 

Vol.  1—9. 


142  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

the  bid  of  the  individual  referred  to  should,  under  the  circumstances, 
be  declared  by  the  Government  agent,  Judge  Burchard,  to  be  insuf- 
ficient, inasmuch  as  there  was  no  competition." 

A  committee  consisting  of  William  H.  Brown,  John  H.  Kinzie, 
Walter  Kimball  and  Gurdon  S.  Hubbard  was  appointed  to  wait 
upon  Judge  Burchard  with  the  view  of  having  him  declare  the  bid 
insufficient.  This  was  done,  but  the  judge  stated  that  the  bid  of 
Mr.  Collins  had  already  been  accepted.  In  the  end  Colonel  Beau- 
bien  lost  his  home. 

In  May  or  June,  1839,  General  Thornton  took  $500,000  worth 
of  the  canal  bonds  to  Lockport  to  be  sold  to  retire  the  canal  scrip 
recently  issued.  The  American  of  June  7  said :  "It  can  be  proved 
that  Charles  Butler,  Esq.,  of  New  York,  would  probably  have  in 
this  city,  by  his  agents  or  otherwise,  a  large  amount  (say  $75,000) 
of  money  for  investment  in  these  lands.  Charles  Butler,  it  is  gen- 
erally known,  is  a  brother  of  Benjamin  F.  Butler,  the  Attorney 
General,  law  pupil,  political  foster  child  and  bosom  friend  of  Mar- 
tin Van  Buren ;  and  last,  but  perhaps  not  least,  one  of  the  counsel 
who  argued  in  the  Supreme  court  of  the  United  States  the  Beau- 
bien  case  in  behalf  of  the  Government.  It  can  also  be  proved  that 
Benjamin  F.  Butler  invested  or  caused  to  be  invested  of  his  funds, 
$2,500  in  the  purchase  by  the  North  American  Land  Company  of 
their  lands  in  Kinzie's  addition  to  the  city.  It  can  also  be  proved 
that  the  same  Benjamin  F.  Butler,  in  the  year  1836,  in  the  city  of 
Albany,  declared  on  a  certain  occasion  that  the  Frenchman  (mean- 
ing Colonel  Beaubien)  could  not  get  the  reservation.  Are  these 
some  of  the  'important  and  imperative  reasons'  which  compel  the 
Secretary  of  War  at  the  instigation  of  the  President  and  Cabinet 
to  persist  in  the  sale?" 

"Opinion  of  Justice  Barbour. — 'We  have  reason  to  believe  that 
the  opinion  of  Justice  Barbour  in  the  Beaubien  case  was  made  up 
and  written  in  advance  of  the  legitimate  action  of  the  court  upon 
arguments  of  counsel.  That  it  was  an  opinion  corrupt  in  its  origin 
and  political  in  its  end  and  aim — sustained  at  last  by  only  a  bare 
majority  of  the  court — a  majority  of  5  to  4 — the  eminent  Justice 
Baldwin  being  among  the  number  who  pronounced  it  an  outrage 
against  law  and  right — an  opinion  which,  on  the  principle  and  right 
of  the  case,  astonished  Webster  and  the  other  eminent  counsel  em- 
ployed in  behalf  of  Colonel  Beaubien." — (American,  June  8,  1839.) 
"Lots  21  and  22,  in  Block  4,  are  covered  in  part  by  a  building  be- 
longing to  Colonel  Beaubien.  who,  should  he  become  a  purchaser, 
will  be  allowed  a  credit  under  the  discretion  stated  in  the  advertise- 
ment."— (Statement  of  M.  Burchard  concerning  the  sale  of  Fort 
Dearborn  addition.)  "I  observe  that  there  is  a  general  and  increas- 
ing sympathy  for  Colonel  Beaubien,  and  I  think  that  the  people  of 
this  city  would  be  pleased  to  see  him  obtain  a  few  lots  upon  reason- 
able terms.  Three  lots  are  mentioned  as  the  number  he  ought  to  be 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  143 

allowed  to  purchase.  .  .  .  The  Colonel  has  lived  upon  the 
reserve  for  the  last  twenty-two  years,  feels  himself  at  home  upon 
it,  and  has  once  purchased  and  taken  his  certificate  for  the  same 
land.  .  .  .  The  Colonel  is  far  advanced  in  the  decline  of  life 
and  has  a  large  family  dependent  upon  him  for  support." — (A 
citizen  in  the  American,  June  12,  1839.) 

During  the  summer  of  1839  a  steamboat  left  Chicago  every  alter- 
nate day.  In  July  the  old  Dearborn  street  bridge  that  had  served 
such  good  purposes  was  nearly  ready  to  fall  in  pieces.  Mr.  Keenan 
had  excellent  vapor  baths  at  Wells  and  Lake  streets.  In  July,  1839, 
General  Scott,  who  was  here  in  1832,  again  visited  the  city.  The 
American  complained  that  Chicago  business  men  were  poor 
advertisers.  The  people  who  first  came  to  Chicago  did  so  primarily 
to  make  money,  because  Chicago  was  advertised  in  the  East  as  the 
coming  metropolis  of  the  West,  the  center  of  a  splendid  commercial 
empire.  Even  up  to  August,  1839,  the  citizens  of  Chicago  obtained 
their  water  from  wells  or  bought  it  of  carriers  who  secured  it  from 
wells  or  the  lake  and  peddled  it  through  the  city.  It  was  brought 
around  in  barrels  two  or  three  times  a  week  and  sold  at  a  rate  that 
amounted  to  a  considerable  annual  tax.  The  Hydraulic  Company, 
which  had  been  chartered  in  January,  1836,  and  to  which  the  people 
had  long  looked  with  high  hopes,  was  still  inactive  in  August,  1839, 
though  the  act  creating  that  company  required  that  operations 
should  be  commenced  within  four  years.  At  this  time  Frink  & 
Bingham,  stage  operators,  carried  passengers  from  Chicago  to 
Galena,  160  miles,  in  two  days,  for  $12.50.  By  August,  1839,  cot- 
tages and  business  blocks  were  going  up  in  many  places  on  the 
reservation. 

In  June,  1839,  the  steamer  "Illinois"  covered  the  distance  from 
Detroit  to  Chicago  in  fifty-six  hours — the  quickest  trip  thus  far  ever 
made.  The  American  of  June  1,  said:  "We  have  now  a  steamboat 
from  the  lower  lakes  almost  once  a  day.  The  'General  Wayne'  left 
us  last  night  and  the  'Constellation'  came  in  its  place."  Steamboat 
runners  became  such  a  nuisance  here  at  this  time  that  they  were 
prohibited  from  plying  their  occupation.  During  the  month  of  May, 
1839,  the  vessel  arrivals  numbered  101,  of  which  thirty  were  steam- 
boats. In  June,  1839,  large  numbers  of  Irishmen  arrived  here  to 
secure  work  on  the  "Canaul."  The  Illinois  State  lottery,  Liberty 
Bigelow,  agent,  had  a  drawing  here  on  June  12,  1839;  total  to  be 
drawn,  $399,432.  This  lottery  was  authorized  by  the  Legislature 
for  the  purpose  of  draining  the  lakes  and  ponds  in  the  "American 
Bottoms"  on  the  Mississippi  river.  In  June,  1839,  the  old  wind 
grist-mill  was  still  standing,  or  rather  leaning,  on  the  reservation 
tract;  the  old  bake-house  still  stood  near  the  mill.  There  never 
yet  had  been  held  in  Chicago  a  general  celebration  of  the  Fourth 
of  July;  in  1839  about  300  Sunday  school  children  marched 
through  the  streets  to  the  City  Saloon,  where  they  were  addressed 


144  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

by  Rev.  Mr.  Borien,  Rev.  Mr.  Hinton  and  William  B.  Ogden. 
This  was  the  extent  of  the  celebration.  In  July  business  was  very 
brisk,  though  money  was  scarce.  Two  large  three-story  brick 
buildings  were  going  up  on  Lake  street  and  Colonel  Reed  was 
erecting  a  large  forwarding  house  on  Fort  Dearborn  reservation. 
The  funeral  of  Rev.  Mr.  Borien,  Methodist,  in  August,  1839,  was 
the  largest  ever  here  up  to  that  date. 

"Chicago  has  been  appropriately  called  the  Venice  of  the  West. 
It  is  not  now  probably  as  much  deserving  that  title  as  in  the  early 
days  of  the  settlement,  when  it  was  reported  that  speculators  had 
to  examine  their  lots  in  boats.  But  still  the  bridge  at  the  lower 
part  of  the  city  is  nothing  but  a  bridge  of  sighs;  the  timbers  are 
all  removed  and  the  last  (we  hope)  two  hundred  dollars  paid  by 
the  city  for  removing  the  old  abutments  and  piles.  To  strangers 
and  the  great  portion  of  business  men  of  the  city  who  have  to  cross 
the  river,  there  is  nothing  but  a  bridge  of  sighs,  or  rather  sighs  for 
a  bridge.  The  question  of  a  bridge  or  no  bridge  has  been  variously 
decided  by  our  Common  Council  as  a  bridge  or  anti-bridge  major- 
ity happened  to  be  present.  It  has  been  the  bone  of  contention  for 
many  weeks  to  the  delay  of  other  business.  Receiver  Prescott 
seems  to  be  the  champion  of  the  anti-bridge  party.  The  present 
ferry  scow  is  a  miserable  thing — water-soaked  and  altogether  too 
small  and  slow  for  the  business  it  has  to  do.  How  are  the  citizens 
to  cross  the  river  when  the  ice  is  too  weak  for  the  foot  passengers 
and  too  strong  for  the  scow  ?  How  much  loss  of  property  and  loss 
of  life  will  it  require  to  convince  the  city  that  a  rope  scow  will  not 
answer?" — (American,  August  26,  1839.)  "The  Velocipede. — We 
omitted  yesterday  to  announce  the  important  intelligence  that  this 
well-known  craft  had  been  removed  from  State  to  Dearborn  street 
where  she  is  now  constantly  plying  across  the  river,  rope  and  other 
vessels  permitting.  The  crew  appears  to  be  increasing,  owing,  we 
presume,  to  the  eligibility  of  the  new  location." — (American,  Au- 
gust 29,  1839.)  "Chicago  will  be  an  exporting  city  this  year  and 
"astonish  the  natives."  The  way  the  wheat  from  our  fertile  prai- 
ries is  pouring  into  our  forwarding  houses  and  store-rooms  is  a 
caution  to  all  speculating  monopolists.  This  will  be  better  ballast 
for  vessels  bound  East,  than  sand,  gravel,  stones,  and  such  like 
commodities." — (American,  September  12,  1839.) 

"The  Velocipede  Outdone. — Owing  to  the  unseaworthiness  of 
this  celebrated  vessel,  its  commanders  for  the  last  week  or  two 
have  been  compelled  to  interdict  the  passage  of  carts,  teams  and 
beasts  of  burden  and  to  confine  her  accommodations  to  foot  pas- 
sengers. This  edict  has  resulted  much  to  the  injury  of  our  dray- 
men, who  form  a  numerous  and  respectable  portion  of  our  laborers 
and  of  teams  generally,  whereby  the  business  of  the  city  on  the 
north  side  of  the  river  has  been  considerably  embarrassed.  Where- 
fore these  evils  are  no  longer  tolerable  or  to  be  endured;  and 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  145 

therefore  an  opposition  craft,  newly  rigged  and  manned,  has  been 
this  day  started  at  the  old  moorings  at  the  foot  of  State  street  for 
the  passage  of  teams  and  the  general  convenience  of  the  city.  We 
have  examined  the  new  craft,  and  her  hull  and  rigging  seem  to  be 
sound  and  seaworthy.  Her  new  and  unbroken  planks  present  a 
clean  and  comfortable  appearance,  and  we  consider  the  Swiftsure 
a  decided  improvement  on  the  Velocipede.  The  vessel  we  under- 
stand is  principally  owned  and  started  by  G.  W.  Dole,  Esq.,  who  is 
always  in  such  matters  a  forwarding  man." — (American,  Septem- 
ber 16,  1839.) 

"The  Modern  Venice. — We  have  compared  Chicago  to  the  old 
city  of  Venice.  As  the  latter  was  to  the  Adriatic  so  is  Chicago  to 
Lake  Michigan.  During  the  embarrassments  arising  from  cross- 
ing our  river,  we  have  often  thought  that  if  we  could  not  have 
canals  ramifying  throughout  our  city  (which  could  be  built  at  a 
comparatively  small  expense),  we  could  at  least  have  gondolas 
beaked  with  shining  steel  a  la  mode  Venice,  so  that  each  one  could 
cross  or  travel  up  and  down  the  river  at  his  own  convenience.  But 
since  we  have  now  two  ferries,  the  necessity  for  such  improve- 
ments is  not  so  great." — (American,  September  22,  1839.) 

"The  Chicago  and  Galena  Railroad. — Every  day  convinces  us 
more  and  more  of  the  passing  importance  of  the  immediate  com- 
pletion of  this  work.  No  one  can  see  the  immense  number  of 
loaded  teams  dragging  their  slow  length  along  through  the  low 
the  wet  prairies  from  the  city  to  Berry's  Point  without  being  im- 
pressed with  the  necessity  of  this  railroad.  .  .  .  The  Chicago 
and  Galena  railroad,  or  at  least  that  portion  of  it  extending  as  far 
as  Rock  river,  should  be  built  without  delay.  We  understand  that 
it  is  to  be  again  commenced  and  finished  over  our  nine  mile  marsh 
next  summer." — (American,  October  19,  1839.)  "Wheat. — Win- 
ter wheat  of  first  quality  is  now  selling  at  Chicago  at  75  cents. 
First  rate  spring  wheat  at  SO  cents — but  little  bought.  Poor 
spring  wheat  not  wanted.  The  quantity  of  wheat  coming  in  from 
the  country  exceeds  all  expectations." — (American,  October  24, 
1839.) 

It  was  stated  ostentatiously  that  on  one  day  in  October,  1839. 
Gurdon  S.  Hubbard  bought  800  bushels  of  wheat  at  5  shillings  6 
pence  per  bushel.  In  1838  a  vessel  brought  from  Ohio  to  Chicago, 
in  part,  a  cargo  of  700  barrels  of  flour,  could  not  sell  the  same  and 
took  it  back ;  this  was  the  turn  of  the  tide  of  trade.  In  the  same 
year  (1839)  Giles  Williams  shipped  from  Chicago  the  first  cargo 
of  wheat.  On  October  8,  1839,  Newberry  &  Dole  shipped  1,678 
bushels  of  wheat  by  the  brig  "Osceola,"  Francis  P.  Billings,  mas- 
ter. Other  shipments  the  same  year  raised  the  total  to  3,000 
bushels.  After  that  the  advance  was  rapid.  But  the  older  packing 
trade  did  not  drop  off.  William  Lill  established  the  Chicago 
Brewery  in  1839.  His  company  was  incorporated  1865. 


146  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

The  steamboat  "Great  Western"  was  destroyed  by  fire  at  De- 
troit in  September,  1839.  At  this  time  the  leading  hotels  here 
were  as  follows :  United  States,  at  the  forks ;  Lake,  at  the  corner 
of  South  Water  street  and  Michigan  avenue;  Shakespeare,  on  the 
corner  opposite  the  Lake  house;  City,  at  the  corner  of  Clark  and 
Dearborn,  near  the  postoffice,  bank  and  stage  office;  Sauganash,  at 
the  corner  of  Lake  and  Wells.  The  latter  charged  $3  per  week 
for  day  board.  Think  of  it.  Immense  quantities  of  buffalo  robes 
were  offered  for  sale  by  the  merchants,  and  nearly  every  family 
had  one  or  more.  In  September  government  land  in  what  is  now 
Du  Page  county  was  sold  here  to  the  amount  of  $90,000.  The 
ferry  at  Dearborn  street  was  giving  good  service  in  1839.  On 
October  9,  the  American  enumerated  the  city  nuisances  categor- 
ically as  follows:  1.  Swine — streets  full  of  them.  2.  Cows  with 
bells — a  great  bore.  3.  Rowdies,  blacklegs  and  other  species  of 
loafer — drinking,  swearing,  fighting  and  blocking  the  sidewalk. 
Both  1838  and  1839  were  dry  and  hot,  according  to  the  American. 
There  were  many  protests  against  the  present  cemetery  in  1839, 
and  demands  for  a  new  and  better  one.  On  Sunday,  October  27, 
1839,  eighteen  buildings,  including  the  Tremont  house,  were 
burned  down  at  Lake  and  Dearborn  streets — about  half  a  square, 
valued  at  $60,000.  Late  in  October  the  Council  decided  to  build 
a  market  house  on  State  street  between  Lake  and  Randolph,  at  a 
cost  not  to  exceed  $850;  Joseph  Blanchard  was  the  builder.  The 
market  was  to  be  leased  to  one  man  who  was  permitted  to  sub- 
lease to  others.  The  first  steamboat  arrival  in  1838  was  the 
"Pennsylvania"  on  April  26;  first  in  1839,  "Columbus,"  on  April 
30;  first  in  1840,  "Chesapeake,"  on  April  11.  Every  spring  the 
cry  "A  boat  is  in !"  brought  everybody  to  the  river.  It  meant  new, 
fresh  goods,  the  opening  of  the  spring  commerce  of  the  lake,  and 
general  activity  and  prosperity. 


COOK    COUNTY    AND    CHICAGO 
1840-1850 

THE  City  Council  and  Mayor  of  Chicago  petitioned  Congress 
under  date  of  January  14,  1840,  for  an  appropriation  to  pro- 
tect the  shore  line  from  the  encroachments  of  Lake  Michigan. 
Land  accumulated  on  the  north  side  of  the  piers  but  was 
washed  away  on  the  south  side.  Help  was  asked  partly  on  the 
ground  that  the  city  was  poor,  with  small  taxable  property.  But 
they  did  not  ask  for  a  money  donation — only  for  the  donation  to  the 
city  of  that  portion  of  Fort  Dearborn  addition  to  Chicago  reserved 
for  lighthouse  and  other  purposes,  "at  the  late  sale  of  the  reservation 
made  by  Judge  Burchard  for  the  Secretary  of  War;"  except  what 
was  needed  by  the  Government.  This  petition  was  signed  by  B.  W. 
Raymond,  mayor,  and  by  the  following  aldermen :  First  ward,  J. 
A.  Smith,  O.  H.  Thompson ;  Second  ward,  Eli  S.  Prescott,  Clement 
Stone ;  Third  ward,  William  G.  Stowe,  Ira  Miltimore ;  Fourth  ward, 
John  Murphy ;  Fifth  ward,  John  E.  Wilson ;  Sixth  ward,  B.  S.  Mor- 
ris. At  this  time  also  Eli  S.  Prescott  wrote  to  Judge  M.  Burchard 
at  Washington,  urging  such  a  donation.  He  wrote :  "We  want  it 
(the  land  donation)  to  aid  us  in  erecting  a  barrier  against  the 
encroachments  of  Lake  Michigan  upon  our  town.  Unless  some- 
thing protective  is  immediately  done  a  large  part  of  Fort  Dear- 
born addition  will  soon  be  known  as  the  bottom  of  the  lake.  The 
fall  storms  have  made  the  most  tremendous  and  frightful  inroads 
upon  us." 

At  this  time  also  Walter  L.  Newberry  of  Chicago  addressed  a 
letter  to  Hon.  R.  M.  Young  of  the  United  States  Senate,  likewise 
urging  that  Congress  should  take  some  acton  to  protect  the  shore 
line  along  Lake  Michigan.  Unless  some  such  action  was  taken 
at  Chicago,  he  wrote,  "the  city  of  Chicago,  with  its  rapidly  increas- 
ing commerce,  of  which  the  whole  state  ought  to  be  justly  proud, 
will  be  destroyed.  The  piers  of  our  harbor  are  not  yet  sufficiently 
extended  into  the  lake  to  prevent  the  formation  of  bars  across  its 
mouth ;  such  a  bar  was  formed  last  winter  and  the  harbor  would 
have  been  blocked  up  had  the  bar  not  been  removed.  When  these 
piers  are  once  extended  as  far  as  was  originally  intended  this  diffi- 
culty will  be  obviated." 

"Memorial  of  a  Number  of  Citizens  of  Chicago,  Illinois,  Praying 
to  have  that  Place  Constituted  a  Port  of  Entry. 

"We,  the  undersigned  masters,  owners  and  citizens  of  Chicago, 
recommend  to  the  Honorable  Messrs.  King  and  Norvall,  and 

147 


148  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

others,  committee  on  commerce  of  the  United  States  Senate,  that 
this  should  be  made  a  port  of  entry,  in  consequence  of  the  great 
delay  and  expense  arising  to  captains  and  masters  of  vessels  in 
going  from  here  to  Detroit  to  procure  their  licenses,  as  the  com- 
merce of  this  place  demands  it  to  be  made  a  port  of  entry,  and 
further  pray  not: 

Henry  Clark.  M.   Stocking,  Sch'r  "Jefferson." 

N.  H.  Bolles.  H.  L.  Rucker. 

Stephen  M.  Salisbury.  L.  C.  Kercheval,  deputy  collector 

Jas.  M.  Smith.  and  inspector. 

Samuel  J.  Lowe,  marshal  of  Chi-  Almond  Walker. 

cago.  E.  G.  Ryan. 

George  Davis.  Augustus     Todd,     Sch'r     "J.     G. 
H.  H.  Wolcott.  King." 

Augustus   S.   Bates.  L.  L.  Bristol,  Sch'r  "Allegany." 

Thomas  W.  Smith,  judge  Supreme  William  Doyle,  Sch'r  "Rochester." 

Court.  R.  B.  Beattie. 

Isaac  N.  Arnold.  Wm.  Kyle,  Sch'r  "Oliver." 

E.  N.  Churchill,  V.  Ballingall. 

N.  W.  Brooks,  Sch'r  "Cambria."  Thos.  Wolfinger. 
W.  Dickson,  Ship  "Milwaukee." 

April  6,  1840." 

People  were  very  impatient  for  the  opening  of  the  new  Clark 
street  bridge.  .  "Clark  Street  Bridge. — The  erection  of  this  bridge 
has  commenced  today  by  the  driving  of  piles.  We  believe  that 
all  opposition  of  any  consequence  to  this  location  has  been  subsided 
and  the  citizens  are  now  in  a  fair  way  to  have  a  good  and  con- 
venient bridge  across  the  main  river." — (American,  April  18, 
1840.) 

The  American  of  May  9,  1840,  said:  "The  'Illinois'  made  her 
passage  from  Buffalo  to  Chicago  during  inclement  weather  in  the 
remarkably  quick  time  of  less  than  five  days."  William  Stuart, 
editor  of  the  American,  was  fined  $100  for  contempt  of  court  by 
Judge  Pearson  in  May,  1840.  John  Wentworth  was  also  cited  to 
answer  to  the  charge  of  contempt.  Both  editors  had  commented 
with  too  much  freedom  in  regard  to  the  John  Stone  murder  case. 
Stuart  charged  that  Wentworth,  one  of  the  jurors,  wrote  articles 
for  his  paper  concerning  that  case  while  serving  as  juror. 

It  was  said  of  the  new  ferry  running  at  State  street  that  "it  is 
a  decided  improvement  on  the  old  Swiftsure  line."  Greatly  to 
the  damage  of  the  harbor  here  and  to  the  regret  of  all  the 
people,  "Congress  in  1840  failed  to  pass  an  appropriation  for 
continuing  the  work  on  the  piers.  In  1840  a  gentleman  went  from 
Chicago  to  New  York  in  six  days.  He  took  the  steamboat  to 
Buffalo,  thence  went  by  railway  and  steamboat  to  Lewistown  and 
Syracuse;  thence  by  railway  to  Albany:  and  thence  by  steamboat 
to  New  York.  "This  is  indeed  rapid  traveling,  and  is  a  remarkable 
commentary  on  the  past  and  on  the  still  greater  improvements  of 
the  future.  Six  days  from  Chicago  to  New  York!  Only  think  of 
it!" — (American,  August  14,  1840.) 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  149 

In  1840  the  sand-ridge  road  (wherever  it  may  have  been)  was 
being  built.  There  was  a  tri-weekly  stage  line  from  Chicago  to 
Dixon's  ferry — fare  $6.  In  August  the  American  called  for  but- 
ter, eggs,  flour,  wood  and  produce  on  subscription.  It  said : 
"Four  splendid  brick  fire-proof  stores  have  been  erected  on  the  site 
of  the  old  Tremont  house  on  Lake  street.  .  .  .  It  is  creditable 
to  the  enterprise  of  Chicago  to  find  the  whole  burnt  district  built 
up  and  occupied  by  our  merchants.  We  wish  them  all  success." 
General  Thornton  negotiated  the  canal  loan  in  the  East  at  85  cents 
on  the  dollar.  On  September  29,  much  to  the  regret  and  indigna- 
tion of  all  Chicago,  the  implements  for  improving  the  harbor  were 
sold  at  public  auction.  The  sale  resulted  as  follows :  1  pile  driver, 
$45;  1  hammer,  $4;  1  nippers,  $8.50;  1  deck  scow,  $47.50;  1 
deck  scow,  $22.50;  1  crane  scow,  $15;  1  crane  scow,  $18.50.  The 
pile-driver  alone  had  originally  cost  about  $700. 

"Ordered,  That  the  prayer  of  the  petition  of  J.  Y.  Scammon  and 
others,  a  committee  appointed  by  the  citizens  of  Chicago  to  pro- 
cure subscriptions  for  the  purpose  of  raising  a  fund  to  protect  the 
public  grounds  in  the  Fort  Dearborn  addition  to  Chicago,  and  also 
to  petition  the  Common  Council  to  issue  certificates  of  stock  to  the 
amount  subscribed  to  the  persons  so  subscribing,  payable  in  five 
years,  be  granted." 

The  Commercial  Advertiser,  a  Whig  journal,  had  ceased  to  be 
issued  before  the  summer  of  1840.  There  was  a  military  band 
here  in  1840;  also  a  military  company  called  the  Chicago  Guards. 
A  national  bankrupt  law  was  demanded  by  the  newspapers.  A 
motion  to  repeal  all  laws  for  the  completion  of  the  canal  was  made 
in  the  Legislature  in  December,  1840.  In  a  big  fire  about  this 
time  at  Lake  and  La  Salle  streets  the  stock  on  hand  of  "Scammon's 
Reports"  was  burned. 

"A  vast  quantity  of  pork  was  brought  to  our  market  last  week 
by  our  enterprising  Hoosiers  and  Suckers,  and  of  superior  quality. 
About  one  hundred  tons  have  been  sold  here  and  exchanged  for 
articles  of  merchandise  at  prices  ranging  from  2l/2  to  3T/2  cents." — 
(American,  December  29,  1840.)  Concerning  a  small  fire,  the 
American  of  February  9,  1841,  said:  "The  prompt  exertions  of 
engine  and  hook  and  ladder  company  No.  1  were  worthy  of  all 
praise.  They  were  at  the  scene  of  destruction  at  the  first  alarm 
and  were  unusually  efficient.  The  new  institution  of  the  Fire 
Guards  also  rendered  well-timed  and  valuable  aid  and  evinced  the 
importance  and  need  of  that  public  spirited  corps  of  young  men." 

The  act  of  March  1,  1841,  repealed  portions  of  the  act  of  March 
4,  1837,  concerning  the  incorporation  of  Chicago.  It  was  provided 
that  every  person  voting  for  mayor,  aldermen,  assessors  and  other 
officers  should  be  actual  residents  of  the  wards  where  they  voted, 
but  need  not  necessarily  be  freeholders.  All  sales  of  real  estate  for 
taxes  or  assessment  were  transferred  from  the  city  attorney  to  the 


150  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

city  collector.  A  city  marshal  was  to  be  elected  annually.  One 
assessor  instead  of  several  was  provided  for.  The  City  Council 
were  empowered  to  inflict  penalties  for  non-compliance  with  ordi- 
nances relative  to  regulating,  restraining  or  licensing  the  sale  of 
liquors. 

In  1841  the  warehouses  had  only  a  mule  lift  on  the  roofs;  in 
1851  the  first  steam  elevator  was  built.  Under  the  act  of  February 
27,  1841,  all  persons  who  had  purchased  canal  lots  in  Chicago  in 
1836  were  relieved — were  permitted  to  pay  for  such  portions  as 
they  desired  and  could  relinquish  the  balance. 

"Sport!  Sport! — A  company  of  hunters  in  pursuance  of  a  proc- 
lamation duly  made  out  went  out  yesterday  with  pistols,  etc.,  and 
after  a  hunt  of  six  hours  returned  with  six  deer  and  four  wolves. 
This  noble  success  cannot  be  doubted  when  we  state  that  our  active 
officer,  Hunt-oon  was  one  of  the  party.  Where  is  our  share  of  the 
bounty?  We  will  take  a  piece  of  the  venison  in  lieu  of  a  wolf's 
scalp." — (American,  February  3,  1841.) 

"Last  year  when  the  Whigs  had  the  power  in  the  Common  Coun- 
cil, the  actual  expenses  of  the  city  were  $6,582.80,  and  at  the  end 
of  this  year  the  excess  of  receipts  over  actual  expenses  was 
$2,076.20.  This  year  under  the  'reform'  administration  of  the 
Locofocos,  who  promised  to  conduct  the  affairs  of  the  city  so 
economically,  what  are  their  expenses?  $7,494.44 — about  a  thou- 
sand more  than  last  year  under  the  extravagant  administration  of 
the  Whigs.  The  same  old  debts  remain,  and  new  liabilities  have 
been  created  until  the  city  is  almost  hopelessly  insolvent." — (Amer- 
ican, February  26,  1841.) 

"To  those  who  love  proportion  there  must  be  a  great  symmetry 
between  our  state,  county  and  city  governments.  All  are  embar- 
rassed and  the  paper  of  all  is  at  a  discount.  The  city  and  county 
are  constantly  talking  about  retrenchment  and  reform,  but  still 
contrive  to  keep  up,  if  not  increase,  all  their  former  embarrass- 
ments and  flood  the  community  with  their  orders,  which  are  merely 
bought  up  and  used  at  a  large  discount  when  any  one  is  compelled 
to  pay  a  city  or  a  county  debt.  The  system  of  issuing  orders  40  or 
50  per  cent  under  par  for  the  expenditures  of  the  city  appears  to  us 
to  be  a  ruinous  policy.  Laborers  and  others  will  not  work  at  the 
usual  rates  for  a  corporation  that  will  pay  them  but  50  cents  on  a 
dollar,  as  they  will  for  an  individual  who  pays  them  promptly  in 
current  funds.  They  cannot  afford  to  do  so,  neither  does  justice 
nor  the  custom  of  the  trader  require  it.  It  is  therefore  now  pretty 
generally  understood  that  the  city  and  county  have  to  pay  the  dis- 
count on  all  the  expenditures  to  which  they  are  subjected — for  the 
price  will  be  and  should  be  as  the  pay.  The  work  which  in  these 
times  would  cost  them  $1  in  prompt  cash  funds  now  costs  them 
$1.40  or  $1.50.  Would  it  not  be  better  to  borrow  money  at  the 
highest  legal  rates  of  interest  (if  it  could  not  be  procured  for  less) 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  151 

for  the  purpose  of  keeping  the  orders  at  par  and  protecting  their 
credit  from  dishonor?  By  the  recent  act  of  the  Legislature  amend- 
ing our  city  charter,  it  will  be  seen  that  power  is  given  to  the 
County  Commissioners  to  borrow  money  for  the  county  at  a  rate 
of  interest  not  exceeding  8  per  cent.  The  county  may  be  able  "to 
call  spirits  from  the  vasty  deep,"  but  the  question  is  whether  they 
will  come  at  its  bidding.  The  attempt  to  borrow  money  at  that 
rate  should  at  least  be  tried — however  dark  may  be  the  prospect  of 
success." — (Chicago  American,  April  7,  1841.) 

In  June,  1841,  the  Chicago  Hydraulic  Company  elected  B.  S. 
Morris  president,  B.  W.  Raymond,  E.  S.  Prescott,  S.  L.  Sherwood 
and  E.  S.  Wadsworth,  directors  for  the  ensuing  year.  The  Amer- 
ican of  June  8  said :  "The  works  are  now  in  a  very  forward  state, 
a  powerful  and  excellent  engine  is  ready  for  operation,  and  it  is 
supposed  that  the  company  will  be  able  to  supply  the  business  parts 
of  the  city  with  good  pure  lake  water  by  September  next." 

"What  are  the  prominent  facts  in  relation  to  the  present  Clark 
street  bridge?  After  it  was  found  that  public  opinion  was  averse 
to  the  existence  of  a  bridge  as  low  down  as  Dearborn  street,  and 
that  ferries  were  found  both  inconvenient  and  expensive,  less  than 
one  year  since,  a  bridge  was  built  on  Clark  street  upon  a  plan  which 
obviates  all  objections  on  the  score  of  interrupting  navigation.  The 
funds  to  build  the  bridge  were  raised  by  persons  interested  in  hav- 
ing a  bridge  on  Clark  street,  by  subscribing  to  a  city  7  per  cent  stock 
at  par.  This  stock  if  thrown  on  the  market  would  not  have  sold 
for  more  than  50  or  60  cents  on  the  dollar,  and,  of  course,  more 
than  one-third  of  such  person's  subscriptions  was  a  donation.  Can 
it  be  supposed  that  those  persons  would  have  made  this  donation 
to  build  a  bridge  that  was  to  be  removed  in  less  than  a  year? 
And  is  it  not  a  palpable  breach  of  faith  in  this  city  to  accept  those 
donations  and  then  to  take  away  the  benefits  they  were  made  to 
secure?  The  question  of  the  location  of  bridges  in  our  city  has 
always  been  an  embarrassing  one  and  productive  of  much  ill  feeling 
in  different  sections  of  the  city." — (American,  May  1,  1841.)  This 
article  was  written  when  the  City  Council  was  considering  relocating 
the  bridge  on  the  main  river. 

"Our  city  is  becoming  justly  famous  for  her  excellent  beef  and 
pork.  The  specimens  exposed  in  our  stalls  and  houses  stick  out 
with  fatness."—  (American,  May  12,  1841.) 

There  were  about  a  dozen  fires  in  the  fall  and  winter  of  1840-41. 
John  Wentworth  was  commissioned  colonel  in  the  militia  about 
this  time.  The  fire  officers  in  1840  were  A.  S.  Sherman,  chief 
engineer:  S.  B.  Collins,  first  assistant;  S.  E.  Gale,  second  assistant. 
"This  magnificent  steamer,  the  'Great  Western,'  the  largest  on  our 
waters,  again  arrived  at  our  harbor  yesterday,  and  rode  smoothly 
over  the  bar  to  her  landing  at  Smith  and  Webster's.  The  appear- 
ance of  such  a  boat  so  far  up  South  Water  street  was  cheerful  in- 


152  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

deed,  and  shows  that  our  noble  little  river  is  yet  destined  to  be 
gummed  from  point  to  point  and  shore  to  shore  with  the  floating 
palaces  of  the  immortal  Fulton.  Captain  Walker  is  commanding." 
— (American,  May  12,  1841.)  In  March,  1841,  the  Common 
Council  petitioned  Governor  Carlin  to  call  an  extra  session  of  the 
Legislature  to  consider  the  canal  question.  The  road  to  Perry's 
Point  was  in  progress  of  construction  in  April,  1841.  Countless 
millions  of  wild  pigeons  darkened  the  sky  in  April.  At  a  large 
temperance  meeting  held  here  April,  1841,  on  hundred  and  forty 
new  converts  signed  the  pledge  under  the  vivid  and  brilliant  ad- 
dress of  Judge  Robbins  of  Springfield.  The  New  York  Tribune, 
Horace  Greeley,  editor,  began  to  come  here  in  the  spring  of  1841. 
The  first  boat  of  the  season,  "Great  Western,"  arrived  here  April 
26,  1841.  Judge  Smith  opened  court  under  the  new  judiciary  act 
in  April. 

"Business  of  Chicago. — Never  have  we  seen  more  gratifying 
spectacles  than  those  which  our  streets  have  of  late  presented  from 
the  wheat  trade.  So  much  have  we  to  cheer  us — the  gloom  which 
hung  over  our  city  has  to  so  great  an  extent  been  removed  that  we 
can  scarcely  pass  through  its  business  portions  without  a  thrill  of 
delight.  Boxes,  barrels,  stoves,  crates,  ploughs  and  almost  every- 
conceivable  species  of  merchandise,  line  our  sidewalks.  All  sorts 
of  vehicles,  from  the  lightest  buggy  driven  by  the  spruce  cit  in  tight 
pants,  to  the  heavy  wagon  of  the  Hoosier,  the  body  of  which  more 
nearly  resembles  a  whaleboat  than  anything  else  we  can  liken  it 
to,  choke  up  the  streets.  Then  the  stores  are  thronged  with  cus- 
tomers, the  hotels  with  travelers,  and  the  walks  with  persons  pass- 
ing to  and  fro,  while  the  enlivening  'yo  heave  ho'  of  the  sailors 
resounds  from  the  brigs,  steamboats  and  other  vessels  at  our 
wharves.  Some  idea  may  be  formed  of  what  we  are  doing  from 
the  fact  that  we  have  not  vessels  enough  to  take  away  our  wheat. 
Chicago  is  itself.  The  tide  of  prosperity  is  again  setting  in,  and 
every  man  among  us  of  ordinary  prudence  and  industry,  will  soon 
cease  to  complain.  We  have  seen  nothing  in  our  city  for  years  like 
the  animated  spectacle  of  South  Water  street  during  Saturday  of 
last  week." — (American,  September  1,  1841.)  "Ship  ahoy! — Ves- 
sels wanted. — We  are  without  vessels  to  carry  our  wheat  and  other 
produce  to  Buffalo.  Team  after  team  has  been  pouring  in — our 
streets  are  fairly  blocked  up — our  warehouses  are  filled  to  their 
utmost  capacity — we  are  one  immense  granary.  There  has  never 
been  so  much  business  doing  in  Chicago  as  at  the  present  moment." 
— American,  September  2,  1841.) 

"What  a  source  of  business  and  of  wealth  will  the  lakes  not 
become  when  their  broad  bosoms  shall  be  whitened  by  myriads  of 
sails  and  Chicago — proud  and  flourishing  Chicago — shall  number 
a  population  of  some  40,000.  That  we  shall  reach  this  number 
there  can  be  no  possible  question." — -(American,  September  7, 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  153 

1841.)  "Balance  of  Trade. — It  was  scarcely  but  yesterday  that  we 
imported  nearly  every  necessary  of  life  into  the  northern  part  of 
this  state.  Not  only  did  we  get  our  dry  goods  and  groceries  from 
the  East,  but  also  our  flour,  our  beef  and  our  pork.  In  1837  flour 
readily  brought  $13  per  barrel  in  Chicago.  The  consequence  was 
that  we  were  always  exposed  to  a  ruinous  rate  of  exchange.  .  .  . 
Now,  however,  our  tide  is  about  to  change.  Our  own  products 
and  our  own  vessels  are  daily  leaving  port  for  the  East.  Grain  of  all 
kinds  is  coming  into  our  city  in  such  quantities  that  we  absolutely 
have  not  vessels  enough  to  carry  it  away — the  streets  are  choked 
with  it.  Clouds  of  dust  on  every  avenue  by  which  the  city  can 
be  approached,  and  extending  as  far  as  the  eye  can  reach,  announce 
the  advent  of  our  industrious  yeomanry,  with  trains  of  wagons 
overflowing  with  grain  and  often  fifteen  or  sixteen  in  number." — 
(American,  September  8,  1841.) 

Camps  of  wheat  wagons  were  to  be  seen  all  over  the  city.  Nearly 
all  the  wagons  had  white  covers.  The  men  did  their  own  cooking 
over  camp  fires  and  slept  in  their  wagons.  It  was  said  that  the 
suburbs  was  "one  great  encampment."  "This  absolutely  makes  Chi- 
cago the  market  at  this  very  time  of  about  one-half  of  the  state  of 
Illinois,  a  large  portion  of  Indiana  and  a  very  considerable  part 
of  Wisconsin,"  said  the  American.  "Our  merchants  took  in  more 
cash  during  the  last  four  days  of  the  past  week  than  they  have 
done  before  in  the  same  period.  This  fact  and  the  number  of  build- 
ings now  being  erected  show  that  Chicago  is  marching  onward 
with  giant  strides.  Our  prosperity  cannot  again  be  checked." — 
(American,  September  13,  1841.) 

The  stoppage  of  work  on  the  canal  in  1841  and  the  consequent 
discharge  of  hundreds  of  employes  brought  hard  times  upon  this 
community;  many  were  given  work  on  buildings  going  up  in  the 
city.  The  time  between  Galena  and  Chicago  was  cut  down  one 
day  by  Frink,  Walker  &  Co.'s  mail  and  passenger  line  in  June, 
1841— fare  $10.  In  1841  the  "Great  Western"  had  its  own  band 
aboard — probably  the  first  vessel  on  the  lakes  to  practice  this  inno- 
vation ;  it  carried  excursion  parties  to  Michigan  City.  The  "Chesa- 
peake" also  took  excursion  parties  across  to  St.  Joseph  and  had 
music  and  dancing — remained  away  over  night.  The  splendid 
new  Tremont  house  at  Lake  and  Dearborn  streets  was  opened  ready 
for  business  on  May  27,  1841.  On  August  1,  1841,  William  Stu- 
art severed  his  connection  with  the  Chicago  American  and  Harmon 
and  Loomis  succeeded  to  its  management.  Mr.  Stuart  had  been 
appointed  postmaster. 

"Chicago. — Notwithstanding  the  stoppage  of  the  canal  and  the 
pressure  of  times,  Chicago  is  steadily  increasing  in  wealth  and 
in  population.  Our  streets  are  extending,  new  ones  are  being  made, 
and  bluildings  are  erecting,  all  things  considered  to  a  surprising 
extent.  The  reservation  will  soon  be  covered  with  fine  houses  and 


154  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

our  blocks  will  be  full  and  compact.  Speculation  has  received  its 
deathblow,  but  still  never  did  a  city  afford  better  opportunities  for 
judicious  investments  than  does  Chicago  at  this  very  moment. 
With  or  without  the  canal  we  are  destined  to  be  a  large  city,  but 
this  will  be  finished  comparatively  soon.  Our  stores  are  thronged 
with  customers  and  our  streets  present  a  busy  spectacle.  Team 
after  team  whips  in  with  the  golden  wheat  and  sells  to  ready  and 
eager  customers.  We  have  spirit,  enterprise,  great  natural  advan- 
tages and  resources;  we  want  capital  only." — (American,  August 
13,  1841.) 

"Shipments  by  the  Lakes. — Our  citizens  generally  were  struck 
with  Saturday's  indications  of  a  comparatively  new  branch  of 
trade.  The  steamer  'Missouri'  on  that  day  discharged  large  quan- 
tities of  merchandise  destined  for  different  points  at  considerable 
distance  from  Chicago  to  the  South,  West  and  Northwest.  Box 
after  box,  bale  after  bale,  crates,  barrels,  etc.,  were  tumbled  on  the 
wharf  from  this  boat,  marked  Springfield,  Potosi,  etc.  The  latter 
place,  we  believe,  is  on  the  upper  Mississippi.  The  Galena  mer- 
chants and  others  in  that  section  of  country  directed  their  attention 
to  this  matter  sometime  since  with  great  advantage  to  themselves, 
no  doubt,  for  merchandise  landed  in  our  city  directed  to  that  quarter 
is  exceedingly  common.  Western  men  are  getting  their  eyes  open 
to  the  importance  of  the  Western  route.  The  advantages  attend- 
ing transportation  by  way  of  Chicago  are  so  manifest  that  it  is 
almost  unnecessary  to  enumerate  them.  It  is  well  known  that 
teams  leave  our  city  every  few  days  loaded  with  goods  for  Indiana. 
If  the  merchants  of  Western  Indiana  prefer  this  route  it  is  ob- 
viously the  best  for  those  who  have  stores  in  the  west  and  south." 
— (American,  October,  1841.) 

"Notwithstanding  the  decline  in  the  price  of  wheat,  our  business 
continues  to  be  of  the  most  cheering  nature.  Our  merchants  sell  al- 
most entirely  for  cash  and  at  fair  profits.  Business  was  never  upon 
so  good  a  footing  in  this  place  as  it  has  been  for  two  or  three  months 
past.  It  has  been  insinuated  that  much  of  the  trade  of  Chicago 
during  the  past  season  has  been  mere  speculation.  Equally  such 
then  has  been  the  business  of  Buffalo  or  Boston  or  any  other  city 
of  the  Union.  We  venture  to  say  that  a  thousand  dollars  would 
cover  all  the  losses  sustained  by  our  citizens  during  the  past  season. 
It  is  difficult  to  conceive  of  any  operations -partaking  so  little  of 
the  nature  of  mere  speculation  as  our  own.  Substantial  bags  of 
wheat  are  hoisted  into  our  storehouses  or  placed  in  the  holds  of 
our  vessels,  and  good  money  is  received  in  return.  If  this  be  specu- 
lation it  is  such  as  the  shade  of  the  great  economist,  Benjamin 
Franklin,  itself  would  indubitably  approve.  It  is  perhaps  sufficient 
to  say  that  merchants  from  different  sections  of  the  country  are  con- 
stantly moving  into  and  establishing  themselves  in  our  city." — 
(American,  October  23,  1841.) 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  155 

Perpetual  motion  was  claimed  to  be  invented  here  in  1841  by 
Jonathan  Bolthead;  he  showed  his  machine  and  it  seemed  to  do 
what  was  claimed.  On  August  16,  2,503  bushels  of  wheat  were 
received  at  Chicago  storehouses.  As  a  matter  of  fact  the  wheat 
trade  of  1841  revived  Chicago  from  the  lethargy  and  despondency 
suffered  at  that  time.  In  August  the  average  price  paid  was  about 
87^2  cents.  On  August  30,  the  price  jumped  to  $1.  Teams  poured 
in  from  200  miles  distance.  They  came  in  groups  in  order  to  assist 
one  another  through  mud  holes.  Sometimes  over  a  score  stood  in 
line  waiting  their  turns  to  unload.  On  September  3  the  price  was 
$1.03.  Herds  of  cattle  began  to  appear  here  in  September  for  the 
slaughter.  At  this  time  the  roads  were  excellent.  On  September 
8  wheat  fell  to  95  cents.  Work  on  the  harbor  had  been  suspended 
so  long  that  a  sand  bar  began  to  form  across  the  entrance  and  ves- 
sels found  it  difficult  to  pass.  On  September  11  wheat  jumped  to 
$1.10  and  11,000  bushels  were  bought  at  an  average  price  of  $1.05. 
The  American  said :  "On  the  whole  it  was  a  week  of  unusual  ex- 
citement." The  Clark  street  bridge  was  a  godsend  at  this  time; 
a  constant  stream  of  vehicles  and  pedestrians  poured  across  it  all 
day  and  far  into  the  night;  131  vehicles  crossed  in  one  hour  by 
count.  On  September  24,  upon  the  arrival  of  the  "Great  Western" 
from  Buffalo  with  news  of  a  big  drop  in  prices  wheat  fell  from  92 
cents  to  75  cents,  but  recovered  to  85  cents.  "Our  harbor  is  now  a 
forest  of  masts — we  counted  yesterday  forty  vessels  lying  at  our 
wharves;  of  this  number  two  were  steamboats,  four  brigs,  twenty- 
nine  schooners  and  five  sloops." — (American,  October  4,  1841.) 

It  was  learned  that  Billy  Caldwell,  the  Indian  chief  who  cut  an 
important  figure  here  before  1835,  died  at  Council  Bluffs  on  Sep- 
tember 28,  1841.  He  was  called  Sauganash,  which  was  the  Pot- 
tawatomie  term  for  whitemen.  On  October  23,  wheat  was  62^4 
to  65  cents.  The  Hydraulic  Company  offered  to  furnish  the  city 
with  water  if  the  latter  would  remit  their  water  tax;  the  offer  was 
considered. 

"Chicago  Fire  Guard. — This  is  a  corps  which  should  receive 
every  encouragement  from  the  city  authorities  and  all  possible  aid 
from  our  citizens.  It  is  a  most  praiseworthy  institution.  Those 
gentlemen  who  were  instrumental  in  its  establishment  are  entitled 
to  the  thanks  of  the  community.  We  fearlessly  hazard  the  asser- 
tion that  in  a  place  that  has  but  few  engines,  a  body  of  this  char- 
acter is  quite  as  useful  as  firemen  themselves." — (American,  No- 
vember 20,  1841.)  "Our  Harbor. — As  the  session  of  Congress  ap- 
proaches it  behooves  us  to  take  some  steps  with  regard  to  an 
appropriation  for  our  harbor.  If  none  be  needed  at  present  for  the 
extension  of  the  piers,  it  is  absolutely  necessary  that  some  provision 
be  made  for  dredging  the  bar,  which  is  already  a  formidable  ob- 
struction and  may  become  by  another  season  a  serious  impediment  to 
our  commerce." — (American,  November  26,  1841.)  "That  noble 


156  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

avenue — Lake  street — with  South  Water  street  and  the  cross  streets, 
are  thronged  continually  with  sleighs  and  sleds  loaded  with  pork 
and  thronged  to  such  a  degree  that  a  stranger  might  well  suppose 
we  were  holding  a  fair.  We  do  not  embellish  when  we  say  that 
some  of  our  streets  are  so  crowded  with  teams  that  it  is  difficult 
to  pass  through  them.  On  these  streets,  as  far  as  the  eye  can  reach, 
is  a  dense  mass  of  teams,  men  and  pork.  The  wheat  business  did 
much  for  us,  but  the  pork  will  certainly  enable  us  to  save  our  bacon, 
we  are  literally  going  the  whole  hog." — (American,  December  31, 
1841.) 

In  November,  1841,  the  Council  bought  the  hydrant  already  in 
use  and  ordered  the  purchase  of  five  more.  The  city  at  this  time 
contracted  with  the  Hydraulic  Company  for  water  to  be  supplied 
through  hydrants  in  case  of  fire.  The  temperance  question  was  an 
important  one  here  in  1841 ;  it  was  one  of  the  great  waves  of  reform 
that  swept  the  country  in  early  years.  Lecturers  thundered  from 
rostrum  and  pulpit;  societies  were  formed,  and  hundreds  signed 
the  pledge.  In  January,  1842,  the  Washingtonians  took  possession 
of  the  city ;  the  Washington  Temperance  Society,  the  Chicago  Tem- 
perance Society  and  the  Juvenile  Temperance  Society  were  formed. 
Alcohol  was  tried  for  murder  in  the  Methodist  Church  and  con- 
victed; prosecutors — Goodrich,  Manierre,  Hamilton,  Strode,  H. 
Brown  and  Ogden;  defense — Freer,  Huntington,  Collins,  Butter- 
field,  Phelps  and  W.  H.  Brown.  Notwithstanding  the  large  num- 
bers of  hogs  received  here  in  November,  buyers  advertised  for 
more,  and  also  for  corn.  Preemption  claimants  above  the  northern 
Indian  boundary  line  were  permitted  to  come  forward  in  January, 
1842,  and  prove  their  claims.  The  newspapers  sharply  criticised 
the  condition  of  the  city  cemetery,  saying  it  was  situated  on  the 
"sandy  and  bleak  lake  shore,"  was  neither  fenced  nor  improved  and 
had  no  trees  nor  shrubbery.  The  citizens  held  a  meeting  to  devise 
measures  for  the  improvement  of  the  cemetery.  Gale's  book  store 
was  an  early  landmark. 

The  fire  department  at  this  time  had  engine  No.  1 ;  engine  No. 
2;  hook  and  ladder  squad;  bag  and  basket  squad,  and  the  bucket 
squad  No.  1.  The  city  receipts  for  the  year  1841  were  $9,367.63, 
and  actual  expenses  $4,842.89.  The  South  branch  bridge  cost 
$362.84;  the  Clark  street  bridge,  $667.11;  the  State  street  ferry, 
$28,  and  the  fire  department,  $177.63.  The  total  city  liabilities 
were  $12,233.40,  and  the  resources,  $5,323.39.  The  'Mechanic's 
Institute,  organized  February  17,  1842,  made  annual  exhibits  for 
many  years  and  did  much  for  the  arts  and  trades.  Charles  M. 
Gray  was  president,  David  M.  Bradley,  secretary,  and  S.  J.  Sher- 
wood, treasurer.  The  first  vessel  arrival  in  1842  was  the  schooner 
"Drift,"  from  the  Calumet,  on  March  7.  The  Council  in  March, 
1842,  recommended  that  the  school  inspectors  select  four  lots  to 
be  set  aside  until  school  houses  could  be  built  upon  them.  G.  A.  O. 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  159 

Beaumont  was  first  commissioner  for  Cook  county  under  the  new 
general  bankrupt  law.  The  big  wheat  trade  of  1841  forced  buyers 
here  to  build  large  warehouses  during  the  winter  of  1841-42.  H. 
Norton  erected  one  on  the  reservation  100  by  40  feet,  and  four 
stories  high  on  the  river  front  and  three  on  the  rear;  this  was 
regarded  as  a  large  structure.  The  American  thus  spoke  of  it: 

"It  is  seen  to  great  advantage  from  its  commanding  position  and 
is  truly  a  splendid  building,  being  one  of  the  very  best  upon  the 
lakes,  and  constructed  in  the  most  substantial  manner.  The  work 
in  this  warehouse  will  be  performed  by  horses.  The  wheat,  instead 
of  being  shipped  from  it  by  the  usual  slow  and  tardy  process,  will, 
after  being  raised  to  the  upper  story  by  means  of  elevators  not 
unlike  the  revolving  buckets  of  the  dredging  machines,  glide  thence 
into  the  hold  of  the  vessel  in  double-quick  time." — (American, 
March  18,  1842.) 

In  his  inaugural  address  B.  F.  Raymond,  mayor,  said  that  "dur- 
ing the  past  years  the  receipts  had  exceeded  the  expenditures  by 
about  $3,000;  that  the  actual  liabilities  during  the  year  of  the  city 
were  $12,233 ;  that  owing  to  the  hard  financial  times  rigid  economy 
must  be  exercised ;  that  the  amount  of  city  orders  then  in  circula- 
tion did  not  exceed  the  amount  of  resources  in  the  treasury ;  that 
it  was  not  advisable  to  consider  changing  the  Clark  street  bridge 
to  Dearborn  street;  that  inquiry  should  be  made  as  to  the  wisdom 
of  forming  another  hook  and  ladder  company,  as  there  was  then 
but  one,  with  two  engine  companies ;  that  the  Hydraulic  Company 
would  be  ready  in  May  or  June  to  supply  water  in  case  of  fires; 
that  the  desecration  of  the  Sabbath  should  be  discontinued ;  that 
upwards  of  four  hundred  scholars  had  received  instruction  at  the 
free  public  schools;  that  while  there  was  on  hand  $2,500  of  the 
school  fund,  yet  the  interest  would  probably  not  be  sufficient  to 
meet  the  expenses  of  the  coming  year  and  a  small  tax  might  be 
necessary;  that  the  greatest  want  then  was  "convenient  and  com- 
fortable schoolhouses ;"  that  the  citizens  were  to  be  congratulated 
"upon  the  decided  and  marked  improvement  in  the  morals  and 
peace  of  the  city  within  the  past  two  months,  and  that  this  improve- 
ment you  will  all  recognize  and  acknowledge  at  once  as  produced 
by  the  Washingtonian  Temperance  Society." 

The  farm  known  as  Cottage  Grove  situated  three  and  a  half 
miles  south  of  Chicago  was  advertised  for  lease  in  March,  1842. 
At  this  time  there  were  about  100,000  bushels  of  wheat  in  the 
warehouses.  The  city  water  rates  in  March,  1842,  were  as  fol- 
lows: Family  of  five  persons  per  year,  $10;  office,  store  or  shop, 
$6 ;  family  of  six  to  nine,  $12 ;  family  of  ten  to  sixteen,  $18 ;  tavern, 
hotel  or  public  house,  $50  to  $200;  livery  stable,  $40  to  $100; 
public  baths,  $50  to  $150.  The  water  was  to  be  conveyed  from 
the  main  pipes  to  the  residences.  The  steamer  "Chesapeake"  ar- 
rived from  the  lower  lakes  on  March  27,  1842 — the  earliest  arrival 

Vol.  I— 10. 


160  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

thus  far.  It  was  advertised  that  a  daily  and  weekly  paper,  to  be 
called  the  Quid  Nunc,  would  be  started  here  at  this  time  by  William 
Ellis,  Robert  Fergus  and  David  D.  Griswold.  On  April  8,  1842, 
the  American  said :  "We  counted  yesterday  twenty-one  vessels 
lying  at  our  wharves.  The  larger  portion  of  them  were  of  good 
size.  This,  for  the  season  of  the  year,  was  altogether  an  unusual 
spectacle.  It  will  be  found  difficult,  however,  to  obtain  cargoes, 
and  freights  in  consequence  are  low." 

The  winter  of  1841-42  was  famous  for  the  moral  advancement 
made  here.  Three  or  four  temperance  societies  were  conducted ; 
lectures  before  the  Young  Men's  Association  and  the  Lyceum  were 
delivered,  and  concerts  and  socials  improved  the  taste  and  manners 
of  the  people.  The  music  in  the  schools,  public  baths,  improved 
streets,  city  water,  better  health — all  added  to  the  advancement. 
The  American  said :  "It  is  a  source  of  high  enjoyment  to  make 
the  contrast  between  former  winters  and  the  one  just  past."  On 
April  19,  all  citizens  were  requested  to  turn  out  with  shovels  and 
hoes  and  inclose  the  public  square  with  fence  and  a  double  row  of 
trees. 

"The  Public  Square. — The  fence  around  the  public  square  on 
Clark  street  stands  like  a  good  many  politicians  we  wot  of,  but  half 
whitewashed,  notwithstanding  the  ardor  with  which  the  work  was 
commenced.  We  hope  that  faithful  public  servant,  Henry  Brown, 
Esq.,  will  not  remit  his  exertions  until  he  has  fully  carried  out 
his  original  designs  with  regard  to  this  matter.  To  that  gentleman 
belongs  the  credit  of  a  great  public  improvement  by  far  too  long 
neglected." — (American,  May  5,  1842.) 

In  May,  1842,  J.  Y.  Scammon  and  William  H.  Davis  petitioned 
the  City  Council  to  permit  them  to  cultivate  the  vacant  ground 
on  the  public  square,  and  their  prayer  was  granted.  At  this  time 
the  Council  viewed  and  surveyed  a  road  extending  up  the  North 
branch — presumably  Milwaukee  avenue.  The  Council  met  in  Mrs. 
Chapman's  rooms  at  this  date.  The  act  of  February  10,  1837, 
granted  a  tract  of  land  to  Chicago  for  burial  purposes,  providing 
the  city  should  have  the  right  to  purchase  for  such  purpose  the 
east  half,  southeast  quarter,  Section  33,  Township  40  north,  Range 
14  east.  In  May,  1842,  it  was  resolved  "to  pay  the  state  what 
said  tract  should  be  valued  at  whenever  the  canal  lands  in  the  vicin- 
ity of  Chicago  should  be  offered  for  sale."  After  May  5.  1842,  no 
person  could  run  a  ferry  on  the  Chicago  river  or  its  branches 
without  a  license.  At  this  time  there  was  much  excitement  here 
over  exhibitions  of  animal  magnetism,  since  called  hypnotism ;  it 
is  amusing  to  read  the  press  comments.  On  May  16,  the  citizens 
held  a  public  meeting  to  raise  funds  with  which  to  dredge  the 
harbor.  At  that  date  the  "Great  Western"  and  the  "Wisconsin" 
could  not,  did  not  dare,  come  in,  and  so  were  anchored  outside. 
Vessels  entering  the  river  adopted  the  custom  of  backing  in  to 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  161 

avoid  having  to  turn  when  coming  out:  they  had  rudders  at  the 
bows.  The  American,  May  24,  said :  "Much  to  the  gratification 
of  our  citizens,  the  works  of  the  Chicago  Hydraulic  Company  are 
at  last  in  successful  operation."  "Our  Port. — The  time  has  arrived, 
beyond  all  question,  when  Chicago  should  be  made  a  port  of  entry. 
We  trust  that  our  representative  in  Congress,  the  Hon.  John  T. 
Stuart,  in  particular,  will  give  especial  attention  to  this  matter. 
Our  commerce  is  so  rapidly  increasing,  and  is  even  now  so  great 
that  there  is  nothing  to  excuse  the  slightest  delay.  The  third  port 
in  rank  on  the  lakes  should  hardly  be  overlooked.  In  addition  to 
the  very  considerable  number  of  arrivals  and  clearances  at  and 
from  this  port  daily  during  the  season  of  navigation,  it  must  be 
borne  in  mind  that  vessels  of  the  largest  class  are  owned  by  our 
citizens  and  that  our  flourishing  business  renders  it  certain  that  the 
number  owned  by  them  must  increase  every  year." — (American, 
May  25,  1842.) 

"Chicago  Harbor. — The  channel  at  the  entrance  of  our  harbor 
has  been  so  plainly  marked  out  by  buoys  located  by  Mr.  N.  Scran- 
ton,  that  mariners  who  carefully  observe  them  cannot  fail  to  avoid 
the  bar." — (American,  June  7,  1842.)  "The  commencement  and 
completion  of  the  Hydraulic  works  was  regarded  by  many  as  a 
hazardous  experiment.  It  is  a  great  public  improvement  and  has 
already  proved  to  be  of  decided  utility.  We  notice  that  the  water 
as  drawn  from  the  faucets  is  decidedly  pure  and  transparent.  The 
whole  outlay  of  the  company  has  been  about  $24,000.  A  large  two- 
story  brick  building  has  been  erected,  with  a  pier  running  into  the 
lake.  The  steam  engine  is  twenty-five  horsepower.  The  working 
barrel  of  the  pump  is  fourteen  inches  in  diameter  and  forty-four 
inch  stroke,  double  action.  The  suction  pipe — the  pipe  by  which  the 
water  is  drawn  from  the  lake — is  also  fourteen  inches  in  diameter 
and  320  feet  in  length.  The  pump  raises  upwards  of  twenty-five 
barrels  of  water  per  minute,  thirty-five  feet  above  the  level  of  the 
lake.  There  are  two  reservoirs,  each  of  the  capacity  of  1,250  bar- 
rels, only  one  of  which  is  complete.  A  space  of  about  fifty  minutes 
is  required  to  fill  a  reservoir — equivalent,  of  course,  to  raising  1,250 
barrels  in  fifty  minutes.  The  reservoir  is  of  sufficient  elevation  to 
throw  the  water  into  the  second  story  of  any  building  in  the  city. 
About  two  miles  in  length  of  pipe  are  now  laid  down.  The  ma- 
chinist who  made  the  system  successful  is  Ira  Miltimore." — (Amer- 
ican, June,  1842.) 

"The  dredging  machine  is  now  actively  in  operation  between 
the  piers  under  the  direction  of  Captain  Leavenworth,  and  it  can- 
not be  long  before  we  shall  have  a  good  and  safe  channel  in  that 
part  of  our  harbor.  It  is  due  to  our  public  spirited  citizens  to  say 
that  the  expense  of  this  vital  improvement  is  solely  defrayed  by 
them.  Congress  contributed  nothing  toward  it." — (American. 
June  25,  1842.)  "Wool. — This  may  be  considered  the  first  season 


162  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

in  which  wool  of  Illinois  growth  has  been  brought  to  this  market. 
A  trifling  quantity  was  exported  from  Chicago  last  year.  In  this 
season  up  to  the  present  time  four  or  five  thousand  pounds  have 
been  received,  and  we  perceive  that  the  quantity  brought  in  by 
our  farmers  is  gradually  increasing.  A  woolen  factory  has  recently 
been  erected  at  the  village  of  St.  Charles,  on  Fox  river.  B.  W. 
Raymond  &  Co.,  of  this  city,  pay  precisely  the  same  prices  for  wool 
that  are  paid  at  the  East.  The  prices  are  as  follows:  Native 
quarter  blood,  18  to  20  cents;  half  to  three-quarters  blood,  23  to  28 
cents;  full  blood,  30  to  32  cents;  three-quarters  to  full  blood  Sax- 
ony, 33  to  38  cents." — (American,  June  27,  1842.)  "Travelers  — 
Our  city  is  now  thronged  with  travelers  both  from  the  East  and 
South,  more  especially,  however,  from  the  latter.  Summer  has 
come  at  last.  Chicago  itself  is  a  place  where  the  traveler  may 
pleasantly  sojourn  if  he  be  so  inclined.  We  have  good  hotels,  fine 
vehicles,  fine  baths,  good  churches,  well  filled  stores,  amusements, 
incident,  pretty  women,  intelligence,  choice  spirits — in  a  word,  all 
the  appurtenances  of  a  great  city — in  fact,  we  are  New  York  in 
miniature." — (American,  June  28,  1842.) 

"All  interested  in  the  prosperity  of  Chicago  will  not  soon  forget 
that  while  President,  Mr.  Van  Buren  ordered  the  sale  of  the  pile- 
driver  and  other  machines  and  utensils  employed  in  the  construc- 
tion of  the  piers,  thus  declaring  in  the  most  unequivocal  terms, 
that  he  was  opposed  to  the  construction  of  an  artificial  harbor  at 
this  place.  Those  machines,  as  it  is  well  known,  were  sold  for  a 
mere  song.  Mr.  Van  Buren  gave  further  evidence  of  his  regard 
for  the  interests  of  the  West  by  ordering  other  like  disgraceful 
proceedings  at  other  points  on  the  lakes.  The  people  of  the  West 
remembered  these  things  in  the  Tippecanoe  campaign." — (Amer- 
ican, July  19,  1842.) 

Sauganash  hotel  was  at  East  Water  and  Lake  streets;  United 
States  hotel  at  Wolf  Point,  near  the  Randolph  street  bridge ;  City 
hotel,  corner  Clark  and  Randolph.  The  steamer  "Great  Western," 
Captain  Walker's  band  on  board,  advertised  a  two-hour  excursion 
at  50  cents,  to  raise  funds  for  the  improvement  of  the  harbor. 
Great  complaint  concerning  the  condition  of  the  harbor  was  made 
in  June,  1842;  two  vessels  were  lying  outside  stranded.  Flying 
before  heavy  winds  from  the  north,  vessels  had  to  make  Chicago 
harbor  or  be  dashed  on  the  shore.  On  June  10,  1842,  wheat  was 
92  to  98  cents.  The  steamer  "Huron"  plied  regularly  between 
St.  Joseph  and  Chicago  in  June,  1842 — fare,  $3.  To  go  to  Detroit 
— first  by  boat  to  St.  Joseph,  thence  by  stage  to  Jackson,  thence  by 
rail  to  Detroit — fare,  $12.  The  big  first-class  steamers  here  in 
June,  1842,  were:  "Chesapeake,"  Captain  Howe;  "Madison," 
Captain  Fagden;  "Wisconsin,"  Captain  Randall;  "Great  Western," 
Captain  Walker;  "Bunker  Hill,"  Captain  Nickerson;  "Missouri," 
Captain  Wilkins;  "Illinois,"  Captain  Allen;  "De  Witt  Clinton," 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  163 

Captain  Squiers.  All  were  combined  freight  and  passenger  boats 
of  from  550  to  800  tons  burden,  and  all  made  Buffalo.  Ex-Presi- 
dent Van  Buren  was  fittingly  received  here  in  June,  1842.  In  his 
welcoming  speech  Mayor  Raymond  referred  to  the  fact  that  Con- 
gress had  neglected  to  provide  for  the  completion  of  the  harbor; 
Mr.  Van  Buren  had  nothing  to  say  in  answer.  The  first  issue  of 
the  Quid  Nunc,  a  neutral  newspaper  edited  by  D.  S.  Griswold,  ap- 
peared July  4,  1842.  N.  Scranton,  August,  1841,  after  an  expense 
of  $300,  began  to  run  his  ferry  across  the  Chicago  river ;  he  stated 
in  July,  1842,  that  thus  far  it  had  not  made  expenses  and  that  he 
would  be  compelled  to  cease  operating  it  if  his  license  were  not 
reduced  to  $100  per  year  and  he  be  permitted  to  charge  one  cent 
toll  for  each  person  except  ladies.  He  built  a  pleasure  boat  called 
"Commodore  Blake."  In  July,  1842,  Alexander  Stuart  sold  the 
American  to  Buckner  S.  Morris;  W.  W.  Brackett  remained  its 
editor.  "Wheat. — About  200,000  bushels  of  wheat  have  been  ex- 
ported from  this  city  since  the  opening  of  navigation  of  the  present 
season.  They  have  been  accompanied  by  large  quantities  of  oats, 
corn,  hides  and  flour  and  a  considerable  quantity  of  wool." — (Amer- 
ican, July  23,  1842.)  The  Michigan  Central  was  built  from  De- 
troit to  Ypsilanti  in  1842 ;  by  1847  it  had  reached  Kalamazoo  and 
the  track  was  laid  with  strap  iron.  In  1847  it  was  completed  to 
New  Buffalo,  and  in  1852  reached  Chicago. 

"Sales  of  the  Chicago  Land  Office. — About  115,000  acres  of  land 
were  sold  at  our  land  office  in  May  and  June  last.  Those  lands 
were  all  within  comparatively  a  few  miles  of  Chicago.  Of  this 
large  amount  not  one  acre  was  purchased  by  a  speculator.  The 
whole  of  it  was  entered  by  farmers  with  the  exception  of  perhaps 
a  few  tracts  bought  by  individuals  living  in  the  city,  but  never- 
theless to  be  devoted  to  farming  purposes.  Eight  or  ten  years 
only  have  passed  since  these  tracts  were  portions  of  an  absolute 
wilderness,  the  abode  of  the  red  men  and  cheerless  in  all  but  its 
luxuriant  vegetation  to.  the  white.  How  marked  the  contrast  now." 
(American,  August  5,  1842.)  "Wheat. — Our  streets  have  been 
pretty  well  filled  with  wheat  wagons  today.  Large  arrivals  are 
anticipated,  notwithstanding  the  low  prices.  The  receipts  this 
morning  were  about  4,000  bushels.  A  large  number  of  vessels  are 
lying  in  port  waiting  for  cargoes  and  business  generally  is  some- 
what more  animated  than  it  has  yet  been  this  season." — (Amer- 
ican, August  15,  1842.)  "Our  wheat  trade  is  again  under  way. 
Prairie  schooners  from  all  parts  of  the  country  are  bringing  in 
their  rich  freights;  clouds  of  dust  herald  their  approach  from  afar 
and  in  all  directions.  Many  of  the  Hoosier  teams  are  provided 
with  bells  suspended  from  an  arch  or  otherwise  after  the  manner 
of  Russia.  Trains  of  from  thirteen  to  twenty  wagons  are  now 
familiar  spectacles.  We  noticed  sixty-two  wagons  with  their  white 
tops  yesterday  afternoon  in  one  encampment.  We  understand  that 


164  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

a  train  of  eighty  wagons  loaded  with  wheat  and  apples  is  on  its  way 
to  this  city." — (American,  August  22,  1842.) 

"Wiieat. — Though  the  price  of  wheat  is  lower  than  it  has  been 
we  are  doing  an  excellent  business  in  this  line.  More  wheat  is 
being  brought  to  this  market  than  there  ever  has  been  before. 
Seven  thousand  and  thirty-eight  bushels  were  received  into  our 
warehouses  on  yesterday,  and  our  daily  receipts  cannot  be  very 
far  from  this  amount.  This  quantity  is  no  doubt  the  largest  ever 
brought  into  the  city  in  one  day." — {American,  September  6, 
1842.) 

In  1842  nine  steamboats  of  the  largest  class  plied  between  Buf- 
falo and  Chicago.  There  were  eight  common  schools,  six  or  seven 
private  schools  and  eight  organized  churches  here.  A  new  wooden 
hydrant  on  Clark  street,  in  August,  1842,  was  considered  better 
than  the  old  brick  one.  At  this  date  plank  sidewalks  were  being 
built  in  all  parts  of  the  city;  often  the  authorities  put  them  down 
and  assessed  the  cost  to  the  owners.  Late  in  August  wheat  was 
only  60  to  65  cents.  The  market  was  full  of  apples  and  peaches. 
Prof.  Morse's  new  and  wonderful  telegraph  attracted  attention 
here  in  August ;  its  vast  importance  was  recognized  and  commented 
upon.  From  August  28  to  September  2  the  wheat  receipts  fell  off 
vastly — the  price  was  not  attractive — 62  cents.  A  turnpike  was  to 
be  constructed  from  Chicago  to  Berry's  Point  and  the  Sand  Ridge 
toward  the  Des  Plaines  river.  By  September  19  wheat  had  fallen 
to  50  cents — receipts,  from  5,000  to  7,000  bushels  daily.  In  the 
American  of  September  29,  1842,  is  an  account  of  the  duel  between 
Abraham  Lincoln  and  James  Shields.  W.  W.  Brackett  withdrew 
as  editor  of  the  American  October  8,  1842 ;  B.  S.  Morris, 
owner,  announced  that  if  he  could  not  sell  the  paper  within  two 
weeks  he  would  discontinue  it;  not  succeeding,  it  was  stopped. 

"Chicago  to  Detroit. — Through  in  thirty-nine  hours  (running 
time)  by  the  Central  Railroad  Mail  Line,  being  thirty-six  hours 
quicker  than  by  the  lake  route.  The  steamboat  will  leave  Chicago 
daily  (Sunday  excepted)  at  8  o'clock  A.  M.,  arriving  at  St.  Joseph, 
sixty  miles,  at  4  p.  M.  same  day;  leave  St.  Joseph  at  5  p.  M.,  in 
coaches,  arrive  at  Jackson  at  7  p.  M.  next  day;  leave  Jackson  on 
railroad  cars  at  8  A.  M.  and  arrive  at  Detroit,  eighty  miles,  at  2 
p.  M.  On  arriving  at  St.  Joseph  from  Detroit  passengers  go  on 
board  a  steamboat,  which  brings  them  to  Chicago,  thus  avoiding 
any  delay  at  St.  Joseph.  This  route  was  established  at  great  ex- 
pense in  1842  and  its  success  warrants  the  proprietors  in  extending 
the  facilities  for  1843."  ....  "This  sounds  strange  to  those 
of  our  readers  who  are  accustomed  to  step  into  luxurious  coaches 
in  Chicago  at  night  and  awake  in  Detroit  in  the  morning." — (An- 
nual Review  of  Chicago,  January,  1856.) 

Under  the  act  of  March  4,  1843,  it  was  provided  that  the  act  to 
open  a  new  street  in  Chicago  should  not  be  construed  to  affect  the 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  165 

rights  of  the  state  or  of  the  canal  fund  to  the  strip  of  land  lying 
south  of  North  Water  street  and  the  Chicago  river,  commonly 
known  as  the  wharfing  privileges,  nor  prevent  the  state  or  the  city 
from  excavating  its  banks,  nor  in  any  way  affect  the  title  of  the  state 
or  canal  fund  to  the  land  or  lots  lying  south  of  said  street  and 
between  it  and  the  river. 

In  June,  1843,  the  Chicago  Express  was  conducted  by  William 
W.  Brackett.  In  May,  1843,  the  City  Council  ordered  that  there 
should  be  no  further  burials  in  the  old  cemetery.  At  this  time  the 
mayor  was  authorized  to  borrow  $5,000.  Much  concern  regard- 
ing the  attitude  of  Wisconsin  and  Milwaukee  toward  Chicago  and 
Illinois  was  manifested  here.  Wisconsin  saw  the  growing  importance 
of  Chicago  and  realized  that  the  growth  of  this  city  and  Illinois 
would  be  largely  at  her  expense.  Before  1843  she  had  tried  to 
separate  the  northern  part  of  Illinois  and  attach  the  same  to  her- 
self, but  had  failed.  She  had  endeavored  to  secure  a  canal  from 
Green  Bay  to  the  Mississippi,  but  had  likewise  failed.  She  now,  in 
1843,  saw  with  jealous  eyes  the  coming  railways,  and  hence  the 
future  commerce  of  the  great  West  surely  and  rapidly  centering  in 
Chicago,  greatly  to  its  own  growth  and  prosperity,  but  again  all 
her  efforts  to  thwart  the  inevitable  were  abortive.  She  endeavored 
to  secure  emigrants  by  tales  of  Illinois  debts  and  hard  lines.  The 
Express  here  said  on  July  1,  1843:  "What  is  still  better,  these 
emigrants  perfectly  understood  the  motives  and  designs  of  the  Wis- 
consin rumors  in  their  damning  fabrications  with  regard  to  our 
state  debt,  etc.  The  despicable  trick  now  being  fully  exposed,  emi- 
grants are  pouring  into  the  northern  part  of  the  state  as  of  yore. 
We  are  much  gratified  ourselves  at  this,  as  in  addition  to  other 
matter,  we  predicted  it  before  the  opening  of  navigation.  Accord- 
ing to  an  accurate  calculation,  we  have  made,  over  a  thousand 
emigrants  must  have  arrived  at  this  place  during  the  present 
week.  Nearly  every  sail  vessel  brings  more  or  less,  in  addition 
to  those  brought  by  steamboat  and  by  land." — (Express,  July  1, 
1843.) 

The  act  of  January  21,  1843,  provided  that  so  much  of  the  act 
of  1837,  incorporating  Chicago  as  included  within  the  city  limits 
the  west  half  of  Section  20,  Township  39  north.  Range  14  east, 
should  be  repealed.  Under  the  act  of  February  8.  1843,  the  Com- 
mon Council  of  Chicago  were  authorized  to  lay  out  and  make 
Madison  street  eighty  feet  wide  by  taking  portions  off  from  the 
south  side  of  the  lots  on  the  north  side  of  the  street  and  by  paying 
the  owners  for  the  same. 

In  May,  1843,  a  committee  of  the  City  Council  reported  that 
many  wharfing  privileges  had  never  been  leased ;  steps  to  secure 
a  revenue  therefrom  were  taken.  Mark  Skinner  was  secretary  of 
the  school  inspectors  in  June.  1843.  At  this  time  John  Wentworth 
continued  to  be  editor  and  proprietor  of  the  Chicago  Democrat; 


166  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

its  motto  was  "Our  Country  and  Its  Settlers."  The  remaining 
canal  lots  sold  in  October,  1843,  brought  unusually  high  prices, 
showing  how  the  public  regarded  real  estate  here.  Rush  Medical 
College  began  to  be  a  power  here  in  October,  1843.  On  November 
6  wheat  was  58  to  60  cents,  and  corn  2>7y2  cents.  Chicago,  like  all 
other  cities  of  this  period,  was  forced  to  remain  more  or  less  inact- 
ive during  five  or  six  months  of  each  year,  owing  to  the  lack  of 
railways  to  transport  products  and  supplies  during  the  long  winters. 
It  was  a  condition  that  forced  the  whole  country  to  hibernate  for  a 
considerable  portion  of  the  year,  until  railways  came  to  remove  the 
restriction  and  nearly  double  commercial  life.  The  inspector  of 
this  port  in  1843  was  E.  Johnson.  From  February  25,  1843, 
to  February  14,  1844,  there  was  received  from  licenses,  $1,208; 
city  tax,  $7,651.21;  cemetery,  .$195;  dog  tax,  $27;  fines,  $118. 
Among  the  items  of  expense  were  lumber,  $86.34;  Clark  street 
bridge,  $932.36;  South  branch  bridge,  $605.13;  Elections,  $58.50; 
Council  room  rent,  $85  ;  safe  clerk.  $80;  fire  department,  $1,460.03  ; 
city  officers,  $1,198.74;  printing,  $343.17.  At  this  time  the  liabili- 
ties of  the  city  were:  Orders  not  canceled,  $536.50;  orders  issued 
from  1837  to  1840,  and  probably  destroyed,  $427.47;  thus  scrip  in 
circulation,  $109:03 ;  interest  on  Clark  street  bonds,  $122.22.  The 
immediate  liabilities  were:  Due  Strachan  and  Scott,  $5,000;  bonds 
for  Clark  street  bridge,  $3.000;  bonds  for  barrier  on  the  lake  shore, 
$917.62;  bonds  for  city  market,  $200;  total  liabilities,  $9,367.88. 
The  resources  were:  Cash  in  treasury,  $1,398.91;  due  from  auc- 
tioneers, $325;  due  from  cemetery,  $431.11 ;  due  from  late  munici- 
pal court,  $400;  due  from  A.  Clybourn,  for  market,  $66.66;  due 
from  J.  Curtiss,  late  city  clerk,  $92.33 ;  personal  tax  uncollected, 
$128.99;  from  school  fund,  $33.55;  from  judgments,  $114. 

"The  City  Cemetery. — No  act  passed  by  the  present  council  re- 
flects so  much  honor  upon  each  of  its  members  separately,  as  the 
respect  it  has  shown  in  its  deliberations  in  regard  to  the  burial  of 
the  dead.  How  the  mayor  of  our  city  in  1842  could  look  on  and 
see  the  coffins  of  our  citizens  lying  exposed  on  the  top  of  the 
ground  and  their  bones  bleaching  on  the  lake  shore  and  make  no 
effort  in  regard  to  the  matter  is  a  mystery." — (Democrat,  Feb- 
ruary 28,  1844.)  "Improvement. — Our  city  has  never  improved 
faster  than  during  the  present  season."  The  Democrat  of  August 
21,  1844,  noted  the  following  improvements:  A  block  of  six  brick 
stores,  three  stories  high,  built  by  Page  &  Updike,  at  Lake  and 
State:  two  brick  stores,  by  Peacock  &  Thatcher,  at  Lake  and 
Franklin;  two  brick  stores  by  F.  G.  Blanchard  near  Lake  and 
Franklin;  three  stores  on  Lake  between  State  and  Wabash;  a 
large  warehouse,  by  Wadsworth,  between  Clark  and  LaSalle  on 
Lake;  a  large  warehouse  by  R.  C.  Bristol  opposite  Sauganash 
hotel ;  a  warehouse  at  the  corner  of  South  Water  and  State ;  a 
Universalist  Church  on  Washington,  an  Episcopal  Church  on 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  167 

Madison;  improvements  on  the  Cathplic  Church  at  Wabash  and 
Madison.  Private  houses  have  been  and  are  still  going  up  almost 
without  number." — (Democrat,  August  21,  1844.) 

In  the  fall  of  1844,  the  city  was  engaged  in  planking  Lake  and 
other  streets.  The  News  was  started  here  in  December,  1844,  by 
Z.  Eastman,  editor  and  publisher  of  the  Western  Citizen,  the  lead- 
ing Abolition  newspaper  of  the  West.  "It  commends  itself  to  the 
patronage  of  all  Liberty  party  men,"  said  the  Democrat  of  Decem- 
ber 1,  1844.  Engine  company  No.  3  was  organized  by  the  Coun- 
cil in  December,  1844.  "City  Orders. — It  is  said  by  one  who 
knows  that  there  is  no  money  in  the  city  treasury,  although  there 
have  been  fourteen  thousand  dollars  collected  by  the  city  collector; 
consequently  city  orders  are  hawked  about  at  10  cents  below  par. 
Where  is  the  money?" — (Democrat,  December  11,  1844.) 

The  opening  of  the  new  building  of  Rush  Medical  College  in 
December,  1844,  was  an  important  event.  Of  Doctor  Brainard, 
who  delivered  the  opening  address,  the  Democrat  said:  "He  may 
almost  be  said  to  be  the  founder  of  the  institution."  At  this  time 
there  were  about  forty  students.  On  January  6,  1845,  a  general 
meeting  of  the  citizens  was  held  to  consider  the  question  of  postage 
reform.  Col.  R.  J.  Hamilton,  Charles  H.  Larrabee  and  Dr.  C.  V. 
Dyer  were  appointed  committee  on  resolution,  one  of  which  was, 
"That  it  is  imperatively  demanded  of  the  representatives  of  the 
people  assembled,  so  to  modify  and  reduce  the  present  rates  of  post- 
age, as  to  operate  more  equally  upon  all  classes  and  be  less  burden- 
some upon  the  industry  of  the  country."  The  meeting  recom- 
mended the  abolishment  of  the  franking  privilege  and  a  schedule  of 
postage  rates  on  all  mail  matter.  J.  H.  Collins  was  chairman  of  the 
meeting  and  M.  D.  Ogden,  secretary.  Owners  of  city  lots  were 
required  to  build  sidewalks  adjoining  their  property.  The  Masons 
and  Odd  Fellows  were  growing  rapidly  here  and  becoming  a  factor 
in  politics  and  social  life.  The  Norris  directory  in  1844  showed 
the  following  population:  White  males,  5,730;  white  females, 
4,378;  colored  persons,  143;  transitory  persons,  584;  total,  10.835. 
There  were  972  Irish,  531  Norwegians,  1,053  Germans,  and  other 
foreigners,  683.  There  were  43  lawyers,  28  physicians,  17  clergy- 
men, 36  printers.  18  hotels  and  about  300  dealers  in  the  various 
sorts  of  merchandise. 

The  act  of  March  1,  1845,  incorporated  the  Lake  Michigan  Hy- 
draulic Company,  the  incorporators  being  Thomas  Dyer,  William 
B.  Ogden,  William  E.  Ives.  Walter  L.  Newberry,  Henry  Smith, 
Mahlon  D.  Ogden,  John  H.  Kinzie  and  John  B.  Turner.  The 
object  was  to  supply  only  the  North  Side  with  the  water  of  Lake 
Michigan,  and  the  company  was  authorized  to  construct  the  neces- 
sary works  on  the  North  Side.  This  act  was  not  to  take  effect  if 
the  other  Chicago  Hydraulic  Company  then  in  Chicago  should 
within  six  months  commence  the  necessary  works  to  supply  the 


168  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

North  Side  with  water.  The  act  of  March  3,  1845,  provided  that 
Block  IS,  in  the  Original  Town  of  Chicago,  should  be  appropriated 
for  public  use,  the  same  as  Block  14  has  been  under  the  act  of  July 
21,  1837.  The  commissioner  or  trustees  were  directed  forthwith 
to  exchange  Block  14  for  Block  7,  as  had  been  provided.  The  act 
of  March  3,  1845,  provided  "That  a  strip  of  land  sixty  feet  in 
width  from  the  east  side  of  Section  9,  Township  39  north,  Range 
14  east,  commencing  at  the  southeast  corner  of  said  section,  thence 
sixty  feet  west,  thence  north  parallel  with  the  north  and  south  line 
of  said  section,  to  the  south  bank  of  the  Chicago  river,  be  and  the 
same  is  hereby  declared  a  public  highway  and  a  part  of  State  street 
in  the  City  of  Chicago." 

In  January,  1845,  street  names  were  ordered  put  on  street  cor- 
ners. An  outer  harbor  to  be  built  was  strongly  talked  of  in  Jan- 
uary, 1845.  The  great  Morse  telegraph  for  Chicago  was  consid- 
ered at  this  period.  Prior  to  January,  1845,  government  appropria- 
tions to  the  amount  of  over  $222,000  had  been  made  for  Chicago 
harbor. 

"Many  of  our  citizens  believe  that  so  far  as  the  business  and 
growth  of  Chicago  are  concerned,  the  completion  of  the  canal 
would  be  detrimental.  They  reason  in  this  wise :  The  vast  and  rich 
country  around  this  city  is  now  compelled  to  bring  its  produce  here 
in  teams  and  can  find  no  other  place  of  sale,  and  the  transporta- 
tion of  staple  articles  to  the  interior  is  now  so  expensive  that  they 
can  always  be  afforded  here  cheaper  than  at  any  other  place  in  the 
interior,  and  therefore  the  produce  thus  brought  here  is  exchanged 
for  merchandise  and  the  exchange  and  trade  secured  to  this  city. 
Whereas,  they  say,  if  the  canal  were  finished,  at  all  places  on  the 
canal  and  Illinois  river  the  wheat  and  other  produce  would  be  sold, 
salt  and  other  staple  articles  received  in  exchange,  with  the  differ- 
ence of  canal  transportation  only,  which  would  be  so  slight  as  to 
prevent  a  resort  to  our  city  for  these  exchanges.  .  .  .  One  thing 
is  certain :  That  amidst  all  the  revulsions  and  the  depressions  of 
business,  Chicago,  without  the  canal,  has  steadily  progressed  in 
business,  population  and  wealth,  whilst  many  other  places  have 
gained  nothing,  to  say  the  least." — (Journal,  July  21,  1845.)  "The 
ice  has  accumulated  in  the  north  pier  nearly  'mountain  high.'  The 
frail  appearing  lighthouse  (constructed  of  pine  scantling  on  the 
principle  of  the  cast  iron  edifices)  on  the  extreme  end,  though 
banked  up  nearly  half  its  height  with  the  frozen  spray,  stands  per- 
fectly erect  and  defies  old  winter's  blasts.  To  those  of  our  citizens 
who  admire  magnificent  winter  scenes,  we  say  wrap  yourselves 
warm  and  take  a  walk  down  the  south  pier  when  the  tempest  rages 
and  witness  one." — (Journal,  February  6,  1845.) 

A  large  meeting  of  joy  and  congratulation  was  held  in  March, 
1845,  when  the  news  was  received  that  the  Legislature  had  passed 
the  revenue  law,  which  provided  for  the  completion  of  the  canal. 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  169 

F.  C.  Sherman,  Norman  B.  Judd  and  Isaac  N.  Arnold  were  mem- 
bers of  the  Legislature  from  this  county.  The  meeting  passed  this 
resolution :  "That  we  hail  the  passage  of  a  revenue  bill  as  a  meas- 
ure by  which  our  state  will  resume  her  position  among  the  fore- 
most of  the  Union  for  integrity,  honor  and  justice."  A  canal  meet- 
ing was  held  in  Lockport  in  March,  1845 — the  first  in  several  years; 
constructive  work  was  about  to  be  renewed.  "Although  our  young 
and  thriving  city  has  increased  in  wealth  and  population  with  great 
rapidity  since  we  date  its  birth,  it  has  not  been  without  its  reverses. 
When  in  the  memorable  times  of  '36  speculation  and  the  wild  hazard 
of  sudden  gain  flitted  over  the  land,  it  swept  in  its  desolating  course 
over  us  with  peculiar  force  as  over  a  devoted  city  of  the  plain. 
When  reverses  came  upon  our  business  men,  it  was  almost  a  uni- 
versal crash  and  ruin  followed — few  of  the  old  settlers — those  who 
had  borne  the  heat  and  burden  of  the  day — were  enabled  to  regain 
themselves — before  a  second  wave  in  the  tide  of  emigration  suc- 
ceded  the  first  and  when  a  third  and  fourth  came  it  found  the 
thrifty  mart  of  Northern  Illinois  the  great  commercial  city  of  a 
bankrupt  state." — (Journal,  March  27,  1845.) 

The  Custom  House  was  established  here  in  1846.  Before  that 
Chicago  was  in  the  Detroit  collection  district.  Milwaukee  was 
attached  to  Chicago,  but  was  separated  in  1850.  "Our  Streets.— 
Under  the  direction  of  Mr.  Dean,  our  street  commissioner,  Clark 
street  is  assuming  a  better  appearance,  and  our  sidewalks  in  differ- 
ent parts  of  the  city  are  being  made  passable.  The  uniform  grade, 
where  uniformity  is  possible,  is  being  established,  which  will  ren- 
der walking,  especially  after  dark,  an  undertaking  less  dangerous 
to  life  and  limb."—  (Journal,  April  11,  1845.) 

"In  the  formation  of  the  bars  in  Chicago  harbor  the  point  at 
which  they  commenced  has  in  every  instance  in  which  it  has  been 
observed,  been  about  1,500  feet  south  of  the  piers,  and  in  a  direc- 
tion at  right  angles  to  them ;  they  have  then  traveled  up  to  the 
piers.  Until  the  direction  of  the  north  pier  was  changed  (1839) 
the  direction  of  the  bars  was  due  south  nearly.  After  1839  the 
north  pier  being  changed  to  the  north,  the  direction  of  the  bar 
formed  (still  at  right  angles  to  it  and  its  new  direction)  was  south- 
east, but  it  commenced  as  the  others  had  done,  to  the  south,  and 
traveled  up  to  the  north  pier  in  1843.  An  inspection  of  the  map 
will  show  that  since  the  circular  form  was  given  to  the  north  pier 
the  course  of  the  deposits  was  changed  entirely.  There  is  no  indi- 
cation of  the  commencement  of  a  bar  to  the  south,  but  the  new 
formation  appears  to  have  begun  on  the  north  side  and  at  the  end 
of  the  north  pier  and  to  follow  the  curved  form  of  that  pier.  It 
has  not  yet  reached  a  point  to  affect  the  entrance  and  probably  will 
not  during  the  present  season." — (Report  on  the  Chicago  Harbor, 
January,  1846.) 

The  following  statement  shows  the  relative  amount  of  sales  after 


170  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

the  land  office  was  opened  in  Chicago  on  May  28,  1835,  down  to 
April,  1846: 

1835 370,043.38  acres  1841..      ..138,583.16  acres 

1836 202,315.96  acres  1842 194,556.11  acres 

1837 15,697.87  acres  1843 229,459.70  acres 

1838 87,891.43  acres  1844 230,769.63  acres 

1839 160,635.70  acres  1845 220,525.08  acres 

1840 142,158.00  acres 

This  land  district  embraced  the  counties  of  McHenry,  Lake, 
Boone,  DeKalb,  Kane,  Du  Page,  Cook,  Will,  Kendall,  LaSalle  and 
Grundy. 

"For  the  benefit  of  the  Illinois  delegation  who  voted  against  our 
harbors  and  all  others  interested  we  would  state  that  the  Constitu- 
tion as  they  understand  it  is  now  safe.  All  our  materials  have  been 
sold  at  about  one-fifth  of  their  original  cost,  no  more  work  will  be 
done,  and  our  harbor  will  be  destroyed  as  fast  as  the  wind,  the 
sand  and  other  causes  can  do  their  work.  In  a  few  years  the 
wound  which  General  Jackson  inflicted  on  the  American  Constitu- 
tion, by  signing  a  bill  for  the  Chicago  harbor,  will  be  healed  and 
things  will  be  as  they  used  to  be  when  the  people  had  no  harbors." — 
(Democrat,  September  25,  1846.)  "The  first  store  built  on  Lake 
street  of  this  city  was  erected  twelve  years  ago,  by  Thomas  Church, 
Esq.  It  was  a  wooden  building  and  known  as  the  'land  office  store,' 
the  register's  office  being  kept  in  the  upper  (second)  story.  The 
lot  on  which  it  stood  has  a  large  brick  store  on  it  now  and  is  occu- 
pied by  Messrs.  Neef  and  Church.  Let  people  look  up  and  down 
Lake  street  now  and  count  its  hundreds  of  mercantile  establish- 
ments— let  them  do  this  remembering  that  only  twelve  years  ago 
the  first  store  was  erected,  and  then  make  themselves  believe  that 
this  is  not  a  great  city — a  great  state — a  great  country — if  they 
can." — (Democrat,  September  30,  1846.) 

The  city  tax  in  1846  was  2y^  mills  for  city  purposes  and  1 
mill  for  school  purposes;  total  city.  $11,306.75;  school,  $4,519.05; 
total,  $15,825.80.  "The  jail  is  certainly  an  ornament  to  the  city. 
Resembling  a  number  of  woodsheds  and  corncribs  most  crazily  clus- 
tered in  a  huge  whitewashed  pound  with  a  haystack  sometimes  lift- 
ing its  majestic  dome  over  all  like  an  oriental  mosque,  it  has  an  air 
highly  rural  and  delightful." — (Journal,  August  6,  1847.)  In 
May,  1846,  city  scrip  was  quoted  at  10  per  cent  discount;  canal 
scrip,  20  per  cent  discount;  county  orders,  10  per  cent  discount. 

In  the  spring  of  1846  the  undersigned  ship  owners  and  masters 
of  vessels  navigating  the  lakes  memorialized  Congress  not  to  con- 
stitute the  harbor  of  Chicago  a  port  of  entry  and  submitted  the  fol- 
lowing facts :  That  the  home  carrying  trade  warranted  the  request, 
"being  unrivalled  in  the  history  of  commerce  in  its  annual  increase," 
as  shown  by  the  imports  and  exports  for  the  past  six  or  seven 
years;  that  the  opening  of  this  port  probably  "would  have  the  direct 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  171 

effect  to  admit  British  bottoms  to  all  the  benefits  of  the  carrying 
trade  now  exclusively  enjoyed  by  our  own  citizens  and  foreign 
shipping  to  a  full  competition  with  American  bottoms  detrimental 
to  American  commerce  and  interests;  that  the  British,  having  the 
exclusive  navigation  of  the  St.  Lawrence,  would  likely  be  able  to 
control  effectually  the  carrying  of  all  the  products  of  this  and 
neighboring  states  seeking  a  foreign  market"  ;  that  "in  consideration 
of  the  above  views  entertained  by  your  petitioners  they  deem  it  a 
duty  to  themselves  and  to  the  general  interests  of  the  commercial 
portion  of  our  citizens  navigating  the  inland  waters  of  the  United 
States  to  request  that  the  bill  making  Chicago  a  'port  of  entry'  may 
not  be  allowed  to  pass  the  Senate  of  the  United  States." 

N.   C.   Walton.  James  Robertson.  John  M.  Turner. 

T.  L.  Parker.  Artemas  Lamb.  H.  L.  Winslow. 

A.  Walker.  Jeremy  Hixon.  G.  H.  Monteath. 

Charles  Harding.  David  Mclntosh.  J.  M.  Underwood. 

R.   C.   Bristol.  H.   R.   Payson.  George  F.  Foster. 

"If  it  be  correct  that  British  vessels  have  an  equal  advantage 
with  our  own  by  making  Chicago  a  port  of  entry,  I  am  opposed  to 
the  measure. — Charles  Walker." 

"The  Central  Michigan  Railroad  Company  are  going  ahead  this 
fall  and  winter  and  are  determined  to  complete  the  road  by  the 
opening  of  navigation  in  the  spring.  If  so  it  will  bring  about  a 
great  revolution  in  traveling  to  the  East.  It  is  rumored  that  the 
company  wish  to  run  around  the  foot  of  the  lake  and  come  directly 
here." — (Weekly  Democrat,  October  6,  1846.) 

Table  of  the  exports  of  Chicago  from  the  opening  to  the  close 
of  navigation  in  1846: 

Wheat  .                                  1,459,594  bushels 

Oats     52,113  bushels 

Corn    11,947  bushels 

Hemp    4,517  pounds 

Tobacco   28,287  pounds 

Wool  281,222  pounds 

Bacon  and  ham 238,216  pounds 

Dried   beef 11,000  pounds 

Beef  and  pork 31,224  barrels 

Lard  and  tallow 1,835  barrels 

Butter  3,905  pounds 

Candles    810  boxes 

Raw   furs 37,514  pounds 

Brooms    896  dozen 

Flour    28,045  barrels 

Tongues  100  barrels 

Oil    3,600  gallons 

Hay  130  tons 

Beeswax 3,560  pounds 

Ginseng    6,800  pounds 

Lead    10,895  pounds 

Cranberries   529  barrels 

Fish  352  barrels 

Hides  and  leather  value $24.685 

Furniture   value $  9,000 


172 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 


Table  prepared  by  A.  W.  Magill,  Esq.,  showing  the  imports  of 
goods  and  merchandise  received  at  Chicago,  October  1,  1845,  to 
October  1,  1846,  not  including  importations  landed  here  and  in- 
tended for  other  places.  Leading  articles : 

Dry   goods    $  767,305 

Groceries  424,657 

Hardware   320,850 

Crockery   22,193 

Drugs  and  medicines 75,077 

Boots  and  shoes 94,930 

Hats,  caps,  etc 31,715 

Books  and  stationery 57,507 

Stoves  and  hollowware 82,862 

Furs  and  furring  goods 33,200 


Grand  total $2,027,150 

Independent  of  the  above  were  the  following: 

Salt 13,308  bbls. 

Salt    3,346  sacks 

Whisky   1,065  bbls. 

Coal  2,150  tons 

Shipping  list  of  Chicago,  1846: 


No.  of 
Vessels. 

Arrivals. 

Depar- 
tures. 

Tonnage. 

Steamboats  

19 

352 

358 

14,351 

Propellers  

17 

111 

109 

5,170 

Brigs  

36 

94 

94 

8,781 

Schooners  

120 

837 

835 

16,443 

192 

1,394 

1,396 

44,745 

On  October  20,  1846,  the  magnetic  telegraph  was  exhibited  at 
the  Mechanics  institute.  A  combination  to  keep  down  the  price  of 
wheat  was  formed  here  in  1845.  Those  connected  with  the  move- 
ment agreed  that  on  a  certain  day  the  price  should  be  6  to  8  cents 
lower  than  the  fact,  and  gave  as  a  reason  "freights  are  higher," 
"money  is  scarce,"  etc.,  and  cited  the  Board  of  Trade  as  authority. 
One  merchant  proved  traitor  to  his  fellow  conspirators,  paid  2  or  3 
cents  more  than  the  price  agreed  upon,  and  thus  bought  all  there 
was  in  the  market.  At  this  date  wheat  was  50  to  56  cents  a  bushel. 
In  January,  1847,  "vapor  of  sulphuric  ether"  was  administered 
here  by  Doctors  Kennicot  and  Brainard.  There  were  splendid 
snowdrifts  and  excellent  sleighing  here  in  January  and  February, 
1847.  In  1847  the  City  hotel  became  the  Sherman  house. 

It  was  in  April  or  May,  1847,  that  John  Wentworth  began  the 
construction  of  "Jackson  Hall,"  which  later  became  well  known 
as  headquarters  of  the  Democrat  and  of  Democracy.  A  small 
paper — the  Porcupine — sold  for  $105,  the  Visitor  getting  the  type. 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  173 

In  May,  1847,  a  brig  and  a  schooner  were  forced  to  remain  outside 
of  the  harbor,  owing  to  the  bar  at  the  entrance.  Three  new  bridges 
were  being  built  in  May,  1847 — at  Randolph,  Madison  and  Wells 
streets.  At  this  time  the  City  Council  removed  their  offices  from 
the  corner  of  Dearborn  and  Randolph  to  Robbins'  exchange  build- 
ing. The  old  Chicago  Temperance  house,  established  here  in  1842, 
was  renovated  in  May,  1847 ;  it  stood  on  LaSalle  street.  The 
Mechanics'  Institute  was  five  years  old  in  1847 ;  its  first  big  fair 
was  held  this  year  and  was  pronounced  a  success.  "Our  city  has 
assumed  unwonted  life  and  animation.  Our  streets  are  full  of  car- 
riages; our  river  is  full  of  vessels  and  our  walks  are  loaded  with 
goods,  wares  and  merchandise  of  every  variety." — (Democrat,  May 
13,  1847.)  Chloroform  was  introduced  into  Rush  Medical  Col- 
lege in  January,  1847.  In  June,  1847,- Chicago  had  but  one  mili- 
tary company,  but  the  fire  companies  were  several  and  a  credit. 

The  River  and  Harbor  convention  assembled  here  on  July  5,  1847. 
One  of  its  leading  objects  was  to  force  the  government,  through 
public  opinion,  to  the  policy  of  assisting  in  the  construction  of  cer- 
tain public  improvements  such  as  rivers  and  harbors.  Chicago  had 
thus  been  assisted  under  Jackson,  but  Van  Buren  had  taken  a  differ- 
ent view  and  Tyler  and  Polk  had  vetoed  river  and  harbor  bills, 
leaving  Chicago  and  other  Western  cities  to  improve  their  own 
harbors.  The  convention  surpassed  in  size  and  influence  the  wild- 
est dreams  of  its  promoters.  A  week  before  the  opening  day  the 
crowds  began  to  arrive  and  soon  all  hotels  and  nearly  all  residences 
were  filled  to  overflowing.  The  occasion  was  deemed  so  important 
that  nearly  one  hundred  editors  from  all  parts  of  the  Union  were 
in  attendance,  among  whom  were  Horace  Greeley  and  Schuyler 
Colfax.  Chicago  made  special  and  herculean  efforts  to  clean  up 
and  otherwise  to  get  in  presentable  condition.  An  immense  tent 
was  erected  on  the  public  square  and  there  the  proceedings  were 
held.  As  the  delegations  arrived  they  were  met  by  the  authorities 
with  an  escort  of  militia  and  fire  companies  and  conducted  to  the 
public  square.  At  Rathbun's  hotel,  New  York,  on  September  28, 
1846,  the  plan  had  originated,  and  on  that  occasion  the  following 
committee  had  been  appointed  to  carry  the  movement  into  effect : 
James  L.  Barton,  of  Buffalo ;  John  W.  Allen,  of  Cleveland ; 
Augustus  S.  Porter,  of  Detroit ;  William  Duane  Wilson,  of  Mil- 
waukee; Byron  Kilbourn,  of  Milwaukee;  William  B.  Ogden,  of 
Chicago;  S.  Lisle  Smith,  of  Chicago,  and  A.  B.  Chambers,  of  St. 
Louis.  James  L.  Barton  was  temporary  chairman  and  Edward 
Bates,  of  Missouri,  permanent  chairman.  Among  the  great  men 
present  were  Thomas  Corwin,  Thurlow  Weed,  Abraham  Lincoln, 
Solon  Robinson,  David  Dudley  Field,  N.  B.  Jucld,  H.  J.  Redfield, 
Andrew  Stewart,  J.  C.  Wright,  John  C.  Spencer,  T.  Butler  King, 
H.  C.  Blackburn  and  William  M.  Hall.  There  were  read  to  the 
convention  letters  from  Silas  Wright,  Thomas  H.  Benton,  Henry 


174  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

Clay,  Martin  Van  Buren,  Lewis  Cass,  Thomas  H.  Curtiss,  Joseph 
Grennell,  Bradford  R.  Wood,  Alpheus  Felch,  George  P.  Barker, 
Washington  Hunt,  Daniel  Webster  and  Morgan  Bates.  The  man 
who  really  was  the  cause  of  the  convention  was  William  M.  Hall, 
of  Buffalo,  who  had  traveled  through  the  West  and  had  seen  the 
results  of  a  lack  of  suitable  harbor  improvements.  He  it  was  who 
called  the  meeting  at  Rathbun's  hotel  in  New  York,  on  which  occa- 
sion he  advocated  a  national  railroad  to  the  Pacific  ocean.  William 
B.  Ogden,  S.  Lisle  Smith  and  George  W.  Dole  were  the  Chicago 
committee  on  arrangements.  The  committee  on  resolutions  at  the 
convention  consisted  of  thirty-three  of  the  most  prominent  men 
assembled.  It  was  found  that  many  who  favored  ocean  harbor 
improvements  were  opposed  to  lake  harbor  improvements,  even 
though  the  latter  needed  improvement  worse  than  the  former.  It 
thus  came  to  pass  in  the  end  that  all  came  to  favor  lake  harbor 
improvements.  Efforts  by  several  to  give  the  convention  a  political 
caste  were  promptly  defeated.  President  Polk  had  vetoed  the  River 
and  Harbor  bill  on  August  3,  1846,  and  had  said:  "It  would 
seem  the  dictate  of  wisdom  under  such  circumstances  to  husband 
our  means  and  not  waste  them  on  comparatively  unimportant 
objects.  .  .  .  Some  of  the  objects  of  the  appropriation  con- 
tained in  this  bill  are  local  in  their  character  and  within  the  limits 
of  a  single  state;  and  though  in  the  language  of  the  bill  they  are 
called  harbors,  they  are  not  connected  with  foreign  commerce  nor 
are  they  places  of  refuge  or  of  shelter  for  our  navy  or  commercial 
marine  on  the  ocean  or  lake  shores." 

"Thus  discourses  James  K.  Polk  in  his  veto  message  on  the 
harbor  bill,  and  the  sentiment  is  an  insult  to  the  country.  Husband 
our  means,  forsooth!  Are  not  millions  being  squandered  by  this 
same  James  K.  Polk  for  the  invasion  of  Mexico  and  the  extension 
of  slavery?  Are  not  steamboats  being  bought  and  chartered  daily 
at  enormous  prices  to  enrich  his  favorite  prodigals?  Are  not 
the  treasury  doors  unbarred  whenever  the  'open  sesame'  is  whis- 
pered by  the  slave  driver?  And  yet  Mr.  Polk  outrages  the  intelli- 
gence of  the  people,  his  masters,  by  claiming,  when  a  pittance  is 
asked  for  a  great  Northern  interest,  that  we  must  'husband  our 
means' — that  the  object  for  which  we  ask  them  is  comparatively 
unimportant." — (Democrat,  August  12,  1846.) 

"His  real  hostility  to  the  bill  cannot  be  concealed  by  such  a  shal- 
low subterfuge.  The  objects  of  improvement  lie  north  of  Mason 
and  Dixon's  line  and  would  benefit  the  North  and  West,  whose 
growing  prosperity  is  hateful  to  the  slave  owners  of  the  South. 
.  .  .  The  lives  of  an  hundred  or  two  of  hardy  mariners  and  a 
few  millions  of  property  are  of  no  consequence  in  the  eye  of  James 
K.  Polk,  when  weighed  against  a  Virginia  abstraction  or  that  idol 
of  the  South — negro  slavery.  Three  times  already  has  the  whole 
policy  of  the  Government  been  changed  at  the  command  of  the 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  177 

South,  and  its  business  broken  up  and  deranged,  because  the  slave 
owner  was  jealous  of  the  prosperity  of  the  free  states.  They  were 
rising  in  prosperity — growing  rich  in  commerce,  agriculture,  man- 
ufactures and  great  in  intelligence,  while  the  South,  with  the  curse 
of  slavery  upon  her,  was  standing  still  or  going  backwards.  .  .  . 
All  other  pretenses  of  objections  to  the  harbor  bill  are  idle  and 
vain.  The  North  can  and  will  be  hoodwinked  no  longer.  If  no 
measures  for  protection  and  improvement  of  anything  North  and 
West  are  to  be  suffered  by  our  Southern  masters,  if  we  are  to  be 
downtrodden  and  all  our  cherished  interests  be  crushed  by  them, 
a  signal  revolution  will  inevitably  ensue.  The  same  spirit  and 
energy  that  forced  emancipation  for  the  whole  country  from  Great 
Britain  will  throw  off  the  Southern  yoke.  The  North  and  West 
will  look  to  and  take  care  of  their  own  interests  henceforth." — 
(Democrat,  August,  1846.) 

The  morning  of  the  opening  day  of  the  convention  was  joyous 
and  brilliant;  the  streets  were  thronged  with  citizens  and  visitors. 
Flags  were  seen  everywhere — on  buildings  and  vessels.  Blasts 
of  martial  music,  the  deep  voice  of  artillery,  the  roll  of  drums  and 
the  cheers  of  delegations  enlivened  the  auspicious  opening.  The 
procession  assembled  on  Michigan  avenue,  thence  marched  on  Mon- 
roe to  Wells,  thence  to  Lake,  thence  to  Michigan  avenue.  Foreign 
delegations  marched  west  on  Madison  to  State,  thence  to  Lake, 
thence  to  Clark,  thence  to  the  public  square.  Cleveland  Light 
Artillery  was  present.  The  ship  "Convention,"  drawn  by  eight 
horses,  fully  manned  and  under  full  sail,  passed  through  the 
crowded  streets.  The  Journal  said  there  were  5,000  men  in  the 
procession.  Militia  and  fire  companies  in  uniform  paraded,  the  lat- 
ter beautifully  decorated  and  graced  with  the  presence  of  young 
ladies  and  commanded  by  Stephen  H.  Gale,  chief.  Dr.  Philip  Max- 
well was  marshal  of  the  day.  On  Monday,  July  5,  1847,  the 
Journal  said :  "Delegate  Meetings. — At  8  o'clock  this  morning 
the  Illinois  delegations  meet  at  the  tent  on  the  public  square ;  the 
New  York  delegations  at  the  court  house;  the  Missouri  delega- 
tions at  100  Lake  street,  in  Peck  &  McDougall's  office,  upstairs; 
the  Ohio  delegations  at  the  Sherman  house.  ...  A  great,  a 
glorious  day — a  day  which  children's  children  will  remember  when 
the  actors  that  took  part  and  the  hands  that  indited  are  cold  and 
motionless ;  as  a  day  when  party  predilections  were  obliterated ; 
when  sectional  interests  were  forgotten ;  when  from  eighteen  free 
and  independent  sovereignties  men  came  up  to  the  achievement  of  a 
noble  work,  united  their  voices  in  one  grand  harmony  for  the  pro- 
motion of  an  object  demanded  alike  by  the  most  enlightened  self- 
interest,  the  most  liberal  view  and  indeed  by  common  humanity." — 
(Evening  Journal,  July  6,  1847.) 

Horace  Greeley  said  in  the  Tribune  of  July  5,  1847:  "Chicago 
has  been  filling  up  with  delegates  to  the  People's  convention  for  the 

Vol.  I— 11. 


178  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

last  ten  or  fifteen  days,  but  it  was  not  until  Saturday  that  the 
pressure  became  burdensome.  When  we  arrived  on  the  'Oregon' 
at  sunrise  yesterday  morning,  there  was  scarcely  a  spare  inch  of 
room  in  any  public  house  save  in  a  few  bedrooms  long  since  be- 
spoken. But  the  citizens  had  already  thrown  open  their  dwellings, 
welcoming  strangers  in  thousands  to  their  cordial  and  bounteous 
hospitality ;  the  steamboats  as  they  came  in  proffered  their  spacious 
accommodations  and  generous  fare  to  their  passengers  during  their 
stay.  .  .  .  The  grand  parade  took  place  this  morning,  and 
though  the  route  traversed  was  short,  in  deference  to  the  heat  of 
the  weather,  the  spectacle  was  truly  magnificent.  The  citizens 
of  Chicago,  of  course,  furnished  the  most  imposing  part  of  it — the 
music,  the  military,  the  ships  on  wheels,  ornamented  fire  engines, 
etc.  I  never  witnessed  anything  so  superb  as  the  appearance  of 
some  of  the  fire  companies  with  their  engines  drawn  by  horses  taste- 
fully caparisoned.  Our  New  York  firemen  must  try  again;  they 
have  certainly  been  outdone.  I  think  New  York  had  some  300 
delegates  on  the  ground — among  them  John  C.  Spencer,  J.  DePeys- 
ter  Ogden,  Thurlow  Weed,  James  L.  Barton,  Seth  C.  Hawley, 
George  W.  Patterson,  Alvin  Bronson,  John  E.  Hinman,  etc.  From 
New  England  the  number  present  is  smaller,  but  still  considerable. 
I  notice  among  them  John  A.  Rockwall,  of  Connecticut;  Elisha 
H.  Allen,  now  of  Boston,  etc.  From  New  Jersey  there  are  six  or 
eight.  From  Pennsylvania  I  think  fifty  to  100,  among  them  An- 
drew Stewart,  Senator  Johnson,  of  Erie,  etc.  From  Ohio  the  num- 
ber may  not  be  much  greater,  but  among  them  are  Tom  Corwin, 
Governor  Bebb,  ex-Governor  Morrow,  R.  C.  Schenck,  John  C. 
Wright,  etc.  From  Georgia  there  are  at  least  two  here,  and  one 
is  Thos.  Butler  King.  There  is  one  even  from  South  Carolina. 
Indiana,  Missouri  and  Iowa  are  well  represented.  Michigan  and 
Wisconsin  have  a  large  regiment  each;  while  Northern  Illinois  is 
here,  of  course,  en  masse.  A  judicious  estimate  makes  the  number 
present  to-day  20,000  men,  of  whom  10,000  are  here  as  members 
of  the  convention.  .  .  .  The  citizens  had  provided  a  spacious 
and  beautiful  tent,  about  100  feet  square,  pitched  in  an  open  square 
near  the  center  of  the  city,  radiating  from  a  tall  pole  in  the  center 
and  well  provided  with  seats.  It  holds  about  4,000  persons  com- 
fortably. The  rest  of  the  gathering  were  constrained  to  look  in 
over  the  heads  of  those  seated.  ...  A  general  call  was  made 
for  Thomas  Corwin,  of  Ohio,  which  could  not  be  stilled.  He  was 
conducted  to  the  stand  by  John  Wentworth.  Although  coming 
to  the  stand  reluctantly,  Mr.  Corwin  addressed  the  convention  for 
nearly  an  hour  in  his  own  inimitable  manner  on  the  relations  and 
relative  character  of  the  Puritans — on  the  wants  and  just  demands 
of  the  West — the  absurd  folly  of  considering  harbor  improvements 
on  salt  water  constitutional  and  on  fresh  water  not  so,  and  the 
mighty  strides  of  the  West  to  greatness  and  dominion.  The  vast 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  179 

assemblage  was  electrified  by  his  admirable  effort.  ...  In  his 
letter  General  Cass  was  content  to  say  he  could  not  (i.  e.,  would 
not)  come,  and  gave  not  the  least  expression  of  sympathy  with 
the  objects  and  desires  of  the  convention.  The  letter  excited  much 
astonishment  and  was  read  twice  at  the  urgent  call  of  many  dele- 
gates. The  general  expression  was  not  flattering  to  General  Cass. 
Andrew  Stewart,  of  Pennsylvania,  made  a  vigorous  and  animated 
speech  in  favor  of  internal  improvements  on  comprehensive 
grounds.  It  was  perhaps  a  little  too  plain  and  thorough-going  for 
the  week  stomachs  of  some  present,  who  had  but  recently  begun  to 
profess  friendship  for  internal  improvement.  It  pleased  right  well 
a  majority  of  the  convention,  but  brought  up  in  opposition  David 
Dudley  Field,  of  our  city  (New  York),  who  favored  us  with  an 
able  and  courteous  speech  in  favor  of  'strict  construction'  and  of 
such  river  and  harbor  improvements  only  as  are  consistent  there- 
with. He  was  sharply  interrogated  by  different  members  and  in 
reply  to  their  questions  denied  the  right  of  the  Federal  Govern- 
ment to  improve  the  navigation  of  the  Illinois  river,  since  that 
river  runs  through  a  single  state  only,  or  of  the  Hudson  river 
above  a  port  of  entry.  A  portion  of  the  members  manifested  con- 
siderable impatience  during  the  latter  portion  of  this  speech,  which 
is  to  be  regretted,  for  Mr.  Field  was  perfectly  courteous,  not  at 
all  tedious,  and  fairly  called  out  by  the  speech  of  Mr.  Stewart. 
For  my  part  I  rejoiced  that  the  wrong  side  of  the  question  was  so 
clearly  set  forth.  In  the  afternoon,  Abraham  Lincoln,  a  tall  speci- 
men of  an  Illinoisan,  just  elected  to  Congress  from  the  only  Whig 
district  in  the  state,  was  called  out  and  spoke  briefly  and  happily  in 
reply  to  Mr.  Field.  .  .  .  The  resolutions  having  been  read  and 
accepted,  Mr.  Field  very  fairly  objected  to  the  last  clause  of  the 
fifth  resolution,  affirming  substantially  that  the  'common  under- 
standing' of  the  constitution,  through  a  long  series  of  years,  'has 
become  as  much  a  part  of  that  instrument  as  any  one  of  its  most 
explicit  provisions.'  This  ought  to  have  prevailed,  but  it  did  not. 
.  .  .  Thomas  Butler  King,  of  Georgia,  made  a  most  admirable 
speech  in  favor  of  river  and  harbor  improvements  and  internal 
improvements  generally.  It  was  really  a  great  speech,  thoroughly 
National  in  its  spi'rit  and  looking  to  the  good  of  each  section  through 
the  good  of  all.  .  .  .  On  the  last  day,  the  convention  came 
together  thoroughly  resolved  that  no  topic  should  be  entertained 
which  might  mar  the  harmony  and  hearty  unanimity  with  which 
the  resolutions  of  the  grand  committee  had  been  received  and  adopted 
yesterday;  so  that  successive  efforts  to  get  before  it  the  project  of  a 
railroad  to  the  Pacific,  the  free  navigation  of  the  St.  Lawrence, 
etc.,  were  promptly  and  decidedly  thwarted  by  the  undebatable 
motion  to  lay  on  the  table.  .  .  .  Previous  to  putting  the  motion 
of  final  adjournment,  the  president  of  the  convention,  Edward 
Bates,  of  Missouri,  returned  thanks  for  the  honor  done  him,  in  a 


180  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

speech  which  took  the  convention  completely  by  surprise — so  able, 
so  forcible  and  replete  with  the  soul  of  eloquence.  I  will  not 
attempt  to  give  an  account  of  this  wonderful  speech — no  account 
that  can  now  be  given  will  do  it  justice.  In  the  course  of  it  he  said 
that  when  he  emigrated  in  1812  to  the  French  village  of  huts  called 
St.  Louis,  which  has  now  50,000  inhabitants,  he  was  obliged  to 
hire  a  guard  against  hostile  savages  to  accompany  him  across  the 
unbroken  wilderness  which  is  now  the  state  of  Illinois,  with  a  civil- 
ized population  of  600,000  freemen.  His  speech  was  greeted  at 
its  close  by  the  whole  convention  rising  and  cheering  long  and  fer- 
vently. .  .  .  The  convention  upon  its  adjournment  was  instantly 
reorganized  as  a  committee  of  the  whole  (with  Horace  Greeley  as 
chairman),  and  Gov.  William  Bebb  of  Ohio  took  the  stand.  He 
dwelt  upon  the  diffusion  of  intelligence,  purification  and  morals,  and 
the  melioration  of  the  social  condition  of  man.  He  brought  sharply 
and  eloquently  out  that  'Vain  will  be  all  your  canals  and  railroads, 
your  river  and  harbor  improvements,  if  the  condition  of  the  toiling 
millions  be  not  thereby  or  therewith  sensibly  meliorated — if  they 
shall  still  be  constrained  to  delve  twelve  to  fourteen  hours  per  day 
for  the  bare  necessaries  of  physical  life.  I  hold,'  said  he,  'that  this 
need  not  and  ought  not  to  continue — that  society  may  be  so  revised 
that  ten  or  eight  hours'  faithful  labor  daily  will  secure  to  every 
industrious  man  or  family  a  full  supply  of  the  necessaries  and  com- 
forts of  life,  so  that  each  may  have  ample  leisure  to  devote  to  the 
cultivation  and  perfection  of  his  moral,  social  and  intellectual 
powers.'  A.  W.  Loomis,  of  Pittsburg;  Gen.  Levi  Hubbell,  of  Mil- 
waukee; S.  Lisle  Smith,  of  Chicago;  Anson  Burlingame,  of  Mas- 
sachusetts, late  of  Michigan;  E.  H.  Allen,  of  Boston,  and  Horace 
Greeley,  of  New  York,  were  called  out  in  succession  and  each 
responded  briefly.  The  speech  of  Mr.  Smith,  of  Chicago,  regarded 
as  an  oratorical  effort,  was  the  best  of  the  many  good  speeches 
made  here  within  these  three  days.  It  was  beautiful,  -thrilling, 
brightly  poetic — enchanting  and  enrapturing  the  audience.  I  will 
not  attempt  to  sketch  it.  Mr.  Allen's  remarks  were  very  happy  in 
a  very  different  vein — these  two  affording  striking  illustrations  of 
Western  and  Eastern  popular  speaking  respectively.  William  M. 
Hall,  of  Buffalo,  advocated  a  series  of  resolutions  offered  by  him 
concerning  the  proposed  railroad  to  the  Pacific.  His  resolutions 
were  adopted  as  the  proceedings  of  the  mass-meeting  and  not  of 
the  River  and  Harbor  convention.  Thus  has  met,  deliberated, 
harmonized,  acted  and  separated  one  of  the  most  important  and 
interesting  conventions  ever  held  in  this  or  any  country.  It  was 
truly  characterized  as  a  congress  of  freemen,  destitute  of  pay  and 
mileage,  but  in  all  else  inferior  to  no  deliberative  body  which  has 
assembled  within  twenty  years.  Can  we  doubt  that  its  results  will 
be  most  beneficent  and  enduring?"  .  .  .  — (From  a  series  of 
letters  written  on  the  ground  by  Horace  Greeley  and  published  in 
the  New  York  Tribune  in  July,  1847.) 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  181 

Mr.  Greeley  showed  that  the  Democrats  generally  were  non- 
committal on  the  object  of  the  convention,  while  the  Whigs  were 
interested.  President  Polk  had  just  vetoed  the  River  and  Harbor 
bill,  so  the  Democrats  had  to  be  cautious.  Writing  of  the  letter  of 
General  Cass,  Mr.  Greeley  said:  "Did  mortal  man  ever  before 
see  such  a  letter  from  one  who  is  by  position  and  was  by  profession 
friendly  to  the  objects  of  the  convention?  It  was  listened  to  with 
hardly  less  astonishment  than  indignation."  William  M.  Hall  said : 
"The  meeting  of  that  convention  raised  the  value  of  Chicago  prop- 
erty at  once,  and  was  the  starting  point  of  its  unheard  of  prosperity 
until  overtaken  by  the  disastrous  fire  of  1871."  "A  New  Wonder 
in  the  World. — The  greatest  wonder  in  the  world  is  that  the  late 
convention  should  have  terminated  harmoniously.  Old  Babel  never 
witnessed  more  discordant  tongues  than  there  were  sentiments 
(upon  everything  else  than  the  great  one  which  called  them  to- 
gether) among  the  crowd.  We  not  only  had  Whig,  Abolutionist 
and  Democratic  orators  and  editors,  but  we  had  every  variety  of 
each  kind.  We  had  the  Boston  differences,  the  New  York  differ- 
ences, the  Missouri  differences,  and  the  sectional  differences  every- 
where. Then  we  had  our  differences  here  at  home.  But  no  per- 
son on  the  ground  would  have  mistrusted  that  we  were  not  all 
members  of  the  same  great  party  actuated  by  one  impulse  and  with 
the  same  great  end  in  view." — (Democrat,  July  9,  1847.) 

The  convention  was  a  splendid  advertisement  for  the  city.  It 
furnished  the  second  great  impulse  to  growth;  capital  poured  in 
and  all  public  enterprises — railways  in  particular — were  established 
and  stimulated.  The  convention  adopted  a  series  of  fifteen  resolu- 
tions to  the  effect  that  the  Constitution  favored  the  promotion  of 
commerce  by  the  proper  use  of  Government  revenues;  that  Con- 
gress had  derived  this  power,  ample  in  extent,  from  the  states 
themselves;  that  this  power  had  been  recognized  from  the  founda- 
tion of  the  Government  by  the  erection  of  harbors,  lighthouses, 
piers,  breakwaters,  sea  walls,  etc. ;  that  the  principle  had  been 
"acknowledged  to  embrace  the  Western  lakes  and  rivers  by  appro- 
priations for  numerous  lighthouses  upon  them,  which  appropria- 
tions had  never  been  questioned  as  wanting  in  Constitutional 
authority;"  that  the  power  of  Congress  to  regulate  commerce 
among  the  states  clearly  included  the  power  to  build  harbors:  that 
the  Government  by  extending  its  jurisdiction  over  lakes  and  rivers 
precluded  itself  from  denying  that  jurisdiction  or  the  legitimate 
regulation  of  their  commerce;  that  the  appropriations  thus  far  for 
Western  lakes  and  rivers  had  not  been  proportionate;  that  the 
proper  protection  of  the  lake  harbors  in  case  of  war,  presumably  with 
Great  Britain,  demanded  that  the  principal  harbors  be  made  secure 
at  once;  that  the  argument  most  commonly  urged  against  such 
appropriations,  that  they  invited  sectional  combinations  to  insure 
success  to  many  unworthy  objections,  was  unsound  and  unrepub- 


188  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

lican;  "that  we  are  utterly  incapable  of  perceiving  the  difference 
between  a  harbor  for  shelter  and  a  harbor  for  commerce,  and  sup- 
pose that  a  mole  or  pier  which  will  afford  safe  anchorage  and  pro- 
tection to  a  vessel  against  a  storm  must  necessarily  improve  such 
harbor  and  adapt  it  to  commercial  purposes;  that  we  disavow  all 
and  every  attempt  to  connect  the  cause  of  international  trade  and 
commerce  among  the  states  with  the  fortunes  of  any  political  party, 
but  that  we  mean  to  place  that  cause  upon  such  immutable  princi- 
ples of  truth,  justice  and  constitutional  duty  as  shall  command  the 
respect  of  all  parties  and  the  deference  of  all  candidates  for  public 
favor." 

In  July,  1847,  it  was  declared  by  the  Democrat  that  the  fire  com- 
panies of  1837  were  able  to  make  a  better  public  display  than  those 
of  1847.  In  1847  the  schooner  "John  Lillie,"  eighty-three  feet 
long,  was  built  at  Gross  Point.  The  bridge  at  Randolph  street  was 
in  such  bad  condition  in  the  fall  of  1847,  owing  to  the  enormous 
travel  across  it,  that  a  new  bridge  was  necessary  and  was  built. 
In  July  work  on  the  Galena  &  Chicago  railway  was  in  rapid 
progress.  In  July  the  street  commissioner  was  busy  turnpiking  the 
streets,  repairing  side  and  cross  streets,  etc.  Enormous  quantities 
of  lumber  were  taken  by  team  into  the  country  from  Chicago  at 
this  time — the  roads  and  weather  being  very  fine.  Wheat  was 
55  to  65  cents. 

"Fuel  for  Lake  Steamers. — The  immense  quantities  of  wood 
used  by  our  steamboats  is  truly  surprising.  The  Empire  on  some 
trips  burns  700  cords.  It  is  stated  that  on  an  average  she  uses  600. 
Calculating  that  she  performs  thirteen  trips  during  the  season,  she 
will  consume  234  acres  of  timber  and  employ  forty  wood  choppers 
at  an  expense  of  over  $10,000.  This  is  a  small  item  in  the  expense 
of  this  mammoth  steamer;  yet  she  clears  from  $20,000  to  $30,000 
a  season.  By  this  some  idea  may  be  gained  of  the  immense  profits 
of  vessels  engaged  in  the  lake  trade.  At  the  present  time  there 
are  sixteen  first-class  steamboats  engaged  in  this  trade." — {Demo- 
crat, July  14,  1847.)  "Canal  Boats. — We  notice  five  splendid  new 
canal  packets  on  the  South  branch,  made  expressly  for  the  naviga- 
tion of  the  Illinois  and  Michigan  canal.  They  are  beautifully  fin- 
ished both  inside  and  out  and  are  to  be  furnished  in  excellent  style 
when  they  start." — (Democrat,  July  22,  1847.) 

"The  exhibition  of  the  magnetic  telegraph  will  be  continued  this 
evening  with  novel  experiments  in  magnetism.  A  dead  frog  will 
be  made  to  jump  about  the  room  as  if  alive,  by  its  influence.  .  .  . 
This  is  the  last  evening  that  Mr.  Swift  will  continue  his  experi- 
ments in  electricity  and  magnetism.  All  those  wishing  to  witness 
the  operation  of  the  magnetic  telegraph,  the  greatest  wonder  of 
the  age,  should  embrace  this  last  opportunity.  Wires  are  connected 
with  the  Sherman  house,  with  which  he  will  experiment."  .  .  . 
"The  Telegraph. — The  steamer  Empire,  which  arrived  yesterday, 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  183 

brought  workmen  with  the  implements  for  setting  the  posts." — 
(Democrat,  August  3,  1847.) 

The  Erie  and  Michigan  Telegraph  Company  petitioned  the  Coun- 
cil for  a  right  of  way  through  the  city  in  July,  1847.  In  1847  Chi- 
cago built  many  new  vessels — mostly  schooners.  The  steamer  "Sul- 
tan" gave  an  excursion  August  4,  for  the  benefit  of  the  Universalist 
church.  Phrenologists  gave  public  examinations.  H.  L.  Stewart 
in  1847  succeeded  William  Stewart  as  postmaster  at  Chicago.  The 
revised  city  charter  of  1847  gave  Chicago  the  following  additions: 
"All  that  part  of  Township  39  north.  Range  14  east,  which  lies  north 
of  the  north  line  of  Sections  27,  28,  29  and  30  of  said  Township ;  and 
the  east  half  of  Section  33,  Township  40  north,  Range  14  east,  and 
fractional  section  34  and  in  said  Township  40,  shall  hereafter  be 
included  in,  constitute  and  be  known  by  the  name  of  the  City 
of  Chicago."  Nine  wards,  instead  of  six,  as  before,  were  defined 
as  follows : 

First  ward — all  south  of  the  river  and  east  of  State  street  pro- 
jected ;  Second  ward — all  south  of  the  river  and  between  State 
and  Clark  streets;  Third  ward — all  south  of  river  and  between 
Clark  and  Wells  streets;  Fourth  ward — all  south  of  Chicago  river, 
west  of  Wells  street  and  east  of  the  South  branch;  Fifth  ward — 
all  west  of  the  South  branch  and  south  of  Randolph  street ;  Sixth 
ward — all  west  of  the  South  branch  and  North  branch  and  north 
of  Randolph  street ;  Seventh  ward — all  east  of  the  North  branch, 
north  of  the  Chicago  river  proper  and  west  of  La  Salle  street; 
Eighth  ward — all  north  of  Chicago  river  and  between  LaSalle  and 
Wolcott  streets;  Ninth  ward — all  north  of  Chicago  river  and  east 
of  Wolcott  street.  It  was  provided  that  each  ward  should  be  en- 
titled to  two  aldermen,  of  whom  each  should  hold  office  for  two 
years,  a  successor  to  be  elected  annually  after  the  first  year  for 
each  ward.  The  mayor  was  given  the  powers  of  a  justice  of  the 
peace.  At  each  annual  election  there  were  to  be  chosen  a  city  at- 
torney, treasurer,  collector  and  surveyor,  besides  assessors  and 
street  commissioners  for  each  ward  or  for  united  wards.  The  city 
marshal  was  given  all  the  powers  of  a  constable  under  the  state 
laws.  Each  male  over  twenty-one  years  and  under  sixty  years  was 
required  to  work  three  days  upon  the  streets  and  alleys  of  the  city 
or  to  pay  its  equivalent.  The  Common  Council  was  empowered  to 
lay  out,  make  and  assess  streets,  alleys,  lanes  and  highways  and 
make  wharves  and  slips ;  could  condemn  land  and  order  it  converted 
to  public  use;  could  make,  maintain  and  repair  drains  and  sewers, 
had  exclusive  power  over  the  erection  or  construction  of  float  or 
drawbridges,  could  order  built  sidewalks,  breakwaters,  tunnels,  etc., 
and  the  harbor  protected,  had  power  to  lease  for  not  over  ten  years 
Lot  5.  Block  4:  Lot  9,  Block  50;  Lot  6.  Block  55;  all  in  the  Orig- 
inal Town  of  Chicago  and  donated  for  the  use  of  schools  under  the 
act  to  provide  for  the  dedication  of  lots  in  towns  situate  on  canal 


184  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

lands — passed  in  1839;  had  power  to  levy  and  collect  taxes  and 
assessments,  could  regulate  sporting  and  animals  running  at  large, 
etc.  It  was  provided  that  convicts  could  be  required  to  work  on  the 
streets.  This  they  did  with  ball  and  chain  attached. 

In  August,  1847,  the  Common  Council  named  the  square  upon 
which  the  courthouse  stood  Jefferson  square;  also  the  ground  east 
of  the  fence  east  of  Michigan  avenue  from  the  north  side  of  Ran- 
dolph street  to  the  south  side  of  Lot  8,  Block  21,  in  Fractional  Sec- 
tion 15,  addition  to  Chicago,  Lake  Park.  The  public  ground  in 
Fort  Dearborn  addition  to  Chicago  between  Randolph  and  Wash- 
ington streets  and  west  of  Michigan  avenue  (now  1847  enclosed) 
was  named  Dearborn  square.  Also  the  land  west  of  the  west  side 
of  Dearborn  square  and  east  of  Block  12,  Fort  Dearborn  addition, 
was  constituted  a  street.  It  was  decided  to  number  the  streets  from 
the  river  and  its  branches  and  from  Michigan  avenue  west.  In 
August,  1847,  Chicago  claimed  16,000  population.  The  City  Coun- 
cil standing  committees  were  Finance,  Claims,  Streets  and  Bridges, 
Fire  and  Water,  Police,  Schools,  Judiciary,  Printing,  Wharves  and 
Public  Grounds,  Commissioner  of  Schools,  Board  of  School  In- 
spectors. Fire  department  was  organized  as  follows: 

Engine  Company  No.  1,  Fire  King C.  P.  Bradley,  foreman 

Engine  Company  No.  2,  Metamora S.  Johnson,  foreman 

Fngine  Company  No.  3 G.  S.  Hubbard,  foreman 

Engine  Company  No.  4,  Red  Jacket F.  T.  Sherman,  foreman 

Engine  Company  No.  5,  Excelsior A.  S.  Sherman,  foreman 

Hose  Company,  Hope J.  R.  Webster,  foreman 

Bucket  Company,  Rough  and  Ready J.  W.  Atkinson,  foreman 

The  Historical  and  Antiquarian  Society  was  organized  in  March, 
1846,  with  Rev.  A.  M.  Stewart  president. 

Members. 
Washington  Temperance  society  (organized  July  1,  1840) ....   1,500 

Junior  Washington  Temperance  society  (March  11,  1843) 300 

Chicago  Bethel  Temperance  society  (July  10,  1842) 150 

Catholic   Temperance   society 2,000 

Chicago  Democrat  (Democrat),  daily,  John  Wentworth;  Chicago 
Democrat,  weekly;  Chicago  Journal  (Whig),  daily,  evening,  Geer 
&  Wilson;  Chicago  Journal  (Whig),  weekly;  Chicago  Tribune 
(neutral),  daily,  morning,  Wheeler,  Forrest  &  Stewart;  Gem  of 
the  Prairie;  Commercial  Advertiser  (Whig),  daily,  morning,  Al- 
fred Dutch ;  Commercial  Advertiser,  weekly ;  Illinois  Annual  Reg- 
ister and  Western  Business  Directory,  Norris  &  Gardiner;  Liberty 
Tree  (Abolitionist),  monthly,  Z.  Eastman;  Norris  Chicago  Direc- 
tory, Norris  &  Gardiner;  People's  Friend,  German  weekly,  Hoff- 
gen  &  Miller ;  Prairie  Farmer,  monthly,  Wright  &  Wright ;  Better 
Covenant  (Universalist),  weekly,  Rev.  S.  P.  Skinner;  Western 
Citizen  (Abolitionist),  weekly,  Z.  Eastman;  Herald  of  the  Prai- 
ries (Presbyterian),  weekly,  Walker  &  Morrell;  Watchman  of  the 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  185 

Prairies  (Baptist),  weekly,  Luther  Stern;  University  of  St.  Mary 
of  the  Lake,  Rev.  J.  A.  Kinsella,  president. 

Rush  Medical  College,  W.  B.  Ogden,  president;  Grant  Goodrich, 
secretary ;  Mark  Skinner,  treasurer.  The  main  building  was  erected 
in  1844  on  Dearborn  street  in  the  Ninth  ward. 

Schools. — Districts  Nos.  1  and  2,  A.  W.  Ingalls,  principal,  600 
pupils;  district  No.  3,  M.  Ballard,  principal,  300  pupils;  district 
No.  4,  A.  G.  Wilder,  principal,  500  pupils. 

Hotels. — Sherman,  American  Temperance,  Chicago  Temper- 
ance, Franklin  Coffee,  Franklin  Home,  New  York,  Mansion, 
United  States,  Sauganash. 

A  circulating  library  of  about  1,600  volumes  was  conducted  in 
1847  by  A.  H.  and  C.  Burley.  "Mr.  Speed's  Telegraph.— The 
posts  of  this  telegraph  company  were  being  put  up  through  Clark 
street  on  Wednesday  and  Thursday.  They  cross  Captain  O'Reilly's 
line  on  Randolph." — (Democrat,  November  13,  1847.)  A  plank 
road  from  Chicago  to  Des  Plaines  was  talked  of  in  November,  1847. 
The  New  census  of  Chicago,  November,  1847,  showed  the  follow- 
ing result :  Males  under  10  years,  2,593 ;  males  between  10  and  21, 
1,203 ;  males  of  other  ages,  5,188;  females  under  10,  2,430;  females 
between  10  and  21,  1,604;  females  of  other  ages,  3,814;  total,  16,- 
832. 

In  November,  1847,  the  propeller  "Phoenix"  was  burned  be- 
tween Cheboygan  and  Manitowoc  and  250  lives,  mostly  of  Hol- 
land emigrants,  were  lost.  The  November  market  showed  large 
numbers  of  deer  and  bear.  On  November  26  a  diploma  was 
granted  P.  L.  Updike  for  having  served  ten  years  on  the  fire  de- 
partment as  a  member  of  Engine  company  No.  1.  Rush  Medical 
College  had  in  November  140  students — double  the  number  it  had 
a  year  before.  Many  wood  stoves  were  exchanged  for  coal  stoves 
at  this  time.  "Our  city  has  never  been  backward  in  any  of  the 
benevolent  enterprises  of  the  day.  It  has  given  liberally  to  the 
poor  Scotch  and  Irish,  besides  donating  large  sums  yearly  to  mis- 
sionary, tract  and  other  enterprises.  Tea,  donation  and  dancing 
parties  are  also  prominent  among  the  many  ways  and  means  for 
raising  funds  to  provide  for  their  several  objects.  But  we  have 
often  remarked  that  in  the  winter,  when  such  things  are  generally 
in  full  blast,  the  poor  are  the  last  to  get  a  turn  at  the  public  crib. 
They  must  be  satisfied  with  the  skimmed  milk,  while  the  more 
favored  are  rioting  on  the  delicious  cream.  Suppose  we  change 
this  order  of  proceeding." — (Democrat,  December  10,  1847.) 

The  Galena  &  Chicago  Railway  company  found  considerable  dif- 
ficulty in  getting  the  right  of  way  form  Chicago  to  Fox  river  in 
the  fall  of  1847.  The  new  hose  cart  cost  $450,  which  was  raised 
by  subscription ;  it  was  bought  second-hand  in  Philadelphia  and 
originally  cost  $1,700.  The  cheap  postage  system  inaugurated 
late  in  1847  was  a  great  boon  and  advantage  to  business  men.  It 


186  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

was  Jackson  Hall  against  the  field.  The  Democrat  scooped 
the  Journal  and  all  others  and  published  the  President's  message 
first  in  December,  1847.  It  ran  a  private  express  by  Gray  &  But- 
ler's fast  nags,  and  brought  the  message  from  Mattville,  Michigan 
(130  miles),  in  nine  hours — thirty-six  hours  ahead  of  the  mail. 
This  was  considered  great  enterprise.  The  Democrat  had  done  the 
same  act  in  1846.  The  Democrat  of  December  21,  1847,  said  of 
the  Peace  Convention  held  here  at  the  Tabernacle  Baptist  church : 
"It  has  been  called  by  a  few  foreigners  (not  citizens)  and  Aboli- 
tionists who  under  the  pretext  of  being  the  friends  of  peace  have 
taken  this  course  to  give  vent  to  their  hostility  to  the  Government. 
.  .  .  Chicago  has  done  nobly  in  raising  troops  for  the  war,  and 
it  is  really  too  bad  that  she  should  be  disgraced  with  such  a  meet- 
ing."—  (Democrat,  December,  1847.)  There  were  many  poor  peo- 
ple in  town  and  they  were  given  much  help.  Numerous  applica- 
tions for  work  and  other  relief  were  made  to  the  county  board 
and  the  county  commissioners.  Very  severe  cold  prevailed.  On 
the  street  wood  sold  at  $6  or  a  trifle  less  per  cord;  coal  at  $6  per 
ton.  It  was  decided  that  coal  was  cheaper  than  wood.  Many 
thought  that  when  the  canal  opened  coal  would  drive  out  wood 
and  were  using  coal  in  open-hearth  fire-places. 

A  new  market  in  State  street,  not  to  cost  over  $10,000,  was  pro- 
jected in  December,  1847;  A.  Peck's  bid  to  build  it  was  accepted. 
"Resolved,  That  the  City  of  Chicago  will  undertake  to  erect  build- 
ings sufficient  for  the  accommodation  of  the  city  and  county  upon 
the  public  square,  provided  the  county  will  convey  to  the  city  its 
title  to  said  square." — (Resolution  introduced  by  Alderman  Gran- 
ger, December  22,  1847.)  "Telegraph. — We  understand  the  tele- 
graph between  this  city  and  Milwaukee  is  up  and  in  working  or- 
der so  far  as  the  wires  are  concerned.  All  that  is  waiting  are  the 
batteries  and  registers." — (Democrat,  January  4,  1848.) 

It  was  noted  in  January,  1848,  that  large  numbers  of  Norwe- 
gians were  settling  in  this  city  and  county.  About  a  block  on  Lake 
and  Water  streets  was  burned  at  this  time;  two  hotels  were  de- 
stroyed— New  York  and  Columbian  houses.  On  Saturday,  Jan- 
uary 15,  1848,  the  first  telegraph  message  between  Milwaukee  and 
Chicago  was  sent.  "The  telegraph  worked  well  and  appears  to  be 
perfectly  under  control  of  the  operator.  This  is  Messrs.  Speed  and 
Cornell's  line,"  said  the  Democrat  of  January  17.  The  contract 
for  a  plank  road  from  Chicago  to  Des  Plaines  was  let  to  A.  J.  Doug- 
lass, of  Chicago,  in  January.  The  first  telegraph  charges  to  Mil- 
waukee were  25  cents  for  ten  words;  2  cents  for  each  additional 
word,  and  2  cents  for  delivery.  The  first  telegraph  message  be- 
tween Chicago  and  Michigan  City  was  sent  on  January  28.  In 
January,  1848,  the  Council  granted  the  citizens  permission  to  build 
a  bridge  at  State  street  without  cost  to  the  city — private  subscrip- 
tion. The  plank  road  was  described  to  extend  from  the  Mihvau- 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  187 

kee  road  between  Dickinson's  and  Robert's  on  the  Sand  Ridge  to 
Smith's  tavern  on  Union  Ridge,  and  thence  to  the  Des  Plaines  river 
near  Brook's  tavern,  and  thence  to  the  house  of  F.  W.  Page  at  Elk 
Grove.  "A  gentleman  coming  into  town  yesterday  morning  on  the 
road  from  Wheeling  to  this  city  (the  route  of  the  proposed  plank 
road)  met  within  seven  miles  of  the  city  120  teams.  And  this 
number  does  not  give  a  correct  idea  of  the  amount  of  travel  on 
that  road,  as  it  was  too  early  in  the  morning  to  meet  the  largest 
number ;  and  the  roads  not  being  first  rate,  other  days  would  show 
a  great  increase.  Indeed  we  have  seen  ten  times  as  many  teams  in 
the  streets  as  there  were  yesterday.  There  can  be  no  question  that 
stock  in  the  Northwest  Plank  road  will  pay  large  dividends." — 
(Democrat,  February  10,  1848.)  "Plank  the  Streets.— That  little 
bit  of  planking  on  Lake  street  is  a  standing  monument  to  the  want 
of  public  spirit  in  the  property  holders  of  Chicago.  It  proves  the 
entire  sufficiency  of  planking  to  obviate  the  mud,  which  renders 
our  streets,  without  exception,  worse  than  those  of  any  other  city. 
A  great  deal  has  thus  been  done  to  drive  trade  from  this  city. 
The  effort  may  yet  be  successful." — (Democrat,  February  22,  1848.) 

The  pumps  of  the  canal  water  works  were  started  on  February 
10,  1848,  to  fill  the  summit  level  of  the  canal — one  engine  of  170 
horsepower.  A  percussion  match  factory  was  established  here  by 
N.  Woolsey  &  Co.  Theodotus  Doty,  on  the  Naperville  road,  was 
postmaster  in  Lyons  township  in  1848.  In  the  spring  Randolph 
street  from  the  South  branch  to  State  street  was  planked  and  a 
special  assessment  of  $6,500  was  levied  to  cover  costs.  At  this 
time  Chicago  and  Cincinnati  were  connected  by  telegraph — 
O'Reilly's  line.  It  was  argued  in  1848  that  St.  Louis,  in  order  to 
countercheck  Chicago,  must  build  a  railway  from  Cincinnati  to  St. 
Louis.  An  assessment  of  $3,273  on  the  property  benefited  was 
levied  for  the  construction  of  the  aqueduct  on  Madison  street  from 
the  South  branch  to  the  east  side  of  State  street. 

About  April  1,  1848,  water  was  ready  to  be  let  in  on  the  sum- 
mit level  and  the  Ottawa  level  of  the  canal.  In  1846-47  Beards- 
town,  Illinois,  packed  35,000  hogs,  while  Chicago  packed  but  20,- 
000.  Pekin  packed  15,000;  Naples,  15.000;  Peoria,  10,000,  and 
Merodosia  15,000.  Early  in  April,  1848.  Lockport  launched  the 
first  boat  on  the  canal — named  "General  Fry,"  for  a  former  trus- 
tee. It  ran  from  Lockport  to  Joliet,  at  both  of  which  places  meet- 
ings were  held  and  speeches  delivered  to  celebrate  the  event.  The 
completion  of  the  canal  and  the  early  completion  of  the  Galena  & 
Chicago  Railway  immensely  stimulated  building  and  business  here. 
"Yesterday  afternoon  the  city  was  completely  deserted."  Every- 
body had  gone  to  Lockport  to  see  the  "General  Fry"  locked  through 
the  canal.  The  boat  was  decorated  and  crowded  with  ladies  and 
gentlemen.  The  propeller  "A.  Rossiter"  took  her  in  tow  and  at 
7:30,  April  10,  1848,  she  was  afloat  on  Lake  Michigan.  The  boat 


188  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

was  cheered  all  along  the  river  as  it  passed  down.  The  event  was 
observed  here  with  a  public  meeting  and  with  speeches  by  John 
Wentworth  and  Charles  Walker.  The  completion  of  the  canal 
was  succeeded  by  great  activity  in  building  on  the  South  branch. 
The  first  loaded  boat  through  from  Peru  to  Chicago  arrived  April 
24,  1848,  with  100  barrels  of  molasses  and  49  hogsheads  of  sugar; 
the  name  of  the  boat  was  "General  Thornton."  Twenty-three 
teams  (sixty-nine  horses)  were  put  on  the  canal  on  April  22,  1848. 
About  May  1,  stone  from  Joliet  began  to  arrive  by  canal  and  a 
little  later  coal  made  its  appearance  via  the  same  route.  The  pas- 
senger fare  by  canalboat  from  Chicago  to  Peru  was  $4;  on  one 
trip  a  boat  carried  100  persons,  receiving  therefor  $400;  the  fare 
was  deemed  too  high. 

The  city  had  water  carts  long  before  1848,  the  exact  date  is 
unknown.  The  cabin  fare  from  Buffalo  to  Chicago  in  1847  was 
$10;  in  1848  it  was  raised  to  $14;  there  was  a  combination  to  put 
up  prices.  Capt.  R.  Hugunin,  in  April,  1848,  was  superintendent 
of  construction  of  the  plank  road  from  Chicago  to  Des  Plaines.  In 
1848  for  the  first  time  grocers  began  to  deliver  goods  tq^  the 
houses  of  customers.  In  May  several  hundred  men  were  at  work 
grading  the  Galena  railway  a  short  distance  west  of  Chicago.  The 
Stoats  Zeitung  (State  Gazette)  made  its  first  appearance  about 
April  30,  with  Doctor  Helmuth  as  editor.  Col.  John  C.  Fremont 
and  lady  were  at  the  Sherman  house  in  April.  It  came  to  be  the 
practice  here  in  1848  to  charge  emigrants  for  landing  their  effects 
upon  the  wharves;  a  body  of  them  formally  protested  against  this 
exaction.  The  Democrat  had  had  an  Adams  press,  but  in  May, 
1848,  received  a  Taylor  cylinder  power  press,  which  could  run  off 
in  one  hour  the  entire  edition  of  any  paper  in  the  city.  "Tfo 
Canal  Trade. — The  trade  on  the  canal  increases  beyond  all  prece- 
dent. We  notice  the  first  shipment  of  lumber  to  St.  Louis — 125,- 
000  feet,  by  Horace  Norton  &  Co. ;  also  a  ton  of  salaratus  by  the 
same  firm.  Several  contracts  embracing  25,000  and  30,000  bushels 
of  corn,  oats,  etc.,  have  been  made  to  come  forward  next  month.  The 
want  of  boats  is  sensibly  felt,  as  the  trade  has  already  exceeded  the 
capacity  of  those  running." — (Democrat,  May  13,  1848.)  The  tele- 
graph did  not  a  little  to  facilitate  business  operations;  the  O'Reilly 
lines  connected  Chicago  with  St.  Louis  via  Milwaukee  and  Galena.  A 
big  grant  of  land  by  Congress  to  the  Illinois  Central  railway  caused 
Chicago  to  rejoice  in  May,  1848;  Senators  Breese  and  Douglas  were 
given  due  credit  for  their  exertions.  "Nuisances. — The  slaughter 
houses  on  the  South  branch  and  the  distillery  and  pig  stye  and 
slaughter  houses  on  the  lake  shore  are  complained  of,  and  justly, 
as  nuisances.  They  are  at  times  almost  intolerable,  and  the  stench 
from  them  must  tend  to  breed  disease,  especially  in  a  crowded 
city."— Democrat,  May  22,  1848.) 

In  May,   1848,  a  combination  to  hold  wheat  at  80  cents  was 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  189 

broken  and  the  price  was  forced  to  85  cents.  O'Reilly's  telegraph 
was  extended  to  Springfield  in  May  or  June,  1848;  at  this  time 
Chicago  was  connected  by  wire  with  New  York  on  the  east, 
Galena  on  the  west,  Milwaukee  on  the  north  and  with  St.  Louis 
and  New  Orleans  on  the  south.  "Canal. — Notwithstanding  the 
increase  of  boats  on  the  canal,  there  is  said  to  be  freight  enough 
at  Peru  at  this  moment  to  keep  the  whole  fleet  engaged  for  a  month 
if  not  another  ton  should  accumulate.  The  Peru  Beacon  says  there 
is  no  probability  of  the  produce  there  being  cleared  out  as  boat 
after  boat  from  below  crowd  the  landing  with  produce  for  Chi- 
cago, and  a  hundred  wagons  at  a  time  crowd  the  streets  loaded 
with  wheat  to  be  shipped  on  the  canal." — (Democrat,  July  7, 
1848.) 

The  first  brick  warehouse  on  Market  street  was  built  in  1848 
by  R.  C.  Bristol;  it  was  70  by  75  and  four  stories.  Canal  boats 
were  built  in  the  city  away  from  the  river  and  afterward  moved 
to  the  water  as  houses  were  moved.  In  June  the  city  borrowed 
of  George  Smith,  E.  D.  Taylor,  Augustus  Garrett,  Walter  S. 
Gurnee  and  Charles  V.  Dyer  $11,070  for  five  years  at  6  per  cent, 
with  which  to  build  the  new  State  street  market.  In  June  the 
steamer  "Queen  City"  ran  from  Chicago  to  Buffalo,  including 
stops,  in  two  days  and  twenty  hours — the  quickest  trip  on  record 
to  date;  the  "American"  made  the  trip  in  two  days  and  twenty- 
two  hours.  The  Des  Plaines  (Northwestern)  plank  road  was  an- 
nounced finished  on  September  7,  1848.  At  this  date  the  rails  on  the 
Galena  railway  were  laid  from  Chicago  to  a  point  a  few  miles 
westward.  Immense  quantities  of  wheat  began  to  arrive  by  wagon 
and  canal  in  September,  1848.  Hundreds  of  farmers^  wagons 
thus  loaded  came  from  long  distances  south  and  west;  the  price 
ran  up  to  $1  per  bushel  on  September  11. 

"There  is  now  a  smart  chance  of  a  man's  making  his  'lasting 
fortune,'  by  trying  his  luck  on  a  cargo  of  Illinois  wheat  and  pocket- 
ing a  cool  thousand  with  very  little  trouble  if  he  only  watches  the 
telegraph  close  enough  to  get  half  an  hour  ahead  of  his  contem- 
poraries in  the  field." — (Democrat,  September  12,  1848.)  "A 
lucky  dog  who  happened  to  receive  a  slip  by  telegraph  last  week 
and  who  had  long  been  watching  his  turn  of  the  wheat,  started 
for  the  docks,  like  a  fresh  hound  from  the  leash,  seeking  among 
the  holders  of  Illinois  wheat  whom  he  might  make  a  meal  of.  He 
soon  came  across  his  man  and  immediately  struck  a  bargain  for  a 
cargo  at  80  cents  per  bushel,  the  seller  chuckling  over  his  trade. 
In  less  than  fifteen  minutes,  however,  the  market  rose  to  85  cents, 
and  the  fortunate  possessor  of  the  news  by  the  last  flash  pocketed 
the  cool  five  hundred  and  like  a  bloated  spider  retired  again  to  the 
citadel  of  his  fortress  to  weave  fresh  meshes  with  which  to  en- 
tangle another  unwary  fly.  And  thus  are  fortunes  made  in  the 
Garden  City  of  the  West." — (Democrat,  September  12,  1848.) 


190  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

The  Niles  Register,  August  6,  1814,  said:  "By  the  Illinois  river 
it  is  probable  that  Buffalo,  in  New  York,  may  be  united  with  New 
Orleans  by  inland  navigation  through  Lakes  Erie,  Huron  and 
Michigan,  and  down  that  river  to  the  Mississippi.  What  a  route! 
How  stupendous  the  idea!  How  dwindles  the  importance  of  the 
artificial  canals  of  Europe  compared  to  this  water  communication. 
If  it  should  ever  take  place  (and  it  is  said  the  opening  may  be 
easily  made)  the  territory  (of  Illinois)  will  become  the  seat  of 
an  immense  commerce  and  a  market  for  the  commodities  of  all 
regions." 

"How  strange  to  us  appear  some  of  the  expressions  of  this 
paragraph.  Then  all  west  of  Ohio  was  an  unbroken  wilderness, 
inhabited  only  by  savages  with  here  and  there  a  fort  or  trading 
post  and  a  few  small  French  settlements  along  the  Mississippi. 
Little  did  the  writer  think  that  in  only  thirty-four  years  'his  stu- 
pendous idea'  would  become  a  commonplace  reality,  and  that  in 
less  than  forty  years  a  city  of  more  than  sixty  thousand  people 
would  be  reposing  in  quiet  dignity  at  the  northern  terminus  of 
that  canal.  What  an  'immense  commerce'  that  city  has  engaged 
the  past  year." — (Democrat,  1848.) 

In  1848  a  railroad  had  reached  New  Buffalo  in  Michigan,  sixty 
miles  from  Chicago ;  for  six  years  Chicago  was  not  interested  in 
it;  but  was  interested  in  all  the  western  roads,  because  the  western 
roads  would  bring  the  produce  and  the  boats  would  take  it  East. 
This  was  the  old  view  held  by  Chicagoans.  Many  merchants 
really  opposed  the  western  roads,  thinking  they  would  distribute 
the  trade  along  the  route  instead  of  concentrating  it  at  Chicago 
as  a  deposit.  They  soon  learned  differently.  No  attempt  to  can- 
vass for  money  was  made  for  roads  eastward.  Chicago  let  others 
build  the  roads  and  rested  on  her  position.  But  the  East  fought 
for  a  monopoly  of  the  way  to  Chicago — wanted  the  trade — Buffalo, 
New  York,  Baltimore,  Philadelphia.  The  Michigan  Central  and 
the  Michigan  Southern  were  rivals,  each  trying  for  Chicago  trade 
and  connection.  The  Northern  Indiana  route  reached  Chicago 
February  20,  1852,  and  the  Michigan  Central  a  few  weeks  later. 
The  effect  was  immediate  and  prodigious.  First,  in  1847,  strap 
iron  was  used  on  the  Galena  road,  and  by  1850  forty-two  miles 
to  Elgin  had  been  completed.  This  was  the  only  road  that  Chi- 
cago started  partly  at  her  own  expense — but  it  was  taken  up  by 
the  Northwestern  railway  1864.  From  1848  to  1852  the  canal 
stood  alone  for  Chicago  of  all  the  proposed  western  transits.  The 
city  had  a  population  of  20,023  in  1848  and  13^2  square  miles  of 
territory.  An  immense  business  in  coal,  stone,  wheat,  pork,  corn, 
lumber,  etc.,  was  done.  But  the  railways  at  once  greatly  sur- 
passed the  canal  and  swept  the  growth  and  commerce  of  the  city 
on  with  unprecedented  and  wonderful  strides. 

In  September,  1848,  it  was  noticed  that  canal  boats  carried  large 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 


191 


cargoes  both  ways  for  almost  the  first  time  generally.  The  Chi- 
cago Horticultural  society  gave  a  creditable  exhibition  in  the 
courthouse  in  September.  In  1848  about  sixty-five  acres  north  of 
the  cemetery  were  purchased  by  the  city  for  $2,425 ;  this  is  now 
a  part  of  Lincoln  park.  The  unsold  canal  lands  and  lots  in  Cook 
county  were  estimated  to  be  worth  at  this  time  about  $1,041,295. 
The  sale  of  forfeited  canal  lots  at  this  time  brought  high  prices. 
At  this  time  the  city  relied  on  the  country  adjacent  for  its  beef; 
droves  of  cattle  were  driven  here  from  two  hundred  miles  dis- 
tant ;  one  man  in  McLean  county  sold  one  thousand  head  in  one 
drove  to  Wadsworth,  Dyer  &  Co.,  packers,  in  September.  At  this 
date  Marsh  &  Sherry  and  Slocum  &  Clapp  were  also  packers. 

In  1846  there  were  used  nineteen  steamboats,  thirty-six  brigs, 
seventeen  propellers,  one  hundred  and  twenty  schooners — tonnage 
44,450.  Arrivals  and  departures,  3,779;  corn  exported,  1846,  11,- 
947  bushels;  corn  exported,  1847,  67,315  bushels. 


EXPORTS. 

Wheat. 

Flour. 

Beef  and  Pork. 

Wool. 

1842  

587,207 

2,920 

16209 

1  500 

1843  

628,966 

10,876 

21795 

22952 

1844            

891  894 

6329 

14838 

96636 

1845  .• 

956,850 

13,752 

13266 

216610 

1846  

1,459,590 

23,045 

31,269 

281  225 

1847  

1  674  304 

42538 

48958 

411  488 

By  September  30,  1848,  the  rails  had  been  laid  on  the  Galena 
railway  westward  two  and  a  half  miles,  starting  from  Kinzie 
street.  In  1848  for  the  first  time  on  an  extensive  scale  there 
were  many  hold-ups  and  numerous  cases  of  stealing  on  a  large 
scale.  Cattle  were  stolen  from  the  prairie  adjacent  and  driven  to 
the  yards  and  hurriedly  slaughtered  before  the  owners  could  re- 
cover them.  In  October,  Abraham  Lincoln,  Congressman,  and 
family  passed  through  Chicago  on  their  way  from  Washington  to 
Springfield.  The  Northwestern  plank  road  extended  from  Mil- 
waukee avenue  at  the  city  line  to  Sand  Ridge  at  Dickinson's, 
thence  to  Shrigley's  at  Dutchman's  Point,  thence  through  Wheel- 
ing to  the  county  line.  A  plank  road  was  planned  at  this  time  to 
extend  from  the  city  limits  at  the  end  of  State  street  (Twenty- 
second  street)  a  distance  of  twelve  miles  to  Rexford's  at  Blue 
Island;  the  estimated  cost  was  $1,800  per  mile.  In  October  every 
packing  firm  in  the  city  was  working  overtime  to  take  care  of  the 
cattle  arriving  in  droves  of  several  hundred  each.  About  four 
hundred  were  being  killed  daily.  On  October  8,  the  brig  "Buf- 
falo" arrived  with  the  first  locomotive  for  the  Galena  railway  and 
one  hundred  tons  of  railway  iron;  between  four  and  five  miles  of 
track  were  graded  at  this  time  and  about  1,500  feet  of  track  were 
being  laid  daily.  "The  forwarding  merchants  in  this  city  have 


192  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

had  more  merchandise  pass  through  their  hands  this  past  week 
than  they  have  ever  had  in  the  same  space  of  time  since  the  set- 
tlement of  the  place." — (Democrat,  October  10,  1848.) 

Two  new  fire  engines  arrived  from  Boston  in  October,  they  cost 
about  $750  and  were  bought  by  Mr.  Gale.  On  October  9,  teams 
and  canal  brought  in  19,500  bushels  of  wheat.  The  work  of 
widening  the  river  was  begun  on  North  Water  street  on  October 
11.  The  dirt  was  dumped  in  hollows,  vacant  lots,  streets,  roads, 
etc.  Wheat  fell  to  50  cents  per  bushel  on  that  date — a  great  dis- 
appointment to  the  farmers.  During  1848  the  West  Side  im- 
proved faster  than  any  portion  of  the  city.  The  great  lumber 
yards  began  to  arise  there.  The  canal,  the  Galena  railway  and 
the  plank  road  in  addition  made  that  division  attractive.  This 
was  the  year  when  many  iron  mills  were  established,  because  the 
canal  brought  coal — flour-mill  and  saw-mill  machinery,  founderies, 
threshing  machines,  boilers,  plows,  elevators,  freight  cars,  engines, 
stoves,  castings,  wagons,  agricultural  implements,  ship  ironwork 
and  paper  mills.  The  iron  came  largely  from  Scotland  through 
the  St.  Lawrence  river.  The  new  market  on  State  street  had  the 
largest  hall  in  the  city — on  the  second  floor;  it  could  be  made 
smaller  by  double  doors.  Every  road  leading  to  Chicago  for  a 
hundred  miles  was  lined  with  long  trains  of  prairie  schooners 
loaded  with  produce  of  every  kind.  The  new  fire  engine  com- 
pany No.  5,  was  organized  in  October,  1848.  The  canal  tolls  at 
Chicago  from  May  9,  1848,  to  October  14,  1848,  were  $40,527.27. 
On  October  24  the  locomotive  and  two  cars  were  put  on  the  track 
of  the  Galena  railway — they  were  the  first.  The  next  day  they 
ran  out  as  far  as  the  track  had  been  laid — five  miles;  this  was 
the  first  trip  of  a  locomotive  and  train  from  Chicago.  On  October 
24,  the  annual  firemen's  parade  took  place;  they  were  escorted  by 
the  Hussars,  Flying  Artillery,  Montgomery  Guards  and  Jaegers. 
At  the  close  the  five  engines  had  a  trial  of  skill.  In  1848  the  canal 
did  not  fully  meet  expectations,  because  St.  Louis  proved  as  good 
a  market  as  Chicago  for  the  products  of  the  Illinois  valley.  Grain 
could  go  down  to  St.  Louis  cheaper  than  come  here,  and  in  St. 
Louis  the  cash  was  at  once  realized,  while  by  the  Chicago  route  the 
cash  was  obtained  mainly  at  Buffalo.  Later  the  winters  tied  up 
commerce  at  Chicago,  while  at  St.  Louis  the  river  was  open  most 
of  the  time. 

"Owing  to  the  energy  and  enterprise  of  Thomas  Dyer,  Esq.,  and 
his  partners  in  the  beef  packing  business,  Chicago  has  become 
famous  for  its  fine  beef,  even  in  the  metropolis  of  the  beef-eating 
English  nation.  If  any  one  is  anxious  to  know  how  this  desirable 
celebrity  has  been  acquired  he  has  only  to  visit  the  extensive 
slaughtering,  carving  and  packing  establishment  on  the  South 
branch,  where  eighty  or  more  stalwart  men  are  employed." — 
(Democrat,  October  31,  1848.)  "On  a  Strike.— The  Jack  Tars 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  195 

are  all  on  a  strike.  They  do  not  admire  the  weather  at  this  season 
and  have  demanded  higher  wages  to  remunerate  them  for  the  hard- 
ships and  dangers  they  are  compelled  to  endure.  Whole  crews  of 
the  poor  fellows  have  been  confined  in  the  jail  this  summer  for  refus- 
ing to  return  to  Buffalo  on  the  same  vessel  on  which  they  had 
started  from  that  port,  thus  putting  themselves  in  the  power  of 
the  law,  which  gives  the  captain  right  of  legal  process  to  compel 
them  to  fulfill  their  engagements." — (Democrat,  November  2. 
1848.)  "It  is  wonderful  to  see  with  what  rapidity  the  city  is  ex- 
tending itself  south  and  west.  Factory  after  factory,  dwelling 
after  dwelling,  attest  the  growth  of  the  Garden  City  in  those  quar- 
ters, while  in  the  city  and  in  other  directions  the  increase  is  also 
great." — (Democrat,  November  4,  1848.) 

The  new  State  street  market  was  ready  for  use  on  October  30, 
and  had  numerous  stalls.  It  was  said:  "Now  housekeepers  will 
not  have  to  chase  around  town  to  get  what  they  want."  On  Sep- 
tember 1  the  census  showed  a  population  of  20,023  for  the  city. 
The  Second  ward — Monroe  to  Harrison  and  Lake  to  the  river — 
was  the  largest,  having  2,904,  and  the  Fifth  (Bridgeport)  the 
smallest,  with  299.  There  were  228  colored  residents.  The  old 
market  on  State  street  was  removed  to  Market  street,  the  center 
of  the  canal  trade,  where  there  was  a  dense  population.  The  ar- 
rival here  in  November,  1848,  of  the  steamer  "Empire  State"  was 
considered  an  important  event.  It  was  much  the  largest  vessel  on 
the  lakes — 310  feet  long,  60  feet  wide,  37  feet  beam,  15  feet  hold 
and  registered  1,800  tons.  The  engine  cylinder  was  76  inches  in 
diameter  and  the  piston  had  a  stroke  of  12  feet.  Captain  Hazard 
was  commander.  The  passenger  capacity  was  2,000.  Crowds  in- 
spected the  vessel.  Whenever  a  vessel  was  wrecked  the  papers 
would  say:  "Another  result  of  Folk's  veto  of  the  harbor  bill." 
Early  in  November  800  sheep  in  one  flock  were  driven  here  for 
slaughter.  "Chicago  beats  the  world  for  house  moving,"  said  the 
Democrat.  On  November  13,  the  City  Council  met  for  the  first 
time  in  their  hall  in  the  new  State  street  market.  The  Mechanics' 
Fair  was  held  in  November.  "A  week  today  the  election  took  place, 
and  the  rush  for  office  is  beyond  all  precedent.  There  is  scarcely 
a  grocery  in  town  where  the  barkeeper  has  not  got  a  petition  for 
some  man  to  have  some  of  the  offices  in  the  city.  There  is  one 
place  where  a  barkeeper  has  already  told  that  he  got  a  sixpence  a 
name  for  every  name  that  signed  a  petition  that  he  had  for  a  cer- 
tain man  to  be  postmaster.  Men  have  already  come  to  this  city 
from  fifty  miles  distance  to  make  arrangements  to  get  a  petty  post- 
office."— (Democrat,  November  14,  1848.) 

Large  numbers  of  vessels  wintered  here  in  1848-49,  90  sail  ves- 
sels, 4  steamboats,  5  propellers  and  57  canalboats.  State  street 
around  the  new  market  was  planked  in  November,  1848.  Many 
deer  were  in  market — twenty  to  thirty  in  one  shop.  By  November 

Vol.  1—12. 


196  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

20,  1848,  the  Galena  railway  was  completed  to  the  Des  Plaines 
river,  a  distance  of  ten  miles.  The  locomotive  ran  out  daily  con- 
veying men  and  materials.  "Riding  on  a  rail"  soon  became  a  trite 
expression.  On  November  20,  a  number  of  editors  and  several 
stockholders  of  the  railway  took  a  ride  out  to  the  Des  Plaines 
river  and  brought  back  a  farmer's  load  of  wheat — the  first  to 
reach  Chicago  by  rail.  At  the  same  time  Millican  Hunt  and  John 
Worthington  shipped  in  by  rail  the  first  cargo  of  hogs.  At  this 
time  the  Council  decided  to  plank  Canal  and  Randolph  streets. 
On  December  3,  the  funeral  of  ex-Mayor  Garrett  was  the  largest 
ever  held  here  up  to  that  date.  On  December  7,  the  new  State 
street  market  was  first  opened.  When  the  roads  were  bad  the 
trade  here  fell  almost  to  nothing;  then  was  the  time  all  favored 
plank  roads.  The  following  were  talked  of — Chicago  to  Blue  Is- 
land ;  Chicago  to  Des  Plaines,  near  Spencer's ;  Chicago,  north  to- 
ward Gross  Point.  "The  periodical  depression  in  trade,  one  of 
which  is  now  upon  us,  would  by  these  roads  be  entirely  avoided, 
and  the  city  would  not  for  four  to  six  months  out  of  the  twelve, 
be  completely  cut  off  from  the  source  of  all  its  prosperity  and  all 
its  wealth."— (Democrat,  December  9,  1848.) 

In  1848,  prior  to  November  10,  the  canal  yielded  about  $126,- 
000.  Three  hundred  boats  were  put  on,  but  the  start  was  slow 
owing  to  a  lack  of  water.  The  first  year  was  considered  experi- 
mental, but  the  following  results  were  accomplished — bringing 
coal  from  the  center  of  Illinois  to  the  lake  cities ;  transporting  lum- 
ber and  salt  from  Chicago  to  St.  Louis;  transporting  the  produce 
of  the  Illinois  river  country  to  Chicago  and  thence  to  Eastern 
markets.  In  the  winter  of  1848-49  it  was  concluded  to  put  on 
many  more  boats  and  to  open  the  Calumet  feeder  whereby  about 
5,000  cubic  feet  of  water  per  minute  in  addition  would  be  secured. 
Land  sales  were  rapidly  reducing  the  canal  debt.  The  exportation 
of  ice  began  in  1848  on  an  extensive  scale.  On  December  23, 
snow  fell  here  to  the  depth  of  from  twelve  to  eighteen  inches — 
deeper  than  any  fall  since  1842,  when  it  was  about  the  same.  The 
fine  sleighing  brought  farmers  to  market.  Think  of  it — poultry  was 
3  to  4  cents  a  pound,  venison  3  cents,  prairie  chickens  15  cents  per 
pair,  and  quails  12  cents  per  dozen.  "The  multiplication  of  drink- 
ing shops  in  the  city  is  alarming  the  more  temperate  portion  of 
the  community.  There  are  now,  we  are  informed,  nearly  one 
hundred  and  ninety  persons  selling  on  license  at  $50  per  annum. 
How  many  are  selling  without  we  cannot  say.  This  is  a  heavy 
business  for  a  city  of  20,000  inhabitants." — (Democrat,  December 
27,  1848.) 

About  this  time — December,  1848 — the  California  gold  excite- 
ment began  to  stir  Chicago;  soon  .the  "forty-niners"  began  to  get 
ready  to  leave  in  the  spring.  Even  during  the  winter  Chicagoans 
went  to  New  York  and  there  took  vessel  for  the  Eldorado.  Ice 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  197 

was  cut  from  Chicago  river  below  the  Clark  street  bridge  and  used 
in  1848-49.  California  gold  began  to  arrive  here  in  December, 
1848.  A  new  plank  road  from  Chicago  to  Elgin  was  projected  at 
a  large  meeting  held  at  the  house  of  L.  H.  Appleby  in  Blooming- 
dale,  Du  Page  county,  on  January  20,  1849.  McCormick's  reap- 
ers were  beginning  to  make  Chicago  famous.  The  weather  was 
intensely  cold  for  several  weeks  in  January,  1849.  "Office  Seekers. 
— The  office  seekers  among  the  Whigs  have  come  out  of  their  hid- 
ing places  in  crowds  and  are  now  like  a  swarm  of  locusts  lighting 
upon  the  citizens  with  petitions,  recommendations,  etc.  The  post- 
office  is  the  great  bone  over  which  the  quarrel  is  loudest  and  for 
which  the  most  desperate  exertions  are  making.  There  are  as 
many  as  from  ten  to  twenty  applicants  for  some  offices,  and  for 
others  their  name  is  legion." — (Democrat.) 

The  prospect  of  the  early  completion  of  the  Michigan  Central 
railroad  to  Lake  Michigan  and  afterward  its  early  continuation  to 
Chicago  greatly  stimulated  business  and  improvement  here  in  the 
spring  of  1849.  A  paper  was  circulated  in  January,  1849,  request- 
ing signers  "to  support  no  man  for  election  to  the  City  Council, 
and  no  present  member  holding  over  for  re-election,  who  will  not 
unequivocally  pledge  himself  to  a  systematic  and  thorough  im- 
provement of  our  streets.  "On  February  1,  1849,  there  were  here 
in  store  435,000  bushels  of  wheat.  There  were  but  nine  feet  of 
water  on  the  bar  at  the  entrance  to  the  harbor  on  March  30.  "The 
completion  of  the  Central  railroad  to  New  Buffalo,  with  the  fast 
boats  on  the  lake  and  the  new  arrangements  of  the  railroad  com- 
panies in  New  York  will  enable  a  person,  as  the  New  York  Com- 
mercial remarks,  to  sup  one  day  in  New  York,  the  second  in  Buf- 
falo, the  third  in  Detroit,  and  breakfast  in  Chicago  the  next  morn- 
ing. That's  going  it  with  a  rush." — (Democrat,  April  10,  1849.) 

By  act  of  February  12,  1849,  the  Firemen's  Benevolent  associa- 
tion of  Chicago  was  incorporated  under  S.  F.  Gale,  C.  E.  Peck,  C. 
E.  Griswold,  A.  Gilbert,  Cyrus  Bradley,  A.  Rossiter  and  others. 
It  was  14  degrees  below  zero  on  February  15,  1849.  There  were 
numerous  cases  of  "knockdowns"  and  "hold-ups"  at  this  time.  The 
old  postoffice  was  established  on  Clark  street  opposite  the  court- 
house in  1836,  and  was  still  there  in  1849.  Steam  to  elevate  grain 
in  the  warehouses  of  R.  C.  Bristol  and  Mr.  Haddock  was  used  at 
this  time.  For  the  fiscal  year  1848-49,  a  satisfactory  report  was 
made  by  the  authorities.  Many  liabilities  of  former  years  were 
discharged.  Interest  in  city  bonds  to  the  amount  of  $1,439.11  was 
paid  to  Strachan  &  Scott  and  George  Smith  &  Co.  Nearly  $3,000 
was  paid  to  S.  F.  Gale  and  W.  S.  Gurnee  on  account  of  hose  and 
hose  carriage.  On  roads  leading  into  the  city  $454  was  spent. 
Randolph  street  bridge  bonds  of  $1,000  were  redeemed.  There 
was  received  from  the  delinquent  resources  of  former  years 
$2,291.40.  The  total  receipts  of  1848-49  were  $47,711.77,  of  which 


198  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

$6,398.28  came  from  the  wharfing  lots,  $5,761.83  from  the  school 
tax  and  $13,887.88  from  the  city  tax.  The  total  expenses  of  the 
city  in  1848-49  were  $45,050.54.  The  fire  department  cost  $4,205.- 
62 ;  dredging  to  widen  the  river,  $3,509.63 ;  city  hospital,  $459.94. 
The  total  liabilities  of  the  city  were  $36,333.20,  and  the  total  re- 
sources, $43,637.17.  Among  the  liabilities  were  bonds  of  $3,000 
for  the  Clark  street  bridge;  bonds  of  $10,870  for  the  State  street 
market;  lots  for  the  fire  department,  $2,413.10;  due  for  cemetery 
land,  $1,818.75. 

It  should  be  noted  that  even  as  late  as  1848-49,  Beardstown,  a 
small  place  well  down  on  the  Illinois  river,  packed  more  hogs  than 
Chicago;  that  town  packed  48,150  hogs  in  1848-49.  Various  build- 
ing associations  were  established  in  1849.  J.  R.  Bull  &  Co.  began 
to  issue  the  Chicago  Dollar  Newspaper  in  March,  1849.  A  party 
of  Chicagoans  left  for  California  on  March  17,  taking  their  boat 
by  rail  to  the  Des  Plaines  and  then  floating  to  St.  Louis.  Many 
wagon-trains  bound  for  California  passed  through  here  in  the 
spring  of  1849.  It  was  stated  at  this  time  that  from  December  1, 
1848,  to  March  1,  1849,  162  vessels  had  left  the  Atlantic  cities  for 
California;  they  carried  many  Chicagoans.  A  large  train  of  Ger- 
mans and  Americans  left  here  on  March  29  to  cross  the  plains  to 
the  Pacific  slope. 

The  "great  flood  of  '49"  occurred  on  Monday,  March  12,  1849. 
The  usual  spring  thaw,  accompanied  by  several  days  of  heavy  rain 
was  sufficient  to  raise  the  river  suddenly  high  above  its  banks. 
Bridges,  lumber  and  vessels  above  began  to  give  way,  were  swept 
down,  carrying  others  with  them  until  in  the  main  river  near  State 
street  all  were  at  last  jammed  into  a  huge  dam.  Vessels  were 
thrown  in  every  position  on  the  banks,  some  stranded  wholly  and 
wrecked,  others  partly  so,  and  still  others  were  crushed  where  they 
rested.  Every  bridge  was  swept  away,  so  that  the  Council  was 
forced  at  once  to  establish  four  ferries — two  across  the  main  river 
and  two  across  the  South  branch.  The  whole  city  turned  out  to 
rescue  the  vessels  from  their  perilous  positions.  The  greatest  losses 
were  to  canal  boats — between  thirty  and  forty  were  destroyed. 

Major  Woodworth  in  his  inaugural  message  said  that  the  cholera 
must  be  overcome ;  that  proper  attention  must  be  given  to  drainage, 
sewerage,  planking  the  streets,  widening  the  river,  etc. ;  that  the 
police  force  should  be  strengthened  to  offset  the  unusual  outbreak 
of  crime ;  that  a  bridewell  should  be  established ;  that  schools  should 
be  sustained ;  that  there  should  be  a  hospital  physician  for  the  city ; 
that  public  officials  should  be  paid  in  accordance  with  their  pro- 
ficiency; that  the  city  and  county  should  come  to  some  equitable 
agreement  conerning  the  public  square;  that  the  encroachment  of 
the  lake  on  Dearborn  park  should  be  checked ;  that  the  city  treasury 
should  be  properly  guarded ;  and  that  something  should  be  done  at 
once  by  way  of  relief  in  the  flood  emergency. 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  199 

In  the  spring  of  1849  the  Michigan  Central  Railway  company 
endeavored  to  monopolize  the  traffic  of  the  Great  Lakes.  It  bought 
sixteen  of  the  best  steamboats  and  propellers  for  traffic  from  Buf- 
falo to  Detroit  and  between  New  Buffalo  (its  western  terminus  on 
Lake  Michigan)  and  all  notable  points  on  that  lake.  Among  the 
vessels  bought  were  the  "Atlantic,"  "Mayflower,"  "Empire  State," 
"Empire"  and  "Canada."  The  "Lady  of  the  Lake"  propeller  was 
chartered  for  the  season  for  $7,000  to  ply  principally  between  New 
Buffalo  and  Chicago.  Many  men  were  leaving  weekly  for  the 
gold  fields  of  California.  Hundreds  passed  through  here  in  cara- 
vans for  that  Eldorado.  So  great  was  the  rush  to  the  Randolph 
street  ferry  on  April  7  that  the  boat  sank  when  loaded  with  people ; 
no  lives  were  lost.  At  this  time  the  Council  ordered  a  loan  with 
which  to  rebuild  the  bridges  washed  away  by  the  "great  flood  of 
1849."  By  April,  1849,  the  Galena  railroad  had  reached  the  Des 
Plaines  river.  Widening  the  river  between  Clark  and  Dearborn 
streets  was  in  progress  in  April,  1849.  "We  have  just  commenced 
running  one  of  our  steam  presses  upon  stereotype  plates  for  the 
enterprising  firm  of  Griss  Bros.  &  Company  of  this  city.  This 
is  the  first  printing  from  stereotype  plate  that  has  ever  been  done 
in  our  city." — (Democrat,  April  17,  1849.)  Before  this  date  print- 
ing from  such  plates  had  been  done  East.  Steam  printing  at 
Jackson  Hall  building,  the  Democrat  office  at  45  La  Salle  street 
was  advertised  in  April,  1849. 

About  the  middle  of  April  lake  captains  declared  it  to  be  hard  to 
bring  a  vessel  drawing  seven  feet  over  the  bar  at  the  entrance  to 
the  harbor  in  case  of  a  heavy  swell.  As  most  vessels  then  drew 
from  eight  to  eleven  feet  there  was  great  danger ;  in  fact,  the  larger 
ones  remained  outside.  Dredging  was  demanded.  The  extension 
of  the  north  pier  in  the  form  of  a  semi-circle  to  the  south  had  made 
matters  worse.  The  channel  at  best  was  very  crooked  and  erratic. 
It  was  decided  this  spring  to  plank  South  Water  street.  The  canal 
traffic  in  the  spring  of  1849  was  immense;  the  boats  were  crowded 
with  freight  and  passengers.  In  April  the  Michigan  Central  rail- 
way was  finished  to  New  Buffalo  and  boats  from  that  point  ran 
regularly.  The  oak  planks  for  Chicago  streets  were  sawed  at 
Stowell's  steam  sawmill  on  the  South  branch ;  oak  logs  were 
brought  by  canal  to  the  mill,  which  ran  two  saws  regularly.  There 
arrived  here  by  steamer  from  Cleveland  546  tons  of  coal  on  April 
27,  showing  that  the  canal  did  not  vet  supply  the  demand  from 
the  mines  down  the  Illinois  river.  Temporary  bridges  on  scows 
spanned  the  river  and  its  branches  in  April.  A  market  house  for 
the  West  Side  was  staked  out  in  May,  1849;  the  canal  trustees 
appropriated  land  therefor  at  Des  Plaines  street.  The  North  Side 
from  Dearborn  street  to  the  lake  was  growing  rapidly  with  resi- 
dences and  trees.  Hard  and  rapid  work  was  done  on  the  bridges 
during  April.  The  one  at  Clark  street  had  a  draw  eighty  feet  clear 


200  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

and  cost  $2,800,  of  which  $1,500  was  paid  by  the  city  and  the  bal- 
ance by  subscription.  The  temporary  bridges  were  insufficient;  in 
one  case  over  one  hundred  teams  waited  while  one  vessel  passed. 

"Clark  Street  Ferry. — There  appears  to  be  no  order  or  regularity 
about  it.  The  boat  is  more  than  half  the  time  so  filled  with  water 
as  to  render  it  both  unpleasant  and  dangerous.  Yesterday  the 
confusion  and  disorder  at  the  ferry  was  disgraceful.  The  ferry 
boats  for  teams  at  Dearborn  street  not  being  running,  the  rush  at 
Clark  street  was  immense  and  it  was  really  surprising  that  some 
accident  did  not  result.  Ladies  have  but  very  little  chance  in  the 
melee  that  ensues  every  time  the  boat  lands ;  it  is  as  much  as  a  full 
grown  man  wants  to  do  to  elbow  his  way  through  the  crowds. 
The  boat  is  not  large  enough,  to  say  nothing  of  its  being  a  crazy, 
leaky  concern." — (Democrat,  May  4,  1849.) 

In  May,  1849,  the  Northwestern  plank  road  was  pushed  rapidly, 
starting  from  the  bridge  on  the  North  branch  and  extending  up 
Milwaukee  avenue  for  twelve  miles.  The  first  idea  of  the  Council 
was  to  raise  the  lots  and  lower  the  streets,  so  that  the  gutters  of 
the  latter  would  complete  the  drainage,  but  this  plan  in  the  end  was 
impracticable  owing  at  all  times  to  the  crowded  condition  of  the 
streets,  including  even  the  gutters.  "Washington  street  is  known 
only  by  the  number  of  churches  upon  it.  Ask  where  it  is  and  people 
will  show  you  nearly  all  the  churches  in  town  on  a  single  street. 
It  might  as  well  be  called  Church  street  at  once." — (Democrat, 
May  4,  1849.)  "City  Scavengers. — There  is  not  a  city  in  the 
United  States  of  the  size  of  Chicago  without  its  scavengers.  Here 
all  the  slops  of  the  houses  and  the  filth  of  every  kind  whatsoever 
incident  to  cities  are  emptied  in  the  gutters  and  offend  the  nostrils 
of  every  traveler  either  on  the  sidewalks  or  on  the  streets." — (Dem- 
ocrat, May  7,  1849.) 

About  May  7,  the  new  bridge  at  Madison  street  was  commenced. 
Large  numbers  of  vessels  were  in  port.  There  were  shipped  to 
Buffalo  on  May  5,  800  barrels  of  flour  in  one  cargo — freight  25 
cents  per  barrel.  "The  Harbor. — Yesterday  the  harbor  and  offing 
presented  a  fine  appearance.  A  fleet  of  sixty  or  eighty  vessels  of  all 
classes — steamers,  propellers  and  sail  craft  were  in  motion." — 
(Democrat,  May  8,  1849.)  "Will  not  the  corporation  do  some- 
thing to  make  the  Clark  street  ferry  passable?  A  lady  fell  from 
the  boat  into  the  water  yesterday.  There  is  danger  of  such  acci- 
dents constantly.  Such  miserable  management  was  never  seen  as 
there  is  at  this  ferry." — (Democrat,'  May  8,  1849.)  "Water 
Spouts. — Several  very  large  water  spouts  were  seen  to  form  and 
burst  on  the  lake  yesterday.  They  attracted  a  great  deal  of  notice 
and  made,  as  they  passed  over  the  water,  a  magnificent  appear- 
ance."—(Democrat,  May  8,  1849.) 

On  May  9,  1849,  it  was  agreed  between  the  City  Council  and 
the  County  Commissioners  that  the  county  should  own  the  public 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  201 

i 

square,  but  should  build  on  the  north  end  of  the  same  a  building 
fronting  on  Randolph  and  extending  from  Clark  to  La  Salle,  to  be 
used  as  a  court  room  and  to  have  office  for  sheriff,  clerk  and 
recorder.  The  city  further  agreed  to  build  in  the  suburbs  a  jail 
to  cost  about  $15,000.  This  was  the  basis  of  the  famous  bride- 
well. The  balance  of  the  public  square  was  to  be  kept  open  until 
needed. 

In  May,  white  oak  planking  from  Black  river  was  laid  on  Ran- 
dolph street  from  State  westward  to  the  river.  Prior  to  May, 
1849,  all  mail  for  the  Northwest  came  to  Chicago  and  thence  was 
sent  to  Milwaukee,  Galena,  Ottawa,  etc. ;  but  at  that  date  it  was 
sent  from  the  East  directly  to  those  cities.  R.  L.  Wilson  of  the 
Journal  became  postmaster  here,  vice  Stewart.  Pervious  to  this 
the  storage  of  wheat  cost  the  owner  2  to  3  cents  a  bushel,  but  now 
the  price  fell  to  1  cent.  The  power  press  of  the  Democrat  printed 
half  a  dozen  other  papers ;  in  fact,  it  was  kept  going  day  and  night. 

Fearing  the  cholera,  the  Board  of  Health  in  May  began  the  sys- 
tematic labor  of  thoroughly  cleaning  the  city.  Every  house  owner 
was  ordered  to  clear  his  premises  of  filth  at  once.  The  slaughter 
houses  were  particularly  cleansed  and  purified.  Late  in  April, 
despite  all  precautions,  that  dreaded  disease  made  its  appearance 
here;  four  died  with  it  on  the  12th  and  four  more  on  the  13th  of 
May.  Then  it  spread  rapidly.  From'  a  few  to  ten  deaths  daily  were 
at  first  reported,  but  as  many  as  twenty-one  died  on  August  1.  By 
June  6,  1849,  about  two  thousand  persons  had  been  carried  on 
the  Galena  railway  to  the  Des  Plaines  river  and  return.  Immense 
quantities  of  lumber  came  here,  much  of  which  went  west  over 
the  canal.  In  May  alone  there  arrived  2,690,000  feet  of  lumber, 
3,015,000  shingles  and  938,000  lath.  It  was  in  1849  that  the  first 
planking  was  laid  in  the  downtown  alleys.  By  June  11  the  Galena 
railway  was  completed  across  the  "big  slough,"  fourteen  or  fifteen 
miles  from  Chicago ;  on  June  7,  the  railway  brought  in  700  bushels 
of  grain  and  on  the  8th  794  bushels  more.  McCormick,  Ogden 
&  Co.  sold  in  1849  about  1,500  reapers — -regarded  as  a  great  indus- 
try. Lake  street  was  being  planked  in  June.  To  the  joy  and  relief 
of  the  inhabitants,  the  new  Madison  street  bridge  was  thrown  open 
on  June  17  for  the  first  time.  Real  turtle  soup  appeared  at  the 
St.  Charles  hotel  on  June  24.  It  was  intensely  hot  from  June  21  to 
June  25 ;  the  hydraulic  cisterns  gave  out  and  no  water  indoors 
could  be  had  for  three  days;  peddlers  hurried  to  the  rescue.  The 
dust  was  stifling  and  the  streets  were  sprinkled.  In  June,  1849, 
Lieutenant  Webster  was  ordered  to  commence  work  on  the  light- 
house at  Calumet,  at  the  end  of  the  Chicago  harbor  pier,  and  on  the 
Marine  hospital.  "Wheat  by  Railroad. — Persons  have  no  idea  of 
the  great  quantity  of  wheat  that  comes  in  by  railroad  at  the  present 
time.  From  1.700  to  2,000  bushels  come  in  daily.  The  wheat  buy- 
ers now  divide  their  attention  between  Market  street  and  the  rail- 
road depot."—  (Democrat,  June  15,  1849.) 


202  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

"The  great  mass  of  the  deaths  and  cholera  cases  in  our  own  city 
are  clearly  attributable  to  butchering  within  the  city  limits.  How 
much  longer  is  this  nuisance  to  be  tolerated?  There  are  now  two 
slaughter  houses  in  one  of  the  most  public  blocks  of  our  city,  in 
the  block  of  the  postoffice,  the  Sherman  house  and  several  of  the 
heaviest  stores  on  Lake  street.  We  are  for  prohibiting  butchering 
within  the  city  limits  entirely.  What  say  our  citizens?  Let  them 
talk  with  their  aldermen." — (Democrat,  June  28,  1849.) 

The  Marine  hospital  was  planned  to  be  built  on  Michigan  avenue 
near  the  river  and  facing  west,  and  was  to  be  90x128  feet.  In 
June,  William  Gamble,  superintendent  of  public  works,  completed 
a  survey  of  Chicago  harbor  1,000  feet  in  all  directions  from  the  end 
of  the  north  pier  and  sounded  every  twenty  feet.  It  was  found  that 
a  bar  had  formed  at  the  end  of  the  north  pier  southward  to  a  dis- 
tance of  300  feet  and  that  only  six  feet  of  water  could  be  depended 
upon  over  this  bar.  Vessels  were  obliged  to  pursue  a  tortuous 
course  to  reach  the  harbor.  Dredging  on  an  extensive  scale  was 
ordered  by  the  Council.  By  July  1,  1849,  the  Galena  railway  was 
completed  to  Cottage  Hill,  sixteen  miles  from  the  city — fare  to 
Des  Plaines,  25  cents;  to  Cottage  Hill,  37^2  cents.  From  June  1 
to  July  1,  1849,  there  were  ninety- four  deaths  from  cholera  in  the 
city.  At  this  time  a  canal  boat  loaded  with  oats  arrived  from  the 
Calumet  feeder — the  first  from  that  source.  The  new  Chicago 
hospital  was  first  opened  June  8,  and  there  the  cholera  patients 
were  taken  and  cared  for.  The  city  was  infested  with  gamblers, 
blacklegs,  burglars  and  other  desperate  criminals. 

"The  Western  Citizen  as  a  distinct  paper  seems  to  have  been 
discontinued,  its  heading  being  put  over  the  Weekly  Tribune,  which 
again  is  but  a  modified  edition  of  the  Weekly  Gem.  Several  papers 
in  this  city  have  wanted  to  get  out  matter  to  put  their  head  over, 
but  we  have  looked  upon  it  as  a  fraud,  as  it  is.  If  a  person  should 
happen  to  subscribe  to  the  Gem,  the  Tribune  and  the  Citizen,  he 
pays  for  all  three,  when  the  man  who  pays  but  for  one  gets  the 
same  matter." — (Democrat,  July  11,  1849.) 

On  July  14  there  were  twelve  deaths  from  cholera  and  on  the 
15th  sixteen.  Hundreds  if  not  thousands  of  citizens  deserted  the 
city — fled  from  the  cholera.  On  July  23  nine  died;  on  the  24th, 
fourteen;  on  the  27th,  twenty;  on  the  29th,  eighteen.  The  panic 
almost  completely  shut  off  all  business.  Prior  to  July  30,  434 
deaths  from  cholera  were  registered.  W.  H.  Brown,  Thomas 
Church  and  Samuel  Hoard  were  health  commissioners.  "The  dif- 
fusion of  gambling  shops,  the  parent  of  so  many  other  vices,  has 
increased  within  the  last  six  months  beyond  the  belief  of  any  per- 
son who  has  not  investigated  the  matter." — (Democrat,  August  7, 
1849.) 

An  asylum,  mainly  for  the  care  of  children  made  orphans  by  the 
cholera,  was  projected  in  July.  The  name  selected  was  "Orphan 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  203 

Benevolent  Association."  At  the  head  of  the  movement  were 
William  H.  Brown,  Orrington  Lunt,  Samuel  Hoard  and  R.  K. 
Swift.  The  Northwestern  plank  road  was  completed  to  Oak  Ridge, 
eight  miles  distant,  by  August  15.  At  this  date  the  Galena  railway 
had  been  completed  to  Babcock's  Grove,  twenty-one  miles  from 
Chicago.  The  planking  of  Water  street  west  from  State  was  begun 
in  August.  Canal  street  south  from  the  Galena  depot,  on  the  North 
branch,  was  being  planked  at  this  time.  Late  in  August  the  cholera 
began  to  decline,  deserters  began  to  return  and  business  began  to 
resume  its  former  healthy  tone.  Printers  were  paid  25  cents  per 
thousand  ems  for  composition  in  September.  An  eastern  combina- 
tion, assisted  by  several  business  men  of  Chicago,  was  formed  to 
control  prices  in  August.  "The  immense  power  of  an  organized 
association  like  the  present  combination  can  be  partly  realized  when 
for  a  little  paltry  patronage  presses  may  be  hired  to  sound  its 
praises  or  cover  the  evil  it  entails  upon  the  public.  The  newspapers 
of  the  city,  with  the  exception  of  the  Democrat,  have  come  out  in 
favor  of  the  combination."  .  .  .  "We  learn  that,  on  account  of 
a  disagreement  between  some  of  the  contracting  parties  after  they 
had  given  their  adhesion  to  the  association,  the  combination  has 
been  postponed  until  spring,  so  that  during  the  fall  months  the 
lakes  will  be  as  free  as  ever."  "As  soon  as  it  became  known  that 
the  combination  would  not  be  formed  this  fall,  the  Tribune  had  a 
long  article  condemning  combinations  in  general  and  the  lake  com- 
binations in  particular,  at  the  same  time  giving  some  very  good 
reasons  why  it  should  not  be  formed.  What  a  pity  that  this  com- 
bination, to  which  the  Tribune  looked  to  destroy  a  'ruinous  compe- 
tition,' has  gone  to  its  grave  without  having  fulfilled  its  mission." 
.  .  .  "We  learn  that  the  combination  has  failed  in  consequence  of 
a  disappointment  as  to  the  division  of  the  contemplated  spoils." — 
(Democrat,  September  1849.) 

"The  completion  of  the  Michigan  Central  railroad  already  makes 
a  change  in  the  character  of  the  business  of  this  city;  and  should 
it  be  extended  round  the  lake,  we  have  no  doubt  an  immense  amount 
of  produce  could  be  shipped  by  railroad  to  the  East.  It  now  costs 
60  cents  per  barrel  for  flour  by  way  of  the  Central  road  to  Buffalo 
and  20  cents  by  steam  round  the  lakes.  We  learn  that  shipments 
have  been  made  direct  to  Detroit  and  Buffalo  by  this  route,  ship- 
pers calculating  the  saving  of  time,  etc.,  will  pay  the  additional 
expense." — (Democrat,  September  8,  1849.) 

The  La  Salle  street  sewer  was  built  in  September,  1849.  It  was 
planned  that  by  November  the  branch  railroad  to  St.  Charles  would 
be  ready.  Winter  wheat  sold  at  70  to  80  cents ;  spring  wheat,  50  to 
60  cents;  oats,  22  to  23  cents;  potatoes,  25  to  31  cents;  whisky, 

20  to  25  cents  a  gallon ;  beef,  per  cwt,  $2.50  to  $3.25 ;  pork  the 
same;  butter,  8  to  10  cents,  and  eggs  8  to  9  cents.    On  September 

21  thirty  buildings  at  Randolph,  Lake  and  Franklin  streets  were 


204  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

burned.  Immediately  thereafter  the  cry  arose,  "No  more  frame 
buildings — no  more  wooden  buildings."  At  this  time  Chicago  had 
four  new  flour  mills  and  another  in  the  process  of  completion.  On 
October  24  there  arrived  by  rail  7,925  bushels  of  wheat,  besides 
other  products.  "Widen  the  River. — Scarce  a  steamer  or  propeller 
arrives  or  departs  but  is  detained  in  the  river  on  account  of  the 
number  of  vessels  obstructing  the  channel.  The  only  way  to  rem- 
edy this  is  to  carry  out  the  plan  of  widening  the  river  immediately. 
The  work  now  progresses,  but  very  slowly." — (Democrat,  October 
25,  1849.) 

"The  croakers  who  were  always  anticipating  but  never  realizing 
a  change  in  the  general  prosperity  have  heretofore  been  signally 
disappointed.  With  them  the  canal  was  to  destroy  the  retail  trade, 
turn  the  few  large  stores  into  wholesale  depots  and  annihilate  the 
many  small  ones.  The  reverse  occurred.  The  railroad  was  to 
destroy  the  forwarding  business.  On  the  contrary,  it  is  now  in- 
creasing daily.  ...  In  1836  the  value  of  the  imports  of  Chicago 
amounted  to  but  $325.203  and  the  exports  to  the  small  sum  of 
$1,000.64.  From  1836  to  1840  both  imports  and  exports  steadily 
increased.  The  last  named  year  they  amounted  to  $562,106.20  as 
the  value  of  imports,  and  $228,635.74  as  the  value  of  exports. 
From  1840  to  1848  the  increase  was  rapid.  The  last  named  year 
the  imports  amounted  to  $8,338,639.66  and  the  exports  to  $10,706,- 
333.40.  The  year  1848  was  the  first  in  which  the  value  of  exports 
exceeded  that  of  imports.  The  population  increased  during  this 
time  from  4,853,  the  number  of  inhabitants  in  1840,  to  19,724,  the 
number  in  1848.  The  population  this  year  (November  15,  1849) 
is  23,047,  being  an  increase  of  18^4  per  cent  in  eleven  months.  This 
increase,  it  will  be  recollected,  too,  is  in  the  year  in  which  the  chol- 
era has  taken  off  between  600  and  700  citizens,  driven  a  large 
number  from  the  city,  depressed  trade  and  paralyzed  its  energies. 
But  probably  in  no  year  of  its  existence  has  Chicago  increased  so 
materially  and  substantially  as  in  the  present." — (Democrat,  March 
15,  1849.)  "The  Tremont  House. — This  mammoth  hotel  has  at- 
tained its  fifth  story,  and  towers  above  the  surrounding  buildings 
at  a  height  never  before  attained  by  any  building  in  this  .city."- 
(Democrat,  November  15,  1849.) 

Said  the  Democrat  of  October  25 :  "The  receipts  of  wheat  are 
now  large.  Yesterday  about  30,000  bushels  came  forward.  On 
Tuesday  there  was  about  the  same  quantity."  By  November  1 
the  new  Wells  street  bridge  was  completed.  Mr.  N.  Martin  was  the 
contractor  for  most  of  the  planking  being  done  on  the  streets.  This 
year  Canal  street  received  more  improvement  than  any  other.  At 
this  time  Chicago  had  many  livery  stables  and  horses  were  in  great 
demand.  It  was  this  year  that  plate  glass  windows  first  made  their 
appearance  in  the  establishments  of  J.  &  T.  Speer  and  Charles  Fol- 
lansbee.  "Slaughter  Houses. — The  real  estate  in  the  south  part  of 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  205 

the  city  cannot  be  greatly  enhanced  in  value  by  slaughter  houses 
on  the  South  branch.  A  drive  out  on  State  street  will  make  this 
evident.  From  the  time  one  passes  Jackson  or  Van  Buren  street 
a  stream  of  effluvia  is  encountered  which  might  be  cut  with  a  knife, 
it  is  so  thick  and  so  powerful." — (Democrat,  November  15,  1849.) 

The  ordinance  of  1849  created  the  office  of  harbor  master.  The 
survey  of  the  Michigan  Central  railway  from  New  Buffalo  to  Michi- 
gan City  in  December,  1849,  indicated  its  early  continuation  to 
Chicago.  In  1848  there  were  4,665,139  pounds  of  merchandise, 
principally  dry  goods,  shipped  for  the  Southwest  by  canal ;  in  1849 
the  quantity  shipped  was  8,322,677  pounds.  In  1848,  32,099  bar- 
rels of  salt  were  shipped ;  in  1849,  56,388  barrels.  In  1849,  955,491 
pounds  of  iron  and  steel  were  shipped;  also  949,319  pounds  of  agri- 
cultural implements.  During  1849  nearly  6,000  cords  of  wood 
came  here  from  points  between  Chicago  and  Ottawa. 

From  March  1,  1849,  to  January  1,  1850,  the  total  receipts  from 
freight  and  passengers  on  the  Galena  railway  amounted  to  $28,- 
554.56.  By  January  1,  1850,  the  railway  had  in  operation  three 
double  passenger  cars,  sixty-two  freight  cars  and  three  locomotives. 
In  January  many  men  were  engaged  in  widening  the  river.  Scores 
were  leaving  for  California  every  week  or  two.  The  gold  excite- 
ment spread  in  all  directions. 


COOK  COUNTY  AND  CHICAGO 
1850—1866 

AN  important  question  settled  early  in  1850  was  the  com- 
parative right  of  the  city  and  county  in  the  public  square. 
The  act  of  January  15,  1831,  creating  Cook  county 
located  the  public  buildings  of  the  county  on  the  public 
square  as  laid1  off  by  the  canal  commissioners.  James  Thompson, 
acting  for  the  commissioners,  laid  out  the  town  and  platted 
it  under  date  of  August  4,  1830.  This  map  was  accepted  by 
the  commissioners  and  used  as  a  basis  of  all  their  transactions. 
On  this  plat  Blocks  39  and  46  are  marked  "reserved."  When 
the  town  was  thus  laid  out  the  commissioners  acted  under 
authority  of  the  act  of  January  4,  1825,  and  reserved  the  above 
two  blocks  for  public  purposes,  and  by  general  understanding  and 
usage  thereafter  Block  39  became  the  public  square.  It  was  a 
donation  by  the  canal  commissioners  for  that  purpose.  Thus  prior 
to  the  creation  of  Cook  county,  the  two  blocks  "reserved"  belonged 
to  the  canal  commissioners  and  not  to  either  city  or  county.  If  the 
county  had  any  interest  therein  it  came  through  the  act  creating 
the  county  and  locating  the  county  buildings  on  the  public  square. 
But  the  canal  commissioners  had  conceded  the  right  of  the  city  to 
occupy  at  least  a  portion  of  such  reservation;  therefore  both  city 
and  county  seemed  to  have  a  valid  right  to  build  on  Block  39,  known 
as  the  public  square.  The  special  committee  of  the  city  to  report  on 
the  question  was  James  Curtis,  Peter  Page.  John  C.  Dodge  and 
A.  S.  Sherman.  The  following  action  by  the  Council  and  by  the 
County  Board  was  taken  after  this  committee  had  reported : 

"Resolved,  That  the  mayor,  with  the  concurrence  of  the  special 
committee  heretofore  appointed  in  the  premises,  be,  and  he  hereby 
is,  authorized  to  enter  into  an  agreement  on  behalf  of  the  city  with 
the  county  authorities,  for  a  union  between  the  city  and  the  county 
in  the  erection  of  a  jail  and  a  bridewell." — (Resolution  passed, 
April  8,  1850,  after  adopting  the  report  of  the  special  committee.) 
"Ordered,  That  a  committee  of  seven  be  appointed  by  the  chair 
to  confer  with  the  Common  Council  of  the  City  of  Chicago  and  take 
other  measure  to  secure  the  erection  of  such  public  buildings  as  the 
necessities  of  the  county  require." — (Ordered  by  the  Board  of  Su- 
pervisors; see  Democrat,  May  1,  1850.) 

"It  is  estimated  that  about  25,000  head  of  cattle  have  been 
slaughtered  in  this  city  since  the  first  of  September  last.  Of  this 
number  between  16,000  and  18,000  have  been  put  up  for  European 

206 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  207 

and  Eastern  markets.  The  number  of  barrels  packed  is  50,000, 
against  30,000  last  year.  It  is  estimated  that  about  15,000  or 
16,000  hogs  have  been  packed  in  this  city  this  winter  to  date.  Last 
season  26,000  hogs  were  put  up.  The  falling  off  has  been  caused 
by  the  country  having  been  drained  of  corn,  the  high  prices  forcing 
.it  East."—  (Democrat,  January  30,  1850.) 

On  February  1,  many  citizens  of  Chicago  ran  out  to  Elgin  to 
participate  in  celebrating  the  advent  of  the  Galena  railway  into  that 
city.  On  that  date  eighty  teams  waited  in  line  at  St.  Charles  to 
ship  their  wheat  by  rail  to  this  city.  A  half  dozen  railways  were 
talked  of  at  this  date — among  them  the  Rock  Island-La  Salle  rail- 
road. A  plank  road  to  extend  from  State  street  at  the  city  limits  to 
Momence,  on  the  Kankakee,  was  projected  at  this  time;  it  became 
knovyn  as  the  Southern  plank  road.  "City  Improvements. — Stand- 
ing at  the  corner  of  State  and  Jackson  streets  a  few  days  since, 
we  could  count  over  a  dozen  buildings  in  process  of  erection  in  that 
quarter.  We  doubt  not  that  the  number  of  buildings  at  present 
being  erected  in  this  city  is  over  one  hundred." — (Democrat,  Febru- 
ary 15,  1850.) 

"We  have  but  just  now  entered  upon  our  life  as  a  city.  We  have 
but  just  reached  out  our  arms  to  the  country  around  us — in  the 
canal,  the  railroad,  and  the  plank  roads  extending  from  us.  Formerly 
it  was  a  serious  undertaking  to  attempt  a  journey  to  Chicago  from 
a  distance  so  near  as  Fox  river.  Now  it  is  but  a  pleasant  drive  of 
an  hour  or  so.  Formerly  the  roads  leading  to  the  city  scarcely 
deserved  the  name.  Now  the  people  are  beginning  to  appreciate 
the  necessity  of  good  roads." — (Democrat,  February  19,  1850.) 
Water  from  the  hydrants  could  not  always  be  depended  upon ;  often 
the  reservoirs  were  empty  or  nearly  so;  there  was  much  complaint 
in  1849-50.  The  Chicago  Marine  and  Fire  Insurance  company 
had  a  savings  department,  of  which  J.  Y.  Scammon  was  president. 

The  Democrat  of  April  12,  1850,  said :  "One  of  our  merchants 
left  this  city  for  New  York  on  the  2d  inst.  to  purchase  goods.  The 
goods  were  received  on  the  10th !  They  are  to  be  found  at  Francis 
Clark's.  This  is  the  quickest  yet."  The  pipes  to  convey  hydrant 
water  to  the  West  Side  were  cast  at  Morse's  foundry  and  were  laid 
across  the  South  branch  at  Madison  street  in  the  spring  of  1850. 
The  officers  of  the  Board  of  Trade  in  April,  1850,  were  Charles 
Walker,  president;  John  P.  Chapin,  vice-president;  Thomas  Hale, 
treasurer;  John  C.  Dodge,  secretary.  At  a  public  meeting  held  in 
April,  1850,  a  committee  was  appointed  to  take  steps  to  secure  a 
"supply  of  pure,  fresh  water."  This  committee  was  R.  H.  Foss, 
T.  M.  Moody,  A.  S.  Sherman,  Luther  Marsh,  R.  J.  Hamilton  and 
William  E.  Jones.  At  this  date,  1850,  the  West  was  experiencing 
the  greatest  growth  impulses  it  had  ever  known.  Railroads  were 
projected  in  every  direction,  and  the  money  of  the  East  flowed  in 
a  golden  stream  over  the  fertile  prairies.  Emigrants  by  the  thou- 


208  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

sands  poured  into  every  quarter  of  the  Upper  Mississippi  valley. 
Farmers  and  factories  were  multiplied  by  ten.  Chicago  and  Cook 
county  received  their  share  of  settlers  and  money. 

On  April  30,  1850,  there  were  thirty-three  prisoners  in  "the  hole 
which  bears  the  name  of  jail  in  this  city."  Rapid  work  on  the  mains 
and  buildings  of  the  gas  works  was  in  progress  in  April  and  May. 
Work  on  the  Calumet  lighthouse  was  commenced  in  May,  1850. 
By  the  20th  of  this  month  one  tier  of  oak  plank  had  been  laid  on 
the  Southern  plank  road  from  the  Southern  hotel  on  State  street 
to  the  distance  of  one  mile.  Said  the  Democrat  of  June  3 :  "Fat 
Cattle. — Within  the  last  few  days  109  fat  cattle  have  been  shipped 
from  this  port  for  Buffalo  by  the  steamers  'Empire  State'  and  'Em- 
pire.' This  is  the  first  large  exportation  of  live  cattle  from  this 
state  that  we  recollect  of."  The  Odd  Fellows  celebrated  on  June 
5,  1850. 

"Firemen's  Review. — The  firemen  turned  out  in  force  yesterday 
and  looked  fine.  A  number  of  the  companies  had  entirely  new  uni- 
forms, which  were  gotten  up  with  much  taste.  The  mayor  and 
Common  Council  inspected  the  engines  and  apparatus  on  State 
street  north  of  the  city  hall,  after  which  the  companies  formed  in 
procession  and  passed  through  a  few  of  the  principal  streets,  pre- 
ceded by  a  band  of  music.  First  came  the  hose  company  with  their 
splendid  carriage.  The  dress  of  this  company  was  white  jackets 
with  black  pants,  with  the  usual  fireman's  cap.  Next  came  No.  1 ; 
uniform,  green  frocks  with  white  pants,  hats  edged  with  green,  gilt 
lettered.  The  hose  company's  dress  was  the  same.  No.  2  was 
dressed  in  fine  taste — red  jackets  with  black  pants;  head  dress,  a 
beautiful  velvet  cap  with  gold  tassel.  Hose  company's  dress  was>the 
same.  No.  3's  uniform  was  neat — red  coats  and  white  belts,  white 
pants,  hats  with  gilt  lettering.  The  hose  company  had  red  jackets 
and  black  pants.  No.  4  mustered  strong.  The  dress  was  red  jack- 
ets, white  pants,  hats  edged  with  red,  and  gilt  lettered.  The  hose 
cart  was  attached  to  the  engine.  No.  5  looked  remarkably  fine. 
The  dress  was  red  coats  trimmed  with  blue  velvet,  white  pants,  hats 
edged  with  blue,  and  gilt  letters.  No.  6 — this  new  company's  uni- 
form is  not  yet  completed.  It  is  red  jacket  and  black  pants,  hats 
gilt  lettered.  The  whole  company  was  not  in  uniform.  Bucket 
company — red  jackets,  black  pants.  The  cart  and  buckets  were 
ready  for  duty,  as  they  always  are.  The  hook  and  ladder  company 
did  not  turn  out." — (Democrat,  May  30,  1850.) 

On  June  6,  1850,  the  Industrial  convention  which  assembled  here 
was  represented  by  delegates  from  Wisconsin,  Ohio,  Illinois,  New 
York,  Maine,  Vermont,  Massachusetts,  New  Jersey,  New  Hamp- 
shire. Connecticut,  Iowa,  Pennsylvania,  Delaware,  Maryland,  Vir- 
ginia, Mississippi,  Louisiana,  Indiana,  Michigan.  Warren  Chase, 
of  Wisconsin,  was  president  of  the  convention. 

The  tonnage  of  vessels  built  here  in  1847  was  3,952;  in  1848, 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  209 

10,489;  in  1849,  17,332.  "The  city  hall,  although  a  small  portion 
of  the  north  end  has  been  taken  off  to  enlarge  the  room  for  the 
accommodation  of  the  Council,  is  still  102  feet  long.  It  is  forty 
wide."— (Democrat,  July  4,  1850.)  "The  Harbor.— Mr.  Durfee, 
the  harbor  master,  states  that  within  ten  days  a  channel  about  300 
feet  in  width  and  ten  feet  deep  will  be  dredged  between  the  piers 
where  the  bars  have  been  obstructing  the  passage  of  vessels." — 
(Democrat,  July  17,  1850.) 

On  July  9  it  was  96  degrees  in  the  shade.  A  large  buoy  painted 
red  was  placed  at  the  entrance  of  the  harbor  to  mark  the  location 
of  the  sand  bar.  Upon  the  death  of  President  Taylor  in  July,  1850, 
Abraham  Lincoln,  who  was  then  in  the  city  arguing  an  important 
patent  case,  was  induced  to  deliver  the  eulogy.  His  speech  was 
delivered  in  the  city  hall ;  other  commemorative  services  were  held 
in  the  churches.  The  Democrat  of  July,  1850,  said :  "Hon.  A. 
Lincoln  delivered  a  very  able  eulogy  on  General  Taylor  yesterday 
afternoon  in  the  city  hall.  A  large  number  of  our  citizens  were 
present  to  hear  it." 

The  newspapers  of  1850  were  loud  in  their  praise  of  the  luxuries 
to  be  had  at  the  new  Tremont  house  under  Mr.  Couch,  manager. 
Prior  to  1850  the  West  Side  was  dependent  for  its  water  upon  the 
reservoirs  and  pipes  of  the  South  Side,  out  after  that  date  the  mains 
for  the  West  Side  were  extended  directly  from  the  hydraulic  works 
on  Michigan  avenue  westward  across  the  river  at  Madison  street. 
In  spite  of  the  efforts  of  the  health  board  (William  H.  Brown, 
Flavel  Moseley  and  Samuel  Hoard)  the  cholera  again  made  its 
appearance  here  in  June,  1850.  By  July  17  thirty-three  had  died. 

The  first  canal  steamboat  arrived  here  on  July  19,  1850,  having 
come  down  the  Ohio  from  Pittsburg  and  up  the  Mississippi  and 
Illinois  rivers.  It  looked  like  an  ordinary  canal  boat  except  that 
it  had  an  upper  cabin  thirty-two  feet  long  and  ten  feet  wide;  the 
boat  itself  was  102  feet  long  and  seventeen  and  a  half  feet  wide 
and  was  propelled  by  two  locomotive  engines.  On  July  27  the 
Galena  railway  put  on  for  the  first  time  a  daily  freight  train  between 
Chicago  and  the  Junction  in  Du  Page  county.  A  fire  on  July  30 
burned  over  twenty  houses,  including  the  Chicago  theatre.  It 
started  on  Dearborn  between  Randolph  and  Washington  and  swept 
through  to  State.  The  theatre  building  quickly  caught  fire,  but 
Mr.  Rice  succeeded  in  getting  his  company  and  his  audience  out 
without  accident.  The  extent  of  the  fire  was  due  to  a  lack  of  water 
in  the  Dearborn  aqueduct.  The  first  post  for  street  gas  was  set 
up  at  Lake  and  Clark  streets  on  July  30.  On  July  27  there  were 
eleven  deaths  from  cholera ;  on  the  28th  seven,  and  on  the  29th  six- 
teen. 

For  the  year  ending  July  1,  1850,  the  following  postoffice  sta- 
tistics were  reported:  Expense  for  clerk  hire,  $11,341.61;  contin- 
gent expense,  $1,408.93;  incidental  expense,  $644.46;  rent,  $650; 


210  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

receipts  from  box  rent,  $1,469;  postmaster's  compensation,  $2,000; 
total  expenses,  $17,541.  The  total  receipts  were  $20,970.18,  leav- 
ing the  office  owing  the  Government  $3,429.18. 

"Land  Suit. — Since  the  building  of  the  piers  on  the  north  side 
of  the  river,  some  five  or  six  acres  of  land  (sand)  have  been  made. 
This  is  claimed  by  different  individuals  whose  lots  come  down  to 
the  lake  shore.  Two  of  the  contestants,  William  Jones  of  this  city 
and  S.  Johnson  of  Cincinnati,  have  a  case  in  the  United  States  Dis- 
trict court  (now  in  session  in  this  city)  with  regard  to  their  right, 
which  is  to  be  tried  today.  We  also  learn  that  the  United  States 
sets  up  a  title  to  the  land.  The  land  is  valuable  and  is  growing  both 
in  extent  and  worth." — (Democrat,  July  27,  1850.) 

Again  this  year,  as  in  1849,  business  was  largely  suspended,  hun- 
dreds leaving  to  escape  danger  from  the  cholera.  However,  many 
remained  and  continued  their  affairs  as  usual.  The  made  land 
cases  at  the  north  pier  were  argued  before  Judge  Drummond  on 
July  31.  The  late  big  fire  induced  the  Council  to  extend  the  fire 
limits  late  in  July  from  the  South  branch  east  to  State  street  and 
from  the  main  river  south  to  the  alley  between  Randolph  and 
Washington  streets.  The  insurance  companies  having  expressed 
doubts  that  the  fire  engines  could  throw  water  to  the  roof  of  the 
Tremont  house,  an  exhibition  was  given  them  on  August  5,  and 
the  five  engines  all  threw  a  stream  from  twenty  to  thirty  feet 
above  the  parapet  of  that  building;  this  feat  satisfied  the  insurance 
officials.  George  W.  Wentworth,  one  of  the  city  aldermen  in  1850, 
and  a  brother  of  Hon.  John  Wentworth,  died  of  cholera  on  August 
4.  A  public  meeting  to  devise  means  to  protect  the  lake  front  shore 
was  held  on  September  3.  The  deaths  from  cholera  from  June  23 
to  September  1  were  441 ;  all  but  148  were  in  August. 

Sewers  and  planking  on  La  Salle  and  Clark  streets  were  being 
placed  in  August ;  also  planking  on  State  street.  On  September  4, 
1850,  the  city  generally  for  the  first  time  was  lighted  by  gas ;  George 
F.  Lee  had  brought  this  result  about.  "Gas  in  the  City  Hall. — Six 
handsome  chandeliers,  each  with  six  burners,  were  on  Wednesday 
suspended  in  the  city  hall,  by  which  it  was  brilliantly  lighted  last 
evening.  Their  numerous  pendants  seemed  all  aglow  with  the  clear, 
steady  flame  which,  in  its  unvarying  splendor,  raised  a  little  above 
the  burner,  suggests  to  one  a  gorgeous  oriental  flower  just  opened 
to  full  bloom.  The  Common  Council  room  and  other  offices  in 
the  building  are  also  lighted  with  gas.  .  .  .  Handsome  glass  lamps 
or  lanterns  were  yesterday  morning  placed  upon  the  lamp-posts,  and 
the  city  was  lighted  up  in  finished  style  last  evening." — (Democrat, 
September  6,  1850.) 

In  September  the  rails  on  the  Michigan  Central  were  being  laid 
between  New  Buffalo  and  Michigan  City;  this  meant  the  early 
completion  of  that  road  to  Chicago.  Deaths  from  cholera  in  1849 
were  as  follows:  May,  fifty-four;  June,  eighty-nine;  July,  320; 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  213 

August,  200;  September,  eighteen;  total,  681.  In  1850  the  deaths 
from  cholera  were :  June  and  July,  168 ;  August,  283 ;  September, 
seven;  total,  458.  O'Reilly  was  called  the  "Napoleon  of  the  Tele- 
graph in  the  West."  The  Chicago  &  Mobile  railway  received  a  big 
grant  of  land  from  Congress  at  this  time;  it  became  the  Illions 
Central.  The  Tremont  house  opened  with  everything  new  on  Sep- 
tember 30;  it  faced  on  Dearborn  street  and  was  declared  to  be  the 
finest  hotel  in  the  West.  On  October  1,  1850,  the  steamer  "Empire 
State"  arrived  with  the  first  wheat  from  the  Calumet;  that  vessel 
passed  through  the  Calumet  feeder  and  thence  up  the  Calumet  river 
to  Hobart,  Indiana,  where  the  cargo  was  obtained ;  it  brought  oats, 
flour  and  potatoes  also. 

The  New  Hope  Hose  company,  with  their  cart  "Philadelphia," 
was  ready  for  operations  in  October.  George  W.  Dole  became 
postmaster  at  this  date.  The  Chicago  Collection  district  was  divided 
by  the  Wisconsin  line.  Sheboygan,  Racine,  Kenosha  and  Waukegan 
were  made  ports  of  delivery.  The  bounty  bill  for  the  "Black  Hawk 
Boys"  and  others  became  a  law  in  1850.  At  this  time  the  third 
telegraph  line  (Snow's)  was  being  finished  from  La  Porte  to  Chi- 
cago; this  meant  the  connection  of  Chicago  with  Detroit,  Toledo 
and  all  of  Canada  by  wire.  Of  Engine  Company  No.  3,  with  new 
quarters  at  the  Kinzie  house,  the  Democrat  said :  "We  were  equally 
taken  by  surprise  at  the  sight  of  Brussels  carpets,  beautiful  tables 
with  marble  tops,  unique  chairs,  richly  chased  lamps,  elegant  hang- 
ings, etc."  "Firemen's  Festival. — Yesterday,  the  morning  being 
more  pleasant  and  favorable,  the  review  came  off  at  the  appointed 
hour  and  was  one  of  the  most  brilliant  spectacles  ever  exhibited  in 
this  city.  As  early  as  half  past  seven  the  different  fire  companies, 
attired  in  their  full  dress  uniforms  and  preceded  by  bands  of  music, 
might  be  seen  escorting  their  guests  to  the  different  engine  houses 
and  thence  to  the  place  of  rendezvous.  At  nine  o'clock  the  line  was 
formed  on  State  street  north  of  the  Market  house,  under  the  direc- 
tion of  C.  P.  Bradley,  chief  engineer,  U.  P.  Harris  and  James  J. 
Langdon,  assistant  engineers,  and  moved  through  the  principal 
streets.  The  line  of  procession  reached  nearly  the  entire  length 
of  Lake  street  and  was  composed  of  800  men,  400  of  whom  were 
firemen  from  abroad.  The  procession  was  led  by  the  City  Council, 
the  city  marshal  and  the  chief  and  assistant  engineers,  preceded  by 
a  brass  band,  and  the  entire  line  was  headed  by  a  stalwart  'Son  of 
York,'  axe  in  hand.  His  name  is  David  Langley,  and  he  was 
selected  by  the  Chicago  department  to  head  the  procession.  Follow- 
ing the  City  Council  was  a  beautiful  brass  band  from  Buffalo." — 
(Democrat,  October  12,  1850.)  The  procession  was  as  follows: 

1.  Buffalo  brass  band. 

2.  Company  No.  9  of  Buffalo. 

3.  Brass  band. 

4.  Company  No.  4  of  Detroit. 

Vol.  I — 13. 


214  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

5.  Brass  Band. 

6.  Members  of  five  or  six  companies  from  Milwaukee,  at  the 
head  of  whom  was  Mayor  D.  A.  Upham  of  that  city. 

7.  Racine  firemen — several  companies. 

8.  Brass  band. 

9.  Kenosha  firemen — several  companies. 

10.  Putnam's  brass  band,  Chicago;  Hose  Company  No.  1,  John- 
son, foreman ;  Hose  Company  No.  2,  R.  Thomas,  foreman ;  Hook 
and  Ladder  Company,  D.  Knight,  foreman;  Engine  Company  No. 
1,  J.  M.  Donnelly,  foreman;  Engine  Company  No.  2,  J.  T.  Edwards, 
foreman;  Engine  Company  No.  3,  A.  H.  Burley,  foreman;  Engine 
Company  No.  4,  J.  L.  Marsh,  foreman;  Engine  Company  No.  5, 
S.  McBride,  foreman ;  Engine  Company  No.  6,  Chas.  Norton,  fore- 
man ;  Engine  Company  No.  7,  Mathew  Conley,  foreman.  The  Chi- 
cago firemen  were  preceded  by  ex-chief  engineers  S.  F.  Gale,  C.  E. 
Peck  and  Ashley  Gilbert.  The  day  ended  with  a  big  dinner  at  the 
Tremont  house.  Samuel  O.  Eames  became  foreman  of  Hope  Hose 
Company. 

"The  'Calumet  Trader,'  blown  up  two  or  three  weeks  since,  has 
been  entirely  repaired  and  started  yesterday  morning  on  her  regular 
trip  to  the  Calumet  and  Deep  rivers,  where  large  quantities  of 
freight  await  her  arrival.  She  will  run  regularly  hereafter  until 
checked  by  winter.  Quite  a  trade  has  been  opened  between  the 
Calumet  and  this  city,  of  which  the  'Trader'  is  the  medium.  She 
carries  passengers  as  well  as  freight.  Alderman  Granger  is  now 
her  owner,  having  purchased  her  hull,  raised  and  refitted  it  for 
service." — (Democrat,  October  11,  1850.) 

Postoffice  boxes  under  Wilson  were  at  first  $1  per  year;  but  he 
soon  increased  the  charge  to  $2 ;  in  October,  1850,  Dole  reduced  the 
price  to  $1.  The  use  of  stoves  instead  of  fireplaces  immensely  in- 
creased the  output  of  stoves  in  this  city  at  this  date.  Very  rapid 
work  was  being  done  on  the  Rock  Island  railroad  in  October.  In 
this  month  the  "Calumet  Trader''  brought  from  the  Calumet  river 
oak  planks  to  be  laid  on  State,  Clark  and  La  Salle  streets.  At  this 
time  a  second  freight  train  was  found  necessary  on  the  Galena  rail- 
way. The  journeymen  shoemakers  formed  a  protective  union  on 
October  28.  William  Stuart,  who  had  previously  edited  the  Chicago 
American,  resided  in  Binghamton,  New  York,  in  October,  1850. 

"Slaughter  Houses. — The  Council  adopted  an  order  at  their  last 
meeting  empowering  the  judiciary  committee,  if  they  thought  neces- 
sary, to  prohibit  slaughter  houses,  tallow  and  lard  making  estab- 
lishment, etc.,  in  the  city.  At  present  the  nuisance  caused  by  these 
establishments  is  intolerable.  One  situated  on  the  \Vest  Side  has 
been  prosecuted  three  or  four  times  within  the  past  week  or  ten 
days."— (Democrat,  October  30,  1850.)  "The  Calumet.— Were  it 
not  for  the  opening  of  the  Calumet  river  to  the  city  by  the  canal, 
we  would  this  season  have  been  badly  off  for  our  usual  supply  of 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  215 

winter  fuel.  A  large  portion  of  that  supply  has  been  heretofore 
received  by  the  way  of  the  lakes;  but  the  late  Government  seizure 
of  vessels  freighted  with  wood  from  the  public  lands  has  cut  off  a 
large  portion  of  the  receipts  from  that  quarter,  and  we  are  now 
made  dependent  upon  the  canal  and  the  Calumet.  From  the  latter 
river  we  are  receiving  large  supplies  of  fine  hickory  and  oak  wood 
of  the  best  descriptions." — (Democrat,  October  29,  1850.)  "Lake 
Shore  Protection. — We  are  glad  to  see  that  this  work  is  being  car- 
ried forward  with  energy  and  dispatch.  The  main  piles  have  been 
driven  from  Washington  to  Jackson  streets  and  the  intermediate 
for  the  length  of  a  block.  By  some  the  proposed  wall  of  stone  at  the 
landside  is  considered  unnecessary." — (Democrat,  November  1, 
1850.) 

The  sewer  main  was  laid  on  Wells  street  in  October,  after  which 
that  street  was  planked.  By  the  31st  Snow's  telegraph  line  to  this 
city  had  its  poles  and  wires  all  set  and  in  place.  A  small  blackmail- 
ing sheet  called  the  Mosquito  was  issued  here  in  1850.  A  lady 
who  did  not  relish  its  reference  to  her  gave  one  of  its  editors  a 
public  horsewhipping.  The  Galena  railway  declared  an  8  per  cent 
dividend  for  the  six  months  ending  October  31.  The  Chicago  fire- 
men held  a  torchlight  procession  on  November  4.  Dr.  William  B. 
Herrick  was  government  physician  in  the  Marine  hospital  in  Novem- 
ber. A  market  for  the  North  Side  was  projected  late  in  1850.  The 
lot  at  the  southwest  corner  of  Randolph  and  State  streets — ninety 
feet  on  Randolph  and  eighty-two  on  State — was  sold  by  W.  S. 
Gurnee  to  John  Gurley  for  $10,000;  an  adjoining  lot  on  State  street 
was  sold  for  $3,000. 

"Our  thanks  are  due  to  the  operators  of  Speed's  line  of  telegraph 
and  to  the  superintendent,  Mr.  Clarke,  who  staid  up  until  after  mid- 
night on  Tuesday  in  order  to  forward  all  the  dispatches  they  might 
receive  from  the  East  and  North.  We  are  also  under  obligations 
to  Messrs.  Gamble  and  Rainy  of  the  Southern  and  Western  O'Reilly 
lines  for  similar  favors."  .  .  .  "Great  Thoroughfare. — On  Thurs- 
day last  the  following  persons  and  teams  passed  over  Wells  street 
bridge  in  this  city :  Men  and  women,  3,605 ;  boys  and  girls,  565  ; 
total,  4,170;  teams,  565."  .  .  .  "The  city  attorney  and  city  mar- 
shal have  been  ordered  to  commence  suit  against  the  slaughter 
houses  in  the  city  forthwith.  The  river  is  in  a  most  offensive  condi- 
tion, caused  by  the  blood  and  filth  from  these  houses  all  escaping 
into  it  and  then  putrefying." — (Democrat,  November  1850.) 

In  November,  1850,  the  city  borrowed  $30,000,  payable  in  ten 
years;  of  this  amount  $8,329  was  paid  to  George  Smith  &  Co.  and 
old  outstanding  bonds  of  that  amount  were  retired.  This  act  placed 
city  orders  at  par ;  there  was  a  three- fourths  of  1  per  cent  premium 
on  the  new  loan.  On  December  5  the  Democrat  effected  a  "scoop" 
on  all  the  other  papers  by  securing  and  publishing  the  President's 
message  in  advance.  Here  is  what  the  Democrat  said : 


216  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

"By  this  means  we  are  enabled  to  give  the  message  to  our  readers 
in  advance  of  all  other  sources,  not,  however,  without  going  to  an 
expense  which  no  other  office  in  this  city  was  willing  to  shoulder. 
This  is,  however,  the  age  of  steam  and  lightning,  and  to  keep  up 
with  the  times  a  paper  must  be  deterred  by  no  obstacle  or  frightened 
by  no  expense  so  that  its  readers  may  have  the  latest  information 
at  the  earliest  possible  moment.  From  our  copy  of  the  message 
reports  have  been  sent  to  Detroit  and  Milwaukee,  so  that  the  papers 
at  those  two  points  are  indebted  to  the  enterprise  of  the  Chicago 
Democrat  for  an  early  report  of  the  message.  The  message  was 
expressed  by  the  Government  to  Louisville,  Kentucky,  and  thence 
was  telegraphed  by  O'Reilly's  line  to  St.  Louis.  It  occupied  from 
two  o'clock  yesterday  afternoon  till  five  o'clock  this  morning  in  its 
delivery  at  this  point.  The  delay  was  occasioned  by  the  Dubuque 
and  Galena  offices  not  being  able  to  receive  it  as  fast  as  it  was  deliv- 
ered."— (Democrat,  December  5,  1850.) 

The  value  of  real  estate  in  Chicago  in  1850  was  $6,114,600;  per- 
sonal property,  $1,993,300.  Taxes  were  as  follows:  For  state 
purposes,  $47,026;  county,  $32,451;  town,  $3,526;  school,  $7,000; 
road,  $3,500.  Newspapers  were  as  follows :  Political  twelve,  with 
14,704  circulation;  literary  and  educational  three,  circulation  6,400; 
medical  two,  circulation  1,700;  agricultural  one,  circulation  5,000; 
religious  three,  circulation  6,472.  There  were  the  following  libraries : 
German  Literary  association,  1,200  volumes;  Burley's  circulating, 
2,000  volumes ;  Young  Men's  association,  2,000  volumes ;  Mechan- 
ics' Institute,  2,000  volumes.  There  were  five  district  schools  with 
2,500  pupils  enrolled ;  there  were  about  thirty  other  English  com- 
mon schools,  with  seventy-nine  teachers  and  3,877  pupils.  There 
were  twenty -nine  religious  societies,  with  a  membership  of  17,200. 
The  average  daily  wages  of  a  carpenter  without  board  was  $1.37. 
A  day  laborer  received  $1  and  board  per  day.  The  weekly  wages 
of  a  female  domestic  was  $1.25  and  board.  The  price  of  board 
per  week  for  a  laboring  man  was  $1.25.  Monthly  wages  of  farm 
hands,  $12.  Mark  Skinner  was  president  of  the  Illinois  General 
hospital.  At  this  time  Chicago  was  devising  means  to  capture  more 
of  the  trade  of  the  Great  West — through  advertisements,  personal 
solicitation,  railways,  the  canal  and  arguments. 

"Public  Meeting. — The  undersigned  supervisors  of  the  three 
towns  of  Chicago  have  been  requested  to  call  a  public  meeting  of  the 
citizens  of  said  towns  to  take  into  consideration  the  expediency  of 
applying  to  the  Legislature  to  be  set  off  from  the  county  of  Cook 
and  erected  into  a  new  county;  or  of  taking  some  measure  to  give 
them  a  more  just  and  legal  representation  on  the  Board  of  Super- 
visors ;  accordingly  the  citizens  of  said  towns  are  hereby  requested 
to  assemble  in  the  city  hall  for  that  purpose."  N.  H.  Bolles,  George 
W.  Dole  and  Henry  Smith,  supervisors.  In  accordance  with  the 
above  call  the  meeting  was  held  with  Charles  Walker  as  chairman. 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  217 

"After  a  discussion  of  the  township  organization,  division  of  the 
county,  and  sale  of  the  public  square,  the  following  committee  was 
appointed  to  present  a  plan  to  secure  the  city  an  equality  of  repre- 
sentation in  the  Board  of  Supervisors.  T.  A.  Stewart,  F.  C.  Sher- 
man, E.  B.  Williams,  Alexander  Lloyd,  John  C.  Dodge,  William 
Jones,  Alexander  Fullerton,  Elihu  Granger,  B.  S.  Morris,  N.  H. 
Bolles  and  Charles  Walker."  .  .  .  "The  meeting  last  evening 
adopted  a  bill  with  a  petition  to  be  sent  to  the  Legislature,  making 
the  mayor  and  aldermen  ex-officio  members  of  the  Board  of  Super- 
visors. Also  some  amendments  to  the  township  law  which  we  will 
publish  tomorrow.  A  proposition  to  make  a  new  division  of  the 
county  into  townships  of  larger  size  was  discussed  and  the  meeting 
adjourned  until  Saturday  next  for  its  further  consideration." — 
(Democrat,  January  22,  1851.) 

The  adjourned  meeting  met  on  Saturday  and  there  were  intro- 
duced resolutions  to  the  above  effect.  J.  Y.  Scammon  moved  their 
adoption.  P.  Ballingall  moved  to  amend  by  declaring  it  "inexpedi- 
ent at  the  present  time  to  amend  the  city  charter."  The  amendment 
failed  to  pass.  L.  C.  Kercheval  moved  to  adjourn ;  lost.  Scammon's 
motion  was  then  put  to  vote  and  carried.  The  following  resolution 
was  also  passed :  "Resolved,  That  the  charter  recently  revised  and 
amended  under  the  direction  of  the  Common  Council  of  the  city  of 
Chicago,  as  the  same  has  been  amended  by  the  committee  appointed 
to  examine  and  report  upon  the  same,  meets  the  cordial  approval 
of  the  citizens  of  this  city." — (Democrat,  February  4,  1851.) 

On  January  1,  1851,  the  Southwestern  plank  road,  which  had  been 
commenced  in  May,  1848,  was  finished  to  Brush  Hill,  a  distance 
of  sixteen  miles,  with  a  branch  of  six  miles  toward  Naperville.  The 
Northwestern  plank  road,  begun  in  1849,  was  finished  eighteen  miles 
to  Dutchman's  Point,  and  a  branch  six  miles  long  reached  the  Des 
Plaines  river.  The  Western  Plank  Road  company,  organized  in 
the  winter  of  1849-50,  connected  with  the  Northwestern  branch  at 
Robinson's  and  was  to  be  extended  seventeen  miles  westward.  The 
Elgin  and  Geneva  plank  road  was  to  connect  with  the  Western  in 
Du  Page  county.  The  Southern  plank  road,  organized  February  12, 
1850,  reached  Kyle's  tavern,  ten  miles  south  of  the  city,  on  January 
1,  1851.  Thus  in  all  about  fifty  miles  of  plank  road  radiated  from 
Chicago. 

On  January  1,  1851.  the  city  contained  the  following  enterprises: 
Six  exchange  dealers  and  bankers;  thirty-two  forwarding  and  com- 
mission merchants  and  produce  dealers ;  fourteen  wholesale  grocers ; 
fifty  lumber  dealers:  also  a  large  number  of  retailers  in  all  branches 
of  business.  The  Government  during  1850  built  the  Marine  hos- 
pital, the  iron  lighthouse,  and  surveyed  the  harbor.  Important 
works  done  by  the  city  were:  Planking-  6.69  miles  of  street;  3.967 
feet  of  sewers  laid;  important  lake  shore  protection  with  piling; 
widened  the  river  Wells  to  La  Salle  and  Wolcott  to  Clark;  North 


218  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

Water  street  was  vacated  and  a  new  street  opened  to  the  northward 
so  as  to  provide  wharfing  lots;  also  large  accessories  to  sidewalks 
and  grading.  Chartered  companies  in  1850  supplied:  1.  Parts 
of  the  South  and  West  Sides  with  hydraulic  water  from  the  lake — 
nine  and  a  half  miles  of  pipe,  with  1,000  hydrants,  supplying  800 
families  and  200  business  establishments.  2.  The  Chicago  Gas 
Light  &  Coke  company,  located  on  Monroe  near  Market,  had  down 
six  miles  of  pipe,  and  on  September  4,  1850,  the  city  was  lighted 
with  gas  for  the  first  time;  number  of  consumers,  197;  number  of 
street  and  bridge  lamps,  112;  number  of  burners,  1,417;  the  city 
paid  $2.50  per  thousand  cubic  feet,  others  $3.50.  The  Democrat 
of  January  1,  1851,  said:  "The  buildings  erected  by  private  enter- 
prise during  the  year  1850  have  been  on  a  scale  of  greater  magnifi- 
cence and  attended  by  a  larger  aggregate  cost  than  those  of  any 
preceding  year."  Among  the  most  important  of  these  improvements 
were  the  Tremont  house,  120x180  feet,  five  and  a  half  stories,  cost- 
ing $75,000,  J.  M.  Van  Osdel,  architect;  a  brick  theatre  building 
eighty  feet  on  Dearborn  between  Randolph  and  Washington,  cost 
$11,000;  docks  to  the  extent  of  1,830  feet  on  the  North  branch, 
about  2,000  feet  on  the  South  branch,  and  about  2,000  feet  on  the 
main  river  were  erected. 

On  the  night  of  February  7,  1851,  upon  receipt  of  the  news  that 
the  resolution  to  prevent  the  Board  of  Supervisors  from  selling  any 
part  of  the  public  square  had  passed  both  houses  of  the  Legislature, 
a  salute  was  fired,  public  rejoicing  occurred  arid  the  salutes  and  the 
speaking  were  continued  the  next  day.  Thus  this  vexed  question 
was  so  far  settled.  The  city  wanted  to  keep  the  square,  but  the 
county  wanted  to  sell  at  least  a  part  of  it.  The  county,  having  by 
far  the  majority  on  the  County  Board,  seemed  certain  to  have  its 
way,  until  the  Legislature  was  appealed  to  with  the  above  result. 
It  now  remained  to  divide  the  public  square  between  county  and  city. 
The  new  law,  passed  February  4,  read  as  follows:  "That  Block 
No.  39  in  the  original  town  of  Chicago,  be  and  the  same  is  hereby 
dedicated  to  public  uses  as  a  public  common  and  square.  The  Board 
of  Supervisors  and  all  other  county  authorities  of  the  County  of 
Cook,  and  the  Common  Council  of  the  City  of  Chicago  are  hereby 
forbidden  to  sell,  mortgage,  encumber  or  convey  said  Block  39  or 
any  part  thereof.  Nothing  in  this  act  contained  shall  be  so  con- 
strued as  to  prevent  the  location  of  county  buildings  on  said  Block 
39.  This  act  to  be  in  force  and  take  effect  from  and  after  its 
passage." 

In  December  the  city  paid  $250  to  have  the  river  cleansed  with 
water  pumped  from  the  canal.  A  society  for  the  relief  of  the  poor 
did  excellent  work  during  the  winter  of  1850-1.  By  January  1, 
1851,  the  Southern  plank  road  was  completed  to  Kyle's  tavern,  nine 
miles  from  Chicago.  During  1850  the  Galena  railway  bought  for 
depot  purposes  Block  1  on  the  North  Side,  south  of  Kinzie  and 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  219 

between  Dearborn  and  State,  paying  therefor  $60,000.  The  lake 
front  was  fully  protected  during  1850.  The  North  Side  market 
was  located  on  Block  8,  Wolcott's  addition  to  the  North  Side.  By 
January  1,  1851,  there  were  9.59  miles  of  city  streets  planked,  2.9 
miles  in  1849  and  the  balance  in  1850.  That  of  1850  was  as  follows : 
Market  street,  4,951  feet;  State,  12,667  feet;  South  Clark,  758  feet; 
North,  4,329  feet;  La  Salle,  760  feet;  Wells,  762  feet;  East 
Madison,  272  feet;  West  Madison,  7,481  feet;  West  Randolph, 
3,672  feet.  During  1850,  1,830  feet  of  docks  near  the  Galena  depot 
were  built  on  the  North  branch.  S.  C.  Higginson  was  president  of 
the  Western  Plank  Road  company.  When  the  gas  works  were 
first  started  but  10,000  cubic  feet  were  made,  but  by  January,  1851, 
the  quantity  was  increased  to  24,000  cubic  feet  to  be  used  in  twenty- 
four  hours.  In  January,  1851,  surveyors  were  at  work  for  the 
Michigan  Central  Railway  company  between  Michigan  City  and 
Chicago.  The  Chicago  &  Milwaukee  railway  was  projected  in 
1850. 

There  was  sharp  rivalry  between  the  Michigan  Southern  and  the 
Michigan  Central  railways  as  to  which  one  should  reach  Chicago 
first.  The  Southern  endeavored  to  prevent  the  Central  from  secur- 
ing the  right  of  way  through  Indiana  and  endeavored  to  obtain  for 
herself  authority  from  the  Illinois  Legislature  to  go  to  Chicago 
without  conditions.  It  was  merely  an  attempt,  made  in  advance, 
to  monopolize  the  railway  traffic  eastward  from  Chicago.  In  the 
spring  of  1851  there  were  but  four  flouring  mills  here,  as  follows: 
Marine  mills,  four  run  of  stone,  capacity  300  barrels  per  day ;  City 
mills,  three  run  of  stone,  capacity  225  barrels;  Hydraulic  mills, 
three  run  of  stone,  capacity  225  barrels;  North  Branch  mill,  two 
run  of  stone,  capacity  150  barrels.  But  a  fire  early  in  1851  de- 
stroyed the  latter,  leaving  a  city  of  about  25,000  inhabitants  with 
only  three  flouring  mills.  The  alleged  spirit  manifestations  of  the 
Fox  sisters  of  Rochester,  New  York,  attracted  the  notice  of  Chi- 
cago about  this  time. 

"The  lake  shore  protection  seems  to  answer  the  purpose  finely 
so  far,  and  we  should  think  would  prove  a  complete  barrier  for  the 
further  progress  of  Neptune's  dominions.  What  a  pity  it  had  not 
been  built  years  ago.  Apropos,  would  not  the  lake  shore  look  bet- 
ter if  the  bank  was  leveled  off  in  shape?" — (Democrat,  March  14, 
1851.) 

On  January  30.  1851,  the  thermometer  stood  fifteen  degrees 
below  zero ;  the  Democrat  said  that  it  had  been  as  low  here  as 
twenty-eight  below.  It  began  to  be  realized  now  that  beyond  a 
doubt  Chicago  was  soon  to  be  the  center  of  railway  development 
in  the  West.  Two  roads  were  soon  to  be  here  from  the  East — 
Michigan  Central  and  Michigan  Southern.  Starting  from  Chicago 
were  the  Galena,  Rock  Island,  Milwaukee.  Illinois  Central  and 
others,  with  a  dozen  more  in  prospect.  All  this  rendered  it  cer- 


220  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

tain  that  the  canal,  built  by  the  state,  was  now  soon  to  be  paralleled 
and  largely  ruined  by  the  railways  built  by  private  corporations. 
The  canal  had  so  long  been  looked  to  as  the  greatest  commercial 
medium  that  Chicago  could  secure,  that  the  transit  of  hope  and 
thought  within  three  or  four  years  to  an  entirely  different  expecta- 
tion was  to  a  considerable  degree  frightening.  The  industrial 
revolution  was  welcomed. 

In  February,  1851,  the  liquor  license  clause  was  stricken  out  of 
the  new  city  charter  bill;  there  had  been  received  revenue  to  the 
amount  of  nearly  $10,000  from  this  source.  The  proposed  new 
charter  provided  that  assessors  should  be  appointed  by  the  Council ; 
that  in  order  to  vote  a  citizen  must  have  resided  in  the  state  one 
year,  in  the  county  six  months,  and  in  the  ward  ten  days ;  that  the 
city  clerk  and  not  the  inspectors  should  give  election  notices;  that 
citizens  qualified  to  vote  could  be  elected  to  any  city  office;  that 
judges  of  election  must  make  return  within  three  days.  Immense 
preparations  were  made  for  building  in  the  spring  of  1851.  In 
1857  "Grandfather"  Dutch  was  called  the  Nestor  of  the  Chicago 
press.  In  February,  1851,  the  slaughter  house  bill  passed  the 
Senate  but  was  defeated  in  the  House ;  this  was  an  attempt  to  drive 
slaughter  houses  from  the  city  limits.  John  Wentworth  was  at 
this  time  regarded  by  many  as  the  father  and  preserver  of  the 
river  and  harbor  improvement  system.  An  important  law  of  1851 
provided  for  the  drainage  of  the  wet  lands  around  Chicago  and 
embraced  Townships  38,  39  and  40,  Ranges  12,  13  and  14— in  all 
about  150,000  acres.  On  March  5  the  Sauganash  hotel  was  burned 
clown.  Chicago  received  from  Congress  $27,176  for  the  harbor 
in  March,  1851.  On  March  6  O'Reilly's  telegraph  line  to  Milwau- 
kee was  completed  and  in  operation.  About  the  middle  of  March, 
1857,  there  were  in  the  warehouses  waiting  for  the  opening  of  navi- 
gation 386,487  bushels  of  wheat,  589.246  bushels  of  corn  and  279,- 
549  bushels  of  oats.  At  this  time  the  city  indebtedness  was  about 
$101,304.19,  on  a  part  of  which  12  per  cent  interest  was  being  paid ; 
steps  to  refund  at  a  lower  rate  were  taken.  The  Legislature  pro- 
vided for  a  board  of  water  commissioners  in  1851,  the  object  being 
to  enable  Chicago  in  the  end  to  provide  its  own  water.  A  perma- 
nent system  of  sewerage  was  recommended  and  provided  for,  and 
finally  was  carried  into  effect.  The  new  charter  gave  the  city 
power  to  control  slaughter-house  nuisances.  This  was  a  period  of 
great  advancement.  Schools  were  multiplied  and  improved ;  the 
river  was  widened  and  the  harbor  deepened :  the  police  force  was 
reorganized  and  the  court  laws  were  amended  and  simplified. 

The  new  postage  law  of  1851  made  a  great  difference  to  busi- 
ness houses — 3  cents  per  half  ounce  of  prepaid,  otherwise  5  cents. 
The  Marine  hospital  was  nearly  completed  in  March,  1851.  Chi- 
cago milk  was  complained  of — was  said  to  be  from  distillery  swill. 
During  the  winter  of  1850-1  a  new  and  dangerous  sand  bar  formed 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  221 

across  the  harbor  entrance;  it  extended  over  one  thousand  feet 
southward  from  the  end  of  the  north  pier;  vessels  had  to  come  in 
over  a  crooked  course  and  pass  over  nine  and  one-half  feet  of 
water,  reduced  to  less  than  seven  feet  during  heavy  swells.  Lieu- 
tenant Webster  recommended  the  discontinuance  of  the  present 
system  of  pier  extension  and  the  construction  of  an  outside  jetty  so 
located  as  to  concentrate  the  shore  current  upon  the  bar  and  thus 
carry  it  away  to  the  southward.  The  Board  of  Trade  was  par- 
ticularly active  at  this  time  to  improve  the  harbor.  United  States 
Circuit  and  District  courts  were  located  here  about  this  date.  The 
first  Board  of  Water  Commissioners  were  John  B.  Turner,  Horatio 
G.  Loomis  and  Alson  S.  Sherman. 

It  was  noted  in  April,  1851,  that  business  houses  to  an  unusual 
extent  were  crowding  out  private  residences  in  the  down-town  dis- 
tricts. The  Common  Council  now  met  in  rooms  fitted  up  in  the 
north  end  of  the  city  hall.  In  May  city  scrip  was  5  per  cent  dis- 
count ;  county  orders  the  same ;  Illinois  and  Michigan  canal  indebt- 
edness 75  per  cent  discount;  Galena  railway  stock  par;  exchange 
on  New  York  three-quarters  of  1  per  cent  discount.  At  this  date 
the  following  preemption  claims  against  the  canal  trustees  were  still 
unsettled :  Scott's  claim  on  the  West  Side ;  Sanger's  on  the  south 
of  the  North  branch ;  Lynch's  in  Bridgeport  at  the  hydraulic  works. 
Orders  regulating  the  slaughter  houses  were  passed  in  May.  It 
was  at  this  time  that  the  planking  on  the  streets  began  to  give  way, 
get  out  of  repair  and  place,  and  cause  serious  vexation  and  trouble. 
Iron  columns,  pillars,  sills,  capitals,  beams,  etc.,  began  to  make 
their  appearance  in  buildings.  Schuyler  Colfax  was  for  a  time 
connected  with  the  old  Tribune  of  the  forties.  In  June,  1851,  nine 
acres  on  the  North  Side  between  Clybourn  and  Sheffield  avenues 
sold  for  $300  an  acre.  At  the  same  time  forty-two  acres  on  the 
South  Side  near  the  city  limits  (Twenty-second  street),  between 
Ulrich's  and  the  river,  sold  for  $150  an  acre. 

The  first  Lake  street  bridge  was  proposed  in  June,  1851.  On 
June  13  the  Northwest  plank  road  was  completed  two  and  a  half 
miles  beyond  Colonel  Anderson's  at  Niles,  which  village  was  four- 
teen miles  from  Chicago.  The  first  annual  meeting  of  the  trustees 
of  Northwestern  University  was  held  in  June.  A  question  which 
had  come  up  often  before  was  discussed  at  this  date,  namely,  the 
right  of  the  Galena  railway  to  bridge  the  North  branch  to  reach 
their  new  depot  on  the  North  Side.  As  the  river  and  its  branches 
were  navigable  streams,  a  right  to  bridge  at  all  was  denied ;  but 
despite  this  contention  bridges  from  the  start  had  been  constructed 
here  and  were  continued.  The  railwav  -was  enjoined,  but  later 
was  permitted  to  resume  work  on  the  bridge.  It  was  noted  in  June 
that  West  Chicago  had  grown  faster  than  either  of  the  other  two 
divisions — North  and  South.  The  lighthouse  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Calumet  was  ordered  commenced  in  Tune,  1851.  On  Tune  16, 


222  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

1851,  for  the  first  time  so  far  as  known,  a  tunnel  under  the  Chicago 
river  was  considered  by  the  Common  Council.  This  city  had  become 
the  best  horse  market  in  the  West;  prices  from  $40  to  $1,000  were 
paid. 

It  was  at  this  date  that  the  "cut-off"  question  came  up  to  disturb 
the  dreams  of  Chicago.  It  was  seen  that  the  railway  lines  bound 
from  the  East  to  the  West  would  have  to  pass  south  of  the 
southern  extremity  of  Lake  Michigan.  Why  then  should  such 
lines  be  run  up  a  considerable  distance  north  to  Chicago,  when 
time  and  track  would  be  saved  by  continuing  them  directly  west- 
ward from  the  southern  point  of  the  lake?  The  Michigan  Cen- 
tral, Michigan  Southern  and  Illinois  Central  were  particularly 
concerned  in  this  question.  Had  Chicago  remained  a  small  town, 
such  an  eventuality  would  have  occurred ;  but  the  enormous 
growth  of  the  city  compelled  the  railways  to  center  here.  The 
Illinois  Central  thought  to  bring  pressure  to  bear  on  Chicago  in 
the  "cut-off"  emergency;  they  acted  as  if  they  wished  to  mulct 
this  city  of  a  large  bonus  for  coming  here  at  all.  The  Rock 
Island  took  this  cue  and  offered  to  come  to  Chicago  instead  of 
passing  eastward  south  of  the  southern  point  of  Lake  Michigan, 
if  the  citizens  would  raise  $100,000.  By  July  14  $30,000  was  sub- 
scribed. Finally  the  Council,  on  June  30,  authorized  the  mayor 
to  subscribe  for  $100.000  worth  of  stock  in  this  road,  "subject 
to  the  express  condition  that  the  connection  between  said  Chicago 
and  Rock  Island  and  any  other  railroad  from  the  East  shall  be 
made  at  some  point  within  five  miles  of  the  present  southern 
boundary  of  the  city  of  Chicago."  The  first  Tuesday  in  August 
was  set  as  the  day  to  vote  upon  this  issue  of  bonds.  In  forty- 
eight  hours,  about  June  24,  over  2,000,000  feet  of  lumber  were 
received  here — thus  breaking  the  record.  The  new  postal  law  of 
1851  reduced  to  one  dollar  the  postage  necessary  to  convey  the 
Democrat  one  year  to  subscribers;  it  had  required  $3.12  before  this 
year.  In  August,  1851,  it  was  noted  that  there  was  no  sick- 
ness here  and  that  doctors  had  little  or  no  practice.  During  some 
weeks  there  was  not  a  single  burial.  A  union  of  printers  in  Au- 
gust fixed  composition  at  16  to  25  cents  per  thousand  ems.  Hal- 
sted  street  was  the  west  line  of  old  Chicago  and  for  a  long  time 
remained  unoccupied,  but  by  1851  buildings  far  beyond  it  had 
been  erected.  Carpenter's  addition  was  bounded  north  by  Kinzie 
street,  along  which  ran  the  Galena  railway ;  north  of  Carpenter's 
addition  was  Ogden's  addition  and  south  was  Madison  street  and 
Duncan's  addition.  On  the  east  of  Carpenter's  addition  was  Hal- 
sted  street  and  the  Old  Town  of  Chicago.  Off  to  the  westward 
of  Carpenter's  addition  was  old  Bull  Head  tavern,  built  by  Mathew 
Laflin  and  used  largely  by  drovers  and  cattle  dealers;  it  stood 
near  where  Madison  street  and  the  Southwest  plank  road  met. 
In  that  vicinity  the  well  water  was  declared  to  be  excellent. 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  223 

"Fourteen  large  droves  of  cattle  stopped  over  night  at  Darrow's 
hotel  on  the  Southern  plank  road  just  out  of  the  city  limits  last 
week.  Few  persons  can  conjecture  the  number  of  cattle  that 
come  into  our  city  in  a  year.  Until  S.  L.  Darrow  fenced  in  his 
large  enclosure,  there  was  no  such  thing  as  yarding  large  droves 
of  cattle  near  the  city,"  said  the  Democrat  of  July,  10. 

At  one  time  the  North  Side  was  the  most  important  part  of 
Chicago;  the  best  and  largest  stores  and  warehouses  were  there. 
Property  was  high;  steamboats  landed  at  the  north  docks;  this 
was  about  1835  to  1841.  The  construction  of  the  Great  Western 
road  and  the  bridge  over  the  South  branch  at  Randolph  street 
completely  changed  all  this,  and  threw  the  trade  to  the  South 
Side,  where  it  remained.  It  remained  for  the  Galena  &  North- 
western railroads  to  revive  business  there.  The  Archer  road  lead- 
ing from  State  street  to  Bridgeport  was  now  an  important  thor- 
oughfare. The  building  of  the  canal  caused  the  desertion  of  the 
old  town  of  Bridgeport  and  the  erection  of  a  new  village  on  a  cut 
of  the  canal  near  the  old  site;  in  July,  1851,  there  was  hardly  a 
shanty  in  the  old  village.  One  of  the  early  plans  proposed  to 
tunnel  the  river  at  Washington  street  with  a  boiler  iron  bore 
twelve  feet  in  diameter.  In  July,  1851,  Wabash  avenue  was 
being  opened  and  graded  its  entire  length— to  Darrow's  hotel  on 
the  plank  road.  Mayor  Gurnee's  plan  of  sewerage  was  to  flush 
and  cleanse  the  sewers  with  water  pumped  from  the  new  city 
water  works.  The  contract  for  the  new  courthouse  was  let  on 
July  16,  1851,  as  follows:  The  mason  work  to  Peter  Page  at 
$58,785 ;  the  carpenter  work  and  painting  to  John  Sallett  at  $29,- 
000.  The  city  was  to  pay  five-eighteenths  of  the  whole  cost  and 
the  county  thirteen-eighteenths.  Thus  of  the  above  amount  the 
city  was  to  pay  $24,385  and  the  county  $63,400.  Messrs.  Bur- 
ling. Van  Osdell  and  Butler  were  the  arbiters  to  determine  what 
each  (county  and  city)  should  pay.  The  county  agents  who 
let  the  contract  were  C.  V.  Dyer,  W.  H.  Davis,  F.  C.  Sher- 
man, Joseph  Filkins,  S.  Anderson  and  R.  W.  Everett.  The  main 
building  was  designed  to  be  100  feet  square  and  in  Grecian  Ionic 
style.  During  one  week  in  July,  1851,  8,000  buffalo  robes,  the 
property  of  the  American  Fur  company,  were  forwarded  by  Neely, 
Lawrence  &  Co.  to  New  York.  In  July  there  were  five  daily 
papers  issued. 

In  July,  1851,  there  were  a  total  of  1,506  buildings  on  the 
West  Side,  2,742  on  the  South  and  1,550  on  the  North;  total, 
5,798.  From  March  1  to  July  23,  of  that  year,  127  buildings  were 
erected  on  the  West  Side.  110  on  the  South  and  83  on  the  North. 
West  of  Carpenter's  adition  to  the  city  limits  there  were  but 
forty-two  buildings;  west  of  Duncan's  addition,  but  fifteen.  On 
July  23  order  was  given  to  clear  the  public  square  of  liberty  poles 
preparatory  to  commencing  work  on  the  county  buildings.  A 


224  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

large  raft  of  cedar  logs  was  brought  here  from  the  Calumet,  worth 
$6  per  100.  In  August  Dearborn  park  for  the  first  time  was 
lighted  by  gas. 

It  had  been  thought  that  the  improvements  to  the  lake  front 
shore  line  would  be  permanent,  but  by  August,  1851,  the  waves 
were  again  rapidly  encroaching  on  the  shore.  A  second  barrier 
was  built.  In  August,  1851,  cholera  again  made  its  dreaded  ap- 
pearance here.  In  this  year  for  the  first  time  a  chapel  stood  in 
the  cemetery.  On  August  25  Hadduck's  big  warehouse  burned 
down,  also  that  of  H.  Norton  &  Co.  The  lighthouse  at  Calumet 
was  nearly  completed  by  September  1.  In  August  120  died  of 
cholera.  McCormick's  reapers  met  with  great  success  in  Europe 
this  year.  The  corner  stone  of  the  new  courthouse  was  laid  in 
September.  A  new  building  for  Engine  company  No.  1  was 
erected.  Special  permission  to  widen  the  river  at  the  old  garrison 
grounds  was  obtained  from  Congress.  A  big  storm  on  the  26th 
and  27th  of  September  washed  away  a  part  of  Michigan  avenue 
opposite  Mayor  Gurnee's  residence.  At  night  he  rallied  a  gang 
of  men  and  repaired  the  break  and  checked  the  damage.  In  1831 
there  were  no  railways  of  consequence  in  the  United  States ;  twenty 
years  later  there  were  11,000  miles  of  track  laid  and  10,000  more 
being  laid.  The  Clybourn  &  Ellis  slaughterhouse  burned  Septem- 
ber 30.  Germain's  warehouse  on  the  North  Side  was  burned. 

In  October  a  map  representing  the  Illinois  Central  railway  run- 
ning to  the  southern  point  of  Lake  Michigan  instead  of  to  Chi- 
cago was  shown  here.  This  so  angered  Chicagoans  that  pursuant 
to  the  request  of  a  public  meeting,  the  Council  appropriated  $10,- 
000  to  be  used  to  defeat  the  attempt  of  the  Illinois  Central  to  get 
a  large  loan  from  England.  Isaac  N.  Arnold  drew  the  resolutions 
adopted  by  the  Council!  They  were  promptly  sent  to  England  and 
Holland  in  order  to  cripple  the  Illinois  Central  by  cutting  off  its 
money  supply.  It  was  declared  to  be  a  plan  of  certain  persons  to 
secure  a  big  haul  from  the  city  treasury.  Robert  J.  Walker  and 
Mr.  Neal,  of  the  Illinois  Central,  were  at  this  time  abroad  endeav- 
oring to  negotiate  the  loan.  The  general  view  here  was  that  as 
Congress,  in  making  the  immense  land  grant  to  the  Illinois  Cen- 
tral, expected  Chicago  would  be  the  northern  terminus  of  that 
road,  the  city  should  do  nothing  unless  such  expectation  was  likely 
to  be  defeated;  accordingly,  on  September  30,  the  Council  re- 
scinded the  $10,000  appropriation  which  had  been  made  in  re- 
sponse to  a  numerously  signed  petition  of  the  citizens.  What  the 
people  demanded  was  that  the  Illinois  Central  should  come  to  Chi- 
cago before  joining  any  of  the  trunk  lines  from  the  East.  The  reso- 
lutions were  as  follows : 

"WHEREAS,  A  memorial  has  been  presented  to  the  Common 
Council  of  the  city  of  Chicago,  signed  by  a  large  number  of  citi- 
zens of  this  city,  expressing  fears  that  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  225 

company,  in  violation  of  the  terms  and  spirit  of  the  grant  of  land 
by  Congress  to  this  state  to  aid  in  construction  of  said  road  and 
in  violation  of  the  act  of  the  Illinois  Legislature  incorporating 
said  company,  intend  to  divert  the  Chicago  branch  of  said  road 
from  a  direct  line  to  this  city  to  the  East,  so  as  to  connect  with 
Eastern  roads  before  coming  to  Chicago. 

"WHEREAS,  The  city  of  Chicago  (and  it  is  believed  the  state  of 
Illinois)  will  resist  by  every  means  in  their  power  such  perversion 
of  the  grant  and  such  violation  of  the  contract  on  the  part  of  said 
company;  therefore,  for  the  purpose  of  making  such  resistance 
effectual,  it  is 

"Ordered,  That  the  sum  of  $10,000  be  and  the  same  is  hereby 
appropriated  and  placed  subject  to  the  order  of  the  mayor  for  the 
purpose  of  defraying  the  expenses  of  making  such  resistance.  And 
the  mayor  is  hereby  authorized  and  empowered  to  retain  counsel 
and  take  all  such  steps  as  he  may  deem  necessary  to  secure  the 
rights  of  the  city  and  state  in  the  premises." 

"The  great  objection  to  the  former  resolutions  was  that  they 
were  being  used  to  defeat  the  Central  railroad  in  procuring  a  loan ; 
we  are  satisfied  no  member  of  the  Council  so  intended,  its  design 
being  merely  to  carry  out  the  wishes  of  all  our  citizens  in  com- 
pelling the  company  to  run  its  road  directly  to  Chicago.  .  .  . 
There  is  a  mystery  about  the  earlier  resolution  that  requires  ex- 
planation. They  were  drawn  at  a  very  early  day  and  subsequently 
petitions  were  presented  and  circulated  to  call  out  just  such  reso- 
lutions. Not  an  alderman  on  the  board  knows  the  origin  of  the 
resolutions  nor  of  the  petitions  sent  out  upon  which  to  base  them. 
No  sooner  were  they  passed  than  copies  were  sent  to  Holland, 
England,  etc.,  to  operate  against  a  loan.  Where  things  are  done 
so  private,  there  is  always  a  suspicion.  ...  If  Chicago  ever 
received  a  fatal  blow  from  any  quarter  it  has  been  from  railroad 
quarrels." — (Democrat,  July,  1851.) 

It  came  to  pass  that  about  January,  1851,  it  was  feared  that  the 
Michigan  Southern  railway  would  run  directly  west  from  the  most 
southerly  point  of  Lake  Michigan  to  Joliet,  thus  cutting  off  Chi- 
cago to  the  north.  At  this  date  the  Michigan  Southern  was  trying 
to  prevent  the  Michigan  Central  from  coming  west  at  all.  During 
this  quarrel  between  these  two  roads  the  Illinois  Legislature  adopted 
the  "cut-off  policy,"  much  to  the  injury  of  Chicago.  "The  whole 
cut-off  policy  originated  in  the  useless  quarrels  of  last  winter, 
when  our  citizens  pared  off  between  the  two  Michigan  companies, 
and  by  defeating  both,  compelled  them  to  resort  to  indirect  means 
to  get  here.  It  is  greatly  to  be  regretted  that  both  of  those  com- 
panies could  not  have  found  an  equal  right  to  come  here  under 
the  plain  legislation  of  our  country.  Our  foolish  fights  prevented 
it  and  we  now  have  to  suffer  the  consequences.  Who  is  to  blame 
for  compelling  these  companies  to  resort  to  these  calamitous  'cut- 


226  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

offs'  is  not  for  us  to  say,  but  we  esteem  it  our  duty  to  say  that 
the  evils  of  those  quarrels  should  keep  us  out  of  precipitate  action 
for  the  future.  Our  idea  has  always  been  that  instead  of  warring 
upon  any  railroad  company  and  endeavoring  to  prevent  it  from 
coming  here,  we  should  labor  to  get  as  many  here  as  possible  and 
to  have  all  come  without  any  'cut-offs.'  " — (Democrat,  October  17, 
1851.)  "False  Alarm. — It  seems  that  the  cut-off  humbug  has  ex- 
ploded, and  what  the  great  mass  of  our  citizens  hoped  and  pre- 
dicted will  prove  true.  Upon  what  subject  the  agitators  and  busy- 
bodies  in  our  city  will  go  off  half-cocked  next  remains  to  be  seen. 
Hereafter  let  our  people  be  careful  what  petitions  they  sign,  and 
let  our  aldermen  look  at  the  origin  and  design  of  any  resolution 
upon  which  their  hasty  action  is  invoked.  Will  Peck  now  pay 
back  the  fifty  dollars." — (Democrat,  October  20,  1851.) 

This  article  was  written  in  view  of  a  dispatch  from  Washing- 
ton that  the  Illinois  Central  had  abandoned  the  plan  of  a  cut-off 
and  had  concluded  to  run  to  Chicago  west  of  Calumet  lake  and 
not  approach  the  Indiana  line  nearer  than  four  and  a  half  miles. 
The  Democrat  laid  all  the  trouble  over  the  Illinois  Central  cut-off 
to  Ebenezer  Peck  and  declared  that  he  had  already  been  paid  $50 
from  the  $10,000  appropriation.  "All  the  legislation  at  Springfield, 
and  all  the  action  here  last  winter  respecting  the  railroads  was  just 
such  as  the  worst  enemies  of  Chicago  could  have  desired.  The 
Michigan  Central  railroad  wanted  to  come  directly  here.  We 
would  not  let  it.  The  Michigan  Southern  railroad  wanted  to  come 
directly  here.  We  would  not  let  it.  We,  the  citizens  and  legisla- 
tors of  Chicago,  drove  both  these  roads  to  adopt  the  cut-off  policy. 
In  this  matter  who  were  our  enemies?  The  Illinois  Central  com- 
pany sent  on  a  charter  to  bring  a  branch  direct  to  Chicago.  The 
words  'direct  route'  were  struck  out  and  'most  eligible  route'  in- 
serted at  the  instigation  of  a  citizen  of  Chicago.  .  .  .  The  com- 
pany proposes  to  establish  the  depot  upon  the  lake.  Our  private 
interest  is  to  have  it  upon  the  river  and  we  so  avow  it.  The  com- 
pany, after  suitable  examinations,  have  declared  that  the  capacity 
of  the  river  is  not  sufficient  for  their  business.  Under  no  circum- 
stances then  can  we  have  it  upon  the  river." — (Democrat,  De- 
cember 10,  1851.)  "The  policy  of  Chicago. — Make  a  fuss  all 
summer  because  the  Illinois  Central  railroad  will  not  run  as  our 
own  citizens  want  it.  Finally  the  company  agrees  to  a  line  located 
by  the  mayor  for  the  city.  Then  a  quarrel  arises  where  the  depot 
shall  be,  and  in  the  quarrel  the  railroad  is  kept  out  of  the  city 
entirely.  Some  of  our  citizens  are  determined  to  have  a  complete 
cut-off  this  time." — (Democrat,  December  10,  1851.) 

In  October,  1851,  the  debt  of  Chicago  was  announced  as  $101,- 
000,  with  a  weekly  city  expense  of  about  $3,100.  In  1851  the 
city  valuation  was  $8,562,717,  and  the  tax  $63,385.87.  The  jour- 
neymen house  painters  demanded  an  increase  of  wages  to  12  shil- 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  227 

lings  per  day.  William  Wayman  built  the  first  iron  building  in 
the  city;  it  was  made  of  sheet  iron  and  stood  on  the  North  Side. 
In  1851  the  Galena  railway  depot  was  removed  from  the  West 
Side  to  the  North  Side. 

"We  have  heretofore  spoken  of  the  additions  made  to  our  whole- 
saling firms  within  the  past  year  or  two.  We  still  notice  that  the 
increase  of  wholesale  houses  continues,  and  this  year  in  a  more 
marked  degree  than  for  any  year  previous.  In  fact,  Water  street 
is  being  built  up  along  its  entire  length,  both  on  the  river  and  on 
the  south  side,  with  large  buildings,  fitted  up  in  the  best  manner 
for  wholesale  warehouses.  The  completion  of  the  canal  and,  still 
more,  the  extension  of  the  railroad,  have  operated  rather  to  the 
injury  of  our  retail  establishments,  which  in  many  instances  were 
transferred  to  the  country  villages;  those  that  remained  were  com- 
pelled in  a  great  measure  to  confine  their  business  to  a  merely  city 
demand,  which  in  the  meantime  has  been  springing  up  in  a  most 
unprecedented  manner,  and  which  has  now  more  than  made  up 
for  the  loss  caused  by  the  transfer  of  the  country  trade.  The  com- 
pletion of  the  canal,  the  railroad,  etc.,  has,  however,  created  an- 
other trade — a  wholesale  one.  Our  wholesale  establishments  are 
now  the  pride  of  our  city  and  are  fully  able  to  meet  all  the  demands 
of  the  trade  scattered  in  the  flourishing  towns  and  villages  around 
us." — (Democrat,  October  7,  1851.) 

The  Kankakee  country  was  filled  with  deer,  and  Chicago  sports- 
men in  large  numbers  went  there  to  hunt.  By  November  11  cars 
on  the  Michigan  Southern  ran  twenty-five  miles  west  of  Michigan 
City  and  cars  on  the  Michigan  Central  ran  twenty-one  miles  west 
of  the  same  city.  Edward  Silver  slaughtered  fifty-three  head  of 
cattle  here  in  eight  hours  and  forty  minutes — averaging  600  pounds 
per  head.  He  had  previously  slaughtered  an  ox  and  made  it  ready 
for  packing  in  about  five  minutes.  At  this  time  the  city  tax 
"outside  of  the  lamp  district"  was  75  cents  on  the  $100;  and  "in- 
side of  the  lamp  district"  was  55  cents  on  the  $100;  the  latter  in- 
cluded the  "lake  shore  protective  tax."  The  beautiful  steamer 
"Lady  Elgin"  arrived  here  first  on  November  15,  1851.  Under 
the  law  of  1850-51  the  new  hydraulic  works  were  planned  in  No- 
vember. "Our  city  has  grown  faster  than  ever  before  within  the 
last  year  and  our  suburbs  ten  times  as  fast,"  said  the  Democrat  of 
November  25.  At  this  time  the  doctors  said  that  the  city  was  so 
healthy  that  were  it  not  for  the  "baby  business"  they  would  have 
no  practice.  "The  year  1852  will  be  the  greatest  Chicago  ever 
knew.  The  wildest  dreams  of  our  citizens  will  be  surpassed.  The 
expenditures  of  the  Illinois  Central  railroad  alone  within  our  city 
will  exceed  $500,000.  We  are  going  all  the  time  right  straight 
ahead  for  Chicago — for  Chicago  against  'all  the  world  and  the 
rest  of  mankind' — Chicago  forever." — (Democrat,  December  6, 
1851.) 


228  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

There  was  much  feeling  and  excitement  manifested  in  Decem- 
ber, 1851,  over  the  location  of  the  Illinois  Central  depot;  private 
interests  were  warring  for  advantages.  "The  depot  question  is 
the  fashionable  topic  of  conversation  now.  It  is  vulgar  to  talk  of 
anything  else.  The  fashion  requires  also  that  in  your  discussions 
you  should  blockade  the  sidewalk,"  said  the  Democrat  of  December 
6.  By  December  8  the  public  building  on  the  square  had  reached 
a  height  of  about  twelve  feet.  In  November  and  December,  1851, 
the  Rock  Island  railroad  was  being  rapidly  constructed.  The  quar- 
rel over  the  location  of  the  Illinois  Central  depot  continued ;  finally 
late  in  December  it  was  established  on  the  lake  front.  The  Demo- 
crat of  December  13  said :  "The  suicidal  course  is  still  predomi- 
nant and  there  is  no  probability,  if  there  is  a  design,  of  agreeing  to 
anything  that  the  company  can  accept.  And,  strange  to  say,  the 
quarrel  is  all  about  the  number  of  feet  the  company  shall  go  out 
into  the  lake.  Now,  who  cares,  when  the  track  is  350  feet  out, 
whether  it  goes  any  farther  or  not  ?  Is  the  depot  to  be  lost  to  our 
city  on  this  trivial  issue?" 

By  December  17  the  Merchants'  Telegraph  line  was  completed 
to  this  city.  During  the  cold  weather  in  January,  1852,  the  water 
works  were  put  out  of  service  by  Jack  Frost,  causing  much  incon- 
venience and  suffering.  About  this  time  Illinois  state  bonds  threat- 
ened to  rise  to  par.  All  Chicago  was  proud  of  the  showing  made 
with  McCormick  reapers  in  Europe.  In  December,  1851,  the  city 
ordinances  provided  for  the  right  of  way  of  the  Illinois  Central 
railroad  to  Chicago.  The  entrance  of  that  road  into  the  city  along 
the  lake  front  meant  the  cessation  of  the  tax  levy  for  lake  shore 
protection.  The  canal  tolls  for  1851  were  as  follows:  At  Chi- 
cago, $109,862.29;  at  Lockport,  $7,849.51;  at  Ottawa,  $8,298.69; 
at  La  Salle,  $47,379.85.  The  sixth  annual  ball  of  the  Firemen's 
Benevolent  association  was  held  on  December  31.  The  Rock  Is- 
land Railroad  company  pursued  a  wiser  course  than  the  Illinois 
Central  in  this  respect :  It  first  bought  its  depot  grounds  and  then 
easily  secured  permission  to  run  to  them ;  while  the  Illinois  Central 
first  obtained  permission  to  enter  the  city  along  the  lake  front  and 
then  encountered  a  combine,  or  rather  combines,  that  demanded 
exorbitant  rates  for  a  site.  This  was  a  vital  period  to  Chicago's 
future  prosperity.  A  failure  to  secure  the  railroads  in  contempla- 
tion meant  that  this  city  would  be  cut  off  as  Milwaukee  was — 
meant  the  establishment  of  a  distributing  point  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Calumet  or  in  Indiana  on  the  lake  shore.  Yet  to  secure  the  prize, 
Chicago  was  not  forced  to  subscribe  for  the  railway  stock,  or  make 
large  contributions,  or  exert  itself  beyond  good  management  and 
persistent  effort.  The  Illinois  Central  depot  ordinance  was  finally 
passed  in  January,  1852.  The  Democrat  of  January  3  said:  "The 
following  is  the  ordinance  which  has  gone  into  force  without  the 
signature  of  the  mayor,  and  which  rival  companies  are  using  the 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  231 

most  powerful  exertions  to  repeal.  Their  object  is  to  keep  the  Cen- 
tral Railroad  company  out  of  our  city  entirely." 

In  1851  among  the  leading  improvements  were  the  following: 
The  basement  and  the  walls  of  the  first  story  of  the  new  county 
building  on  the  public  square  were  erected ;  two  brick  schoolhouses, 
one  on  the  North  Side  and  one  on  the  West,  were  built ;  a  market 
was  erected  on  the  North  Side  at  a  cost  of  $12,000;  a  brick  house 
for  Engine  company  No.  1  was  built  on  the  South  Side  at  a  cost  of 
$2,500;  the  Marine  hospital  on  Michigan  avenue  near  the  site  of 
the  old  fort  was  completed  at  a  cost  of  about  $50,000 — the  plans 
were  drawn  by  Lieutenant  Webster  and  the  construction  was  super- 
intended by  E.  Burling,  architect.  In  January,  1852,  the  city  bride- 
well was  nearly  ready  for  occupancy.  "Scheme. — With  the  Illinois 
Central  depot  on  the  lake  shore  and  the  Rock  Island  depot  on  the 
river  to  the  west,  why  not  unite  them  by  a  canal  ?"  This  canal  would 
have  passed  from  lake  to  river  about  along  the  line  of  Twelfth 
street. 

"The  improvements  completed  in  the  city  the  past  year  (1851) 
have  been  more  extensive  than  those  of  any  one  year  since  the 
first  settlement  of  the  city;  and  this  notwithstanding  the  epidemics 
and  other  causes  partially  retarded  the  progress  of  development. 
We  feel  certain  that  1852  will  see  a  much  greater  degree  of  activity 
in  the  projection  and  completion  of  practical  improvements  than 
was  witnessed  in  1851.  The  question  now  is,  not  as  to  the  fact 
of  anticipated  improvements,  but  as  to  the  best  point  for  their 
commencement  and  completion.  The  property  owners  are,  many 
of  them,  awaiting  the  location  of  the  various  railroad  depots,  anx- 
ious to  know  where  to  begin,  and  very  much  chagrined  at  any 
delay  which  will  prevent  the  maturing  of  their  plans.  .  .  .  We 
notice  another  great  aid  to  improvement,  and  that  is  the  planking 
of  the  streets  of  the  city.  There  the  greatest  appreciation  in  the 
value  of  property,  other  things  being  equal,  is  visible.  We  may 
instance  in  illustration  of  this — Lake,  Randolph,  Water,  State, 
Market,  La  Salle,  Wells  and  Dearborn  streets  in  the  South  divi- 
sion ;  Canal,  Madison  and  Randolph  streets  in  the  west  division ; 
and  Clark  and  Kinzie  in  the  north  division.  .  .  .  It  is  to  be  re- 
marked that  the  improvements  made  the  past  year  eclipse  in  cost 
and  quality  of  material  those  of  any  former  season.  A  large 
proportion  of  the  buildings  are  of  brick.  In  finish  and  design, 
especially  of  stores,  a  greater  degree  of  attention  has  been  paid  to 
taste  and  style.  Iron  has  become  an  article  almost  indispensable 
to  the  builder.  A  larger  quantity  of  stone  has  been  used  in  build- 
ing during  the  past  than  'former  seasons.  The  architects  are :  J. 
W.  Van  Osdel,  E.  Burling,  Ashur  Carter,  John  F.  Rague,  William 
S.  Denton  and  D.  Harper.  The  improvements  upon  South  Water 
street  have  been  more  extensive  than  those  upon  any  other  in  the 
city." — (Democrat,  January  5,  6,  1852.) 

Vol.  1—14. 


232  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

In  January,  1852,  when  it  was  proposed  still  further  to  increase 
the  city  debt  on  account  of  the  water  works,  the  Democrat  of  the 
7th  said :  "Now  we  go  for  improvements  of  all  kinds  to  be  as- 
sessed upon  the  property  benefited.  But  we  are  for  no  increase 
of  our  debt.  It  is  large  enough  for  a  city  of  100,000  inhabitants. 
While  the  real  estate  benefited  pays  for  all  planking,  grading, 
sewers  and  sidewalks,  why  should  not  our  annual  taxes  pay  all  our 
annual  expenses  and  our  interest  and  create  a  sinking  fund  for  our 
principal?  This  inquiry  is  being  made  upon  all  sides."  The  total 
liabilities  (real  debt)  of  Chicago  on  November  10,  1851,  were 
$132,268.71;  and  the  total  resources  and  assets  were  $279,525.14; 
excess  of  assets,  $147,256.43.  The  liabilities  were  mainly  in  the 
form  of  bonds  drawing  from  6  to  12  per  cent  interest  and  falling 
due  from  1851  to  1866.  Among  the  assets  were  the  following 
items:  1.  The  three  markets  on  Market  and  State  streets  and 
in  the  north  division.  2.  Wharfing  privilege  mortgages,  $137,- 
025.20.  3.  Wharfing  privilege  lots  not  under  mortgage,  $13,- 
317.80.  4.  City  taxes  for  1851,  $63,385.87.  5.  Fire  apparatus, 
including  engines,  $12,548.75.  On  No.  2  abovd,  the  city  re- 
ceived annually  interest  to  the  amount  of  $8,221.51.  Late  in  1850 
the  city  liabilities  were  $101,304.19.  The  city  tax  in  1850  was: 
General  tax,  30  cents;  school  tax,  5  cents;  total,  35  cents  on  each 
$100. 

PUBLIC  IMPROVEMENTS   IN    1851. 

1.  Schoolhouse,  West   Division $  5,097.14 

2.  Schoolhouse,  North  Division 5,176.90 

3.  Market,  North  Division,  two-thirds  done 9,295.00 

4.  City  bridewell,  fifty  cells 2,851.21 

5.  Lake  shore  protection,  one  mile,  twenty  rods 9,691.10 

6.  Dearborn  park  protection,  600  feet 2,432.94 

7.  Dock,  West  Division,  eighty  feet 299.21 

8.  Street  planking,  two  miles,  3,688  feet 9,213.64 

9.  Sewerage,  two  miles,  2,987  feet 8,907.53 

Total $52,964.67 

On  January  12  it  was  16  degrees  below  zero.  The  Chicago 
old  settlers  held  a  subscription  ball  and  supper  on  January  21. 
Of  the  eighty-four  steam  and  sail  craft  plying  here  in  1851,  thirty- 
five  were  owned  by  Chicagoans.  The  sub-treasury  at  this  time  had 
on  hand  $23,763.04.  On  January  22  at  sunrise  the  mercury  stood 
at  22  degrees  below  zero,  18  below  at  8  A.  M.,  and  15  below  at 
8  P.  M. 

Under  the  old  revenue  law  people  could  let  their  taxes  go  un- 
paid until  after  the  return  of  the  books  and  the  advertisement  of 
their  real  estate.  Under  the  Township  Organization  law  it  was 
different.  The  collector's  warrant  required  him  to  levy  upon  and 
sell  personal  property  as  under  an  execution  by  the  sheriff.  In 
1851-52  Mr.  Joy  owned  nine  ice  houses  and  put  up  approximately 
10,000  tons  of  ice — the  greatest  quantity  stored  here  thus  far.  Coal 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  233 

sold  at  from  $5.50  to  $7.50  per  ton,  and  wood  at  $4.00  to  $5.50 
per  cord  in  January.  There  was  much  complaint  about  the  irregu- 
larity of  the  mails.  In  1852  travelers  going  East  from  Chicago 
took  the  following  route:  Left  Chicago  at  10  o'clock  A.  M.  by 
stage,  passing  around  Lake  Michigan  over  dreadful  roads  for 
twenty-five  miles  until  the  railroad  was  reached;  thence  by  rail 
to  Michigan  City,  fifty-five  miles  from  Chicago;  thence  eastward 
over  the  Michigan  Central  or  Michigan  Southern.  The  work  of 
widening  the  river  was  continued  nearly  all  winter  1851-52,  though 
sometimes  it  was  necessary  to  use  powder  to  blow  up  the  frozen 
earth. 

In  February,  1852,  the  city  widened  Madison  street  for  several 
blocks  next  to  the  river.  Allan  Pinkerton  began  to  figure  here  as 
a  thief  taker;  he  shot  one  of  them  who  was  trying  to  escape.  It 
was  stated  that  about  February  9  a  Mr.  Wait,  clerk  in  the  post- 
office,  mailed  one  evening  the  following  letters:  Unpaid,  3,642; 
paid  and  distributed,  6.283 ;  paid  by  stamps,  280 ;  paid  in  money, 
209;  free,  471 ;  total,  10,885.  On  February  9  mail  from  Michigan 
City  was  only  four  hours  distant ;  the  railway  brought  it  to  the 
Calumet  and  Butler  &  Lewis'  stage  line  the  balance  of  the  way. 
On  February  11,  1852,  the  Democrat  said:  "The  cars  upon  the 
Southern  Michigan  are  to  be  here  on  Saturday  next."  The  Mich- 
igan Central,  Illinois  Central,  Rock  Island,  Milwaukee  and  other 
roads  were  soon  to  be  in  operation.  The  outlook  at  this  date  was 
never  brighter  and  better.  It  led  to  the  greatest  growth  in  1852 
that  Chicago,  with  all  its  marvelous  development,  had  ever  known. 
Dr.  Mead's  insane  asylum,  three  miles  north  of  the  city,  burned 
down  in  February.  On  February  18,  1852,  the  Michigan  South- 
ern's trains  had  reached  "Ainsworth's,"  twelve  and  a  half  miles 
from  Chicago.  On  that  date  Butler  &  Lewis'  team  brought  the  mail 
to  the  city  from  "Ainsworth's"  in  forty  minutes.  Money  was  bet 
that  the  team  could  not  do  it  in  that  time;  nearly  3,000  people  turned 
out  to  witness  the  arrival.  The  Democrat  of  February  20  said : 
"This  was  the  nags'  last  run ;  the  iron  horse  now  succeeds  them,"  and 
also  "Clear  the  Track. — The  train  on  the  Northern  Indiana  and 
Southern  Michigan  railroad  will  reach  this  city  today  at  10 :30 
o'clock  A.  M."  The  Democrat  fought  persistently  the  proposition 
to  borrow  $350,000  for  the  new  city  water  works;  argued  that  it 
was  too  great  a  debt.  In  the  early  history  of  Chicago  convicts  to 
whom  was  attached  ball  and  chain  could  be  seen  working  on  the 
streets,  but  not  after  1852.  Ebenezer  Peck  led  the  forces  that 
fought  against  the  entrance  of  the  Illinois  Central  into  the  city; 
his  course  was  declared  to  be  an  attempt  to  hold  up  that  company. 
His  opponents  insisted  that  the  laboring  element  as  well  as  all 
other  interests  would  be  benefited  by  the  presence  of  the  railroad, 
because  of  the  many  men  to  be  employed.  Down  with  the  "ball 
and  chain"  and  "up  with  the  cause  of  the  laboring  man,"  was  the 


234  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

purport  of  their  cry.  In  the  spring  of  1852  there  were  394  liquor 
shops  in  the  city — 249  in  the  south  division,  94  in  the  north,  and 
51  in  the  west.  The  new  engine  for  Engine  company  No.  1  was 
built  in  this  city  and  tried  out  in  March — Nugent  &  Owens,  build- 
ers. Fifteen  hundred  feet  of  C.  E.  Peck's  hose  was  used — a  Chi- 
cago product. 

In  the  early  spring  of  1852  city  bonds  drawing  7  per  cent  in- 
terest were  worth  only  80  to  85  cents  on  the  dollar,  but  those 
drawing  10  per  cent  were  at  par.  The  greatest  public  improve- 
ments in  1851-52  were  two  large  schoolhouses ;  North  Side  market, 
containing  the  city  hall ;  the  bridewell,  several  fire  engine  houses ; 
the  courthouse ;  Chicago  river  widened ;  a  big  bridge  at  private 
expense  on  Lake  street ;  development  of  the  sewerage  system.  It 
was  declared  in  March,  1852,  that  the  harbor  must  be  enlarged 
and  that  a  greater  revenue  must  be  obtained  from  the  wharfing 
privilege  which  had  been  neglected.  The  police  department  needed 
more  men.  The  city  was  proud  of  its  fire  department,  three  new 
engines  having  been  bought  in  1851,  of  which  two  were  built  in  this 
city.  At  all  times  as  the  city  bounded  forward  in  population  new 
departments  were  differentiated  and  new  standing  committees  ap- 
pointed. Even  as  late  as  1852  many  here  continued  to  give  undue 
importance  to  Chicago  of  the  navigation  of  the  St.  Lawrence  river. 

In  1852  the  planking  on  the  streets  was  so  bad  that  several 
horses  were  crippled  and  one  or  more  killed.  Chicago  at  this 
time  again  tried  to  secure  the  iron  trade  of  the  Lake  Superior 
country,  but  failed  as  it  continued  to  go  to  Pittsburg.  Lake  Su- 
perior trade  was  generally  struggled  for.  It  was  now  concluded 
that  steam  fire  engines  should  be  exclusively  used.  The  four  lead- 
ing newspapers  here  were  Democrat,  Tribune,  Journal  and  Adver- 
tiser. It  had  been  predicted  that  the  railroads  would  injure  the  retail 
business  of  Chicago,  but  the  reverse  was  early  found  to  be  the 
result.  The  country  trade  cut  off  was  more  than  balanced  by  the 
increase  in  city  population.  At  this  time  the  press  admonished  the 
city  authorities  not  to  surrender  too  freely  the  city  streets  to  the 
railroad  companies.  The  real  objection  of  the  city  to  the  Town- 
ship Organization  law  was  that  of  unequal  representation ;  the  city 
in  proportion  to  population  was  not  fairly  represented  on  the 
county  board.  It  was  also  argued  that  the  municipal  government 
was  sufficient  for  the  city  and  that  not  more  than  three  men  were 
needed  on  the  county  board.  At  this  time  the  piers  of  the  harbor 
were  rapidly  going  to  pieces — the  wood  would  not  last,  it  was 
found,  more  than  ten  years. 

One  of  the  objections  of  Chicago  to  township  organizations  was 
due  to  the  fact  that  the  road  officers  of  South  Chicago  Town  as- 
sessed and  collected  in  the  fall  of  1851  a  road  tax  of  $440  and  dis- 
posed of  it  as  follows:  Expense  assessing  and  collecting,  $190; 
services  of  road  officers,  $60 ;  total  paid  to  officers,  $250 ;  expended 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  235 

on  roads  and  bridges,  $190;  total  tax,  $440.  "This  new  engine 
company — Eagle  No.  7 — have  made  their  appearance  in  uniform 
and  number  sixty  men.  Their  machine  is  that  formerly  worked  by 
No.  1,"  said  the  Democrat  of  April  6.  Cook  County  Medical  so- 
ciety was  organized  on  April  5,  1852,  with  E.  McArthur  president, 
and  H.  A.  Johnson,  secretary.  The  late  opening  of  the  Strait  of 
Mackinaw  in  the  spring  of  1852  was  regarded  as  a  worse  "cut-off" 
than  that  proposed  by  the  Illinois  Central.  In  April,  1852,  the 
Galena  and  Michigan  Southern  railways  were  the  only  two  here, 
but  several  others  were  nearly  ready. 

"The  Michigan  Central  Railroad  company  has  been  kept  out 
of  our  city  entirely  by  the  worst  management  on  the  part  of  men 
here  professing  to  be  its  friends.  Upon  reviewing  the  whole  ground 
we  see  nothing  that  the  Michigan  Central  Railroad  company  has  to 
thank  anyone  for  here.  Had  they  been  saved  from  their  friends 
here,  they  would  have  been  in  Chicago  long  since.  .  .  The  Southern 
Michigan  Railroad  company  are  astounding  even  their  most  san- 
guine friends  by  the  way  they  are  pushing  their  road  along  in 
these  times  considered  unusually  hard.  They  will  do  in  about  four 
weeks  what  we  never  believed  until  recently  that  they  would  have 
done  in  two  years." — (Democrat,  February  9,  1852.) 

"The  first  ordinance  relating  to  that  road  (Illinois  Central)  did 
not  meet  my  approval,  as  I  was  advised  by  eminent  counsel  it  might 
be  construed  to  give  the  unconditional  right  to  run  the  road  to 
Lake  Park  in  front  of  Canal  Section  15,  leaving  its  continuation  at 
the  option  of  the  company ;  because  it  seemed  to  make  the  city,  for 
a  valuable  consideration,  guarantee  to  the  company  the  perpetual 
right  to  occupy  a  strip  of  land  of  immense  value  which  did  not  be- 
long to  the  city,  when  the  intention  of  the  people  was  that  they 
should  only  have  the  right  of  way  there ;  and  because  the  proposition 
intended  to  require  the  construction  of  branch  tracks  was  very  loose 
and  imperfect." — (Mayor  Gurnee  in  Democrat,  March  2,  1852.) 
A  public  sale  of  canal  lands  took  place  in  May,  1852 ;  the  prices 
paid  surprised  even  old  Chicagoans.  "Today  comes  off  the  sale  of 
the  most  valuable  part  of  the  city  property,  which  has  been  reserved 
from  sale  only  until  this  day  by  a  long  and  tedious  lawsuit.  It 
extends  as  far  down  as  the  toll  gate  and  from  the  plank  road 
(State  street)  to  the  river.  But  the  best  property  offered  will  be 
those  five  fancy  lots  below  the  city  line  and  east  of  the  plank  road 
in  Section  21,"  said  the  Democrat  of  May  18.  The  little  steamer 
"Calumet  Trader"  was  running  in  May,  1852;  it  ran  up  the  Calu- 
met river.  A  cabinetmakers'  and  joiners'  strike  occurred  here  in 
May,  1852 ;  they  were  mostly  Germans  and  demanded  $2  instead 
of  $1.25  and  $1.50.  The  master  mechanics  held  out  against  any 
advance.  In  May  it  was  proposed  to  plank  Archer  road  from 
State  street  to  the  city  limits,  and  macadamize  it  the  rest  of  the 
distance  to  Bridgeport.  Swamp  lands  was  an  important  question 


236  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

in  1852-53.  In  order  to  have  the  position  of  Chicago  clearly  de- 
nned a  mass  meeting'  of  the  citizens  was  held  about  the  middle  of 
March  and  resolutions  were  adopted,  to  the  effect  that  this  city 
was  not  hostile  to  any  railway,  but  did  resent  and  intended  to  fight 
the  junction  of  the  Michigan  Central  and  the  Illinois  Central  at  a 
point  south  of  Chicago.  It  was  declared  that  a  scheme  of  these 
roads  was  on  foot,  to  unite  Detroit  and  Cairo  and  leave  Chicago  far 
to  the  north. 

In  May,  1852,  sealed  proposals  for  the  construction  of  the  city 
water  works  were  called  for.  On  May  24  the  Democrat  announced 
that  the  Michigan  Central  was  now  complete  to  Chicago.  Short- 
lived papers  here  before  1852  were  the  Porcupine,  Random  Shot 
and  Mosquito.  There  were  burglaries  almost  every  day  in  May. 
The  Democrat  waged  a  relentless,  persistent  and  savage  war  upon 
the  character  and  performances  of  Ebenezer  Peck.  A  large  con- 
cern, the  Chicago  Dry  Dock  company,  was  organized  in  the  sum- 
mer of  1852 — their  dock  to  be  built  on  Block  67,  South  branch. 
The  Democrat  of  May  26  noted  that  the  St.  Louis  Republican, 
which  left  that  city  on  Sunday  evening,  arrived  in  Chicago  the  fol- 
lowing Tuesday  morning — the  quickest  yet.  It  was  carried  by  the 
steamer  "Hibernia"  from  St.  Louis  to  La  Salle  in  twenty-two 
hours  and  forty-five  minutes ;  thence  by  packet  boat  "Louisiana"  to 
Chicago  in  seventeen  hours  and  thirty-five  minutes — a  total  of  forty 
hours  and  twenty  minutes.  This  was  almost  the  last  of  the  old 
order  of  things  here;  the  railroads  changed  all.  Forty  acres  in 
Section  28,  South  Chicago  Town,  sold  in  May,  1852,  for  $8,000 
cash — this  was  regarded  as  a  high  price.  The  tract  lay  between 
Twenty-second  and  Thirty-first  streets  near  State. 

"All  the  hotels  in  our  city  are  now  crowded  to  overflowing.  The 
like  was  never  seen  before.  The  "cut-off"  has  completely  ruined 
the  ease  of  landlords  and  their  employes,  to  say  nothing  of  the  great 
demand  for  beef,  vegetables,  etc.  Where  are  the  "cut-off"  croak- 
ers now?  Where  are  the  manufacturers  of  indignation  meetings? 
The  "cut-off"  is  made  and  nobody  but  landlords  is  groaning,  and 
they  under  the  weight  of  coppers.  Our  private  houses  will  have  to 
entertain  while  more  hotels  can  be  built.  Chicago  is  now  more  than 
realizing  the  predictions  of  its  most  sanguine  friends.  We  are  go- 
ing to  set  Chicago  down  at  100,000  population  at  the  close  of  1855. 
Its  growth  both  in  population  and  wealth  for  the  last  two  months 
has  exceeded  anything  that  the  maddest  enthusiast  ever  dreamed 
of.  The  rush  of  money  here  for  investment  from  foreign  capital- 
ists is  truly  astonishing."  .  .  .  "Thus  one  after  another  the  rail- 
roads are  centering  in  our  thriving  city,  contributing  to  make  it 
the  focus  of  the  commerce  and  business  of  the  great  Northwest." 
.  .  .  "The  present  prosperity  in  our  city  can  be  checked  but  in 
one  way  and  that  is  by  its  unhealthiness  in  August.  We  must  all 
turn  our  attention  to  doing  away  with  the  prejudice  to  our  city  in 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  237 

consequence  of  rumored  unhealthiness  in  this  month.  We  should 
with  all  possible  dispatch  open  and  grade  all  our  streets."  "Time 
to  Sell. — There  is  now  a  large  amount  of  money  in  this  city  seeking 
real  estate  investments  in  blocks  or  large  tracts  of  real  estate.  For- 
eign capitalists  prefer  to  invest  in  large  and  contiguous  blocks  or 
tracts.  Small  lots  are  getting  as  unfashionable  as  uncomfortable. 
Nobody  seems  to  want  them."  "The  Town  of  Chicago  will  event- 
ually be  in  the  city  of  Chicago  and  many  persons  are  now  doing 
business  in  the  city  and  are,  to  all  intents  and  purposes,  its  citizens, 
who  reside  outside  of  the  city  limits.  It  is  safe  to  say  that  the  town 
outside  has  doubled  its  population  within  the  past  year  and  will  add 
materially  to  swelling  the  population  of  the  city." — (Democrat, 
May  and  June  17,  1852.) 

The  canal  land  sales,  by  May  27,  1852,  amounted  to  $220,000; 
much  was  waste  land  that  had  been  reclaimed  by  the  general  drain- 
age law.  In  May,  1852,  the  sewerage  system  of  Mr.  Garrett  at- 
tracted the  attention  of  local  officials.  On  May  31  the  Michigan 
Southern  put  on  an  express  train.  Although  as  early  as  1848  the 
people  wanted  Wabash  and  Michigan  avenues  opened  to  the  city 
limits,  it  had  not  been  done  by  June  1,  1852.  Steps  to  open  Prairie 
and  Indiana  avenues  were  taken  at  this  time ;  they  were  thronged 
with  teams  on  their  way  to  the  railroad  depots  on  the  lake  front. 
The  widening  of  Madison  street  was  continued  to  Wells.  At  this 
time  the  water  commissioners  bought  of  P.  F.  W.  Peck  for  a  reser- 
voir site  a  tract  at  Adams  and  Quincy  streets,  217 y^  feet  on  the 
former,  for  $8,750 ;  this  is  now  the  north  part  of  the  postoffice  site. 
The  city  hall  in  the  new  market  house  on  the  North  Side  was  the 
finest  in  the  city.  In  June  a  new  fire  engine  for  company  No.  4 
was  brought  from  Utica,  New  York.  In  June,  1852,  the  new  post- 
office  was  opened  by  George  W.  Dole,  postmaster.  Mail  from  New 
York  to  Chicago  came  in  forty-six  hours,  but  was  delayed  in  transit 
for  four  and  one-half  hours.  The  Rock  Island  and  the  Michigan 
Southern  companies  in  June  began  to  lay  out  their  depot  grounds 
on  Van  Buren  street.  The  Common  Council  appropriated  $500 
with  which  to  celebrate  the  Fourth  of  July.  This  city  continued 
better  and  better  to  be  a  horse  market;  $250  was  paid  by  buyers 
for  a  good  team.  The  United  States  steamer  "Michigan"  was  here 
in  June,  1852.  On  June  30  the  hod  carriers  struck  for  a  raise  from 
7  shillings  to  $1.  On  July  5  the  mercury  reached  100  degrees.  A 
lot  27  by  80  feet  at  the  corner  of  Madison  and  Dearborn  streets, 
opposite  New  Grace  church  and  west  of  the  public  school  build- 
ing sold  for  $1,400.  Twenty  feet  frontage  on  Randolph  street 
and  eighty  feet  deep  next  west  of  the  Sherman  house  sold  in  July 
for  $3,030.  Beginning,  the  mail  between  New  York  and  Chicago 
was  sent  over  the  New  York  Central  lines  and  the  Michigan  Cen- 
tral. It  was  noted  at  this  time  that  the  railways  drove  away  the 
wolves ;  the  animals  would  not  cross  the  iron  tracks ;  the  farmers  at 


238  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

twenty-mile  prairie  had  been  much  troubled  by  them.  On  July 
14  the  Lake  street  bridge  was  put  in  operation.  A  market  house  to 
cost  $11,173  and  to  be  built  on  the  West  Side  was  contracted  for 
in  July.  Large  numbers  of  Swedes  were  arriving  here  weekly.  A 
memorial  meeting  in  honor  of  Henry  Clay  was  held  by  the  bar  and 
others.  The  city  hospital,  18  by  40  feet,  stood  on  the  North  Side 
two  or  three  blocks  from  the  river.  Very  fine  illuminated  daguerre- 
otypes were  taken  by  C.  C.  Kelsey  at  96  Lake  street.  A.  B.  Dol- 
ton  was  first  light  keeper  of  the  Calumet  lighthouse  in  August. 
Perry's  expedition  to  Japan  was  noticed  here.  In  1852  Chicago 
obtained  $20,000  for  harbor  improvements. 

The  Lake  street  bridge  cost  $7,200;  it  was  414  feet  long,  includ- 
ing approaches,  each  approach  being  115^  feet.  The  swing  was 
183  feet;  width,  30  feet;  weight,  90  tons;  it  required  one  minute 
and  forty-five  seconds  to  open.  The  eleven-acre  estate  of  Giles 
Spring,  from  State  street  to  the  lake  shore,  was  settled  at  this  time. 
The  O'Reilly  &  Bain  telegraph  line  between  Buffalo  and  New  York 
was  sold  at  auction  May  17  for  $39,500;  it  was  said  to  have  cost 
$300,000.  The  firemen's  parade  of  June,  1852,  with  seven  fire  en- 
gines and  their  hose  carts,  three  hose  companies  and  one  hook  and 
ladder  company,  was  the  finest  ever  seen  here  up  to  that  date.  The 
census  of  June  1,  1852,  gave  Chicago  a  population  of  38,733,  of 
whom  345  were  colored,  19,314  American  born,  19,419  foreign 
born;  owning  the  dwellings  in  which  they  reside,  3,156.  The  Calu- 
met lighthouse  was  finally  lighted  for  the  first  time  August  14.  By 
this  time  the  system  of  running  omnibuses  had  become  very  suc- 
cessful. Block  97,  Section  27,  South  Chicago  Town,  sold  at  the 
rate  of  $500  per  acre.  The  lot  at  the  corner  of  Jackson  and  State, 
40  by  180  feet,  sold  for  $3,500  cash.  The  canal  was  supplied  with 
lake  water  as  far  as  Lockport ;  the  pumps  at  Bridgeport  took  from 
the  river  every  five  minutes  a  body  of  water  40  by  120  by  5  feet. 
Speed's  telegraph  line  absorbed  Snow's  line  in  Illinois  in  1852.  Sec- 
tion 3,  Township  38,  Range  14,  sold  for  $130  to  $150  per  acre.  A 
twenty-acre  tract  on  the  West  Side,  Section  3,  Township  39,  Range 
13,  sold  for  $40  per  acre.  The  United  States  Marine  hospital  was 
opened  April  1,  1852.  On  September  29  there  were  over  seventy 
vessels  in  Chicago  harbor.  The  roof  on  the  new  courthouse  was 
now  being  finished.  The  West  Side  market  was  nearly  done. 
Ferrell  &  Ballou  were  constructing  the  hydraulic  works  for  the 
city.  The  Democrat  of  September  29  said : 

"The  foundation  of  the  edifice  is  laid  twenty-five  feet  below  the 
surface  and  is  supported  below  this  by  200  piles  and  a  solid  body 
of  masonry  two  feet  thick.  The  walls  of  the  foundation  which  are 
now  in  progress  are  laid  in  water  lime  and  are  eight  feet  thick." 

By  October  1  the  Chicago  dry  dock.  235  feet  long,  was  nearly 
completed.  At  this  time  the  artesian  well  being  sunk  by  the  Galena 
Railway  company  near  their  depot  on  the  West  Side,  between  Hal- 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  239 

sted  and  Union  streets,  had  reached  a  depth  of  185  feet;  clay  and 
hardpan  extended  down  104  feet  and  marble  and  other  rock  the 
balance  of  the  depth.  Engine  company  No.  6  was  on  Lake  street 
between  Clinton  and  Jefferson.  This  year  for  the  first  time  sev- 
eral of  the  stores  here  began  to  employ  female  clerks — as  in  New 
York,  Philadelphia  and  Boston.  About  this  time  the  Tribune 
passed  to  William  Duane  Wilson  and  Henry  Fowler.  The  North- 
western Christian  Advocate  said  in  October,  "Chicago  is  and  must 
necessarily  be  the  centering  point  of  the  most  extensive  system  of 
railroads  the  world  has  ever  seen."  Already  the  following  roads 
were  in  progress:  1,  Chicago  &  Milwaukee;  2,  Chicago  &  Fond 
du  Lac ;  3,  Chicago  &  Galena ;  4,  Chicago  &  Quincy ;  5,  Chicago  & 
Rock  Island ;  6,  Chicago  &  Alton ;  7,  Illinois  Central ;  8,  New  Al- 
bany &  Salem;  9,  Cincinanti  &  Chicago;  10,  Fort  Wayne  &  Chi- 
cago; 11,  Southern  Michigan;  12,  Central  Michigan. 

The  Prairie  Farmer  began  to  be  a  power  all  over  the  West.  It 
was  simply  impossible  for  Chicago  to  house  all  the  people  who  came 
here  to  live  in  1852;  temporary  houses  were  erected  in  all  quarters. 
A  lot  40  by  180  feet  at  Lake  and  Clark  streets  sold  for  $16,000  in 
October,  1852.  At  first  a  single  plank  in  depth  was  laid  upon  the 
streets,  but  later  the  planks  were  doubled.  "Bull's  Head. — The  en- 
terprising proprietor  of  this  extensive  stock  depot  has  planked 
twelve  yards  of  convenient  size  and  furnished  them  with  bunks 
to  feed  and  tie  up  cattle.  He  has  also  two  sets  of  scales  and  has 
every  accommodation  necessary  for  a  large  amount  of  stock." — 
(Democrat,  November  25,  1852.) 

Ten  acres  (outlet  26),  Section  5,  Township  39,  Range  14,  near 
the  toll  gate  on  the  Northwest .  Plank  Road,  sold  for  $10,000  in 
December,  1852 ;  it  had  been  bought  at  canal  sale  on  May  10,  1849, 
for  $950.  The  great  influx  of  California  gold  greatly  stimulated 
all  business  enterprises  here  in  1852.  On  September  16  appeared 
the  first  number  of  the  Democrat  Press  by  J.  L.  Scripps  and  Wil- 
liam Bross,  with  office  in  Swift's  bank  building.  Mr.  Dutch,  editor 
of  the  Commercial  Advertiser,  said  of  Mr.  Scripps,  "He  has  been 
the  great  luminary  in  expounding  all  the  absurd,  wild  and  ridicu- 
lous theories  on  morals,  religion,  science  and  politics ;  the  champion 
of  Fourierism,  socialism,  communism,  free-soilism,  free  trade  and 
anti-bankism."  An  important  omnibus  line  ran  regularly  between 
State  street  market  and  Bull's  head  tavern,  Mathew  Laflin,  propri- 
etor. Peck  &  Co.  ran  a  line  from  Lake  street  bridge  to  State 
street,  thence  to  Twelfth  street.  J.  Frink  &  Co.'s  line  ran  from 
Lake  house  on  the  North  side  to  Clark  street  and  along  the  latter 
to  the  Rock  Island  depot.  These  three  lines  ran  regularly  for  custo- 
mers who  later  patronized  the  street  car  lines.  Then  omnibus  lines 
were  the  only  satisfactory  way  to  get  around  the  city. 

In  the  fall  of  1852  Mayor  Gurnee,  who  lived  on  the  lake 
front  at  the  foot  of  Adams  street,  was  again  compelled  to  build 


240  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

shore  protection  at  his  own  expense  to  prevent  the  waves  from  cut- 
ting through  Michigan  avenue.  "Look  at  the  history  of  Chicago 
for  the  last  two  years.  How  rapid  has  been  her  progress — how 
she  has  grown  in  wealth  and  population,  and  how  changed  the  char- 
acter of  her  business.  What  has  done  it?  The  canal,  the  Galena 
railroad  and  the  certain  knowledge  that  other  great  channels  of 
travel  and  commerce  would  shortly  be  opened,"  said  Democratic 
Press  of  October  9,  1852.  On  October  18  the  Rock  Island  Co. 
ran  regular  trains  to  Joliet.  A  public  meeting  deploring  the  death 
of  Daniel  Webster  was  held  in  November.  Irving  hall  was  opened 
by  its  owner,  Mr.  Stearns,  on  November  20.  At  this  time  the 
steam  pile  driver  of  the  Illinois  Central  was  at  work  on  the  lake 
front  track  of  that  road.  The  American  Car  company  began  to 
build  cars,  axles,  wheels,  etc.  Abraham  Lincoln  was  here  in  De- 
cember taking  testimony  for  canal  claimants.  The  packing  of  beef 
and  pork  at  this  time  was  immense.  Coach  and  wagon  making  was 
large  here — capital  employed  $127,000;  aggregate  value  of  annual 
products  $210,445;  number  of  vehicles  2,625;  men  employed  323. 
About  the  middle  of  December  there  were  eighty-six  vessels  in  port 
here.  "We  know  one  gentleman  who  purchased  one  hundred  and 
twenty  feet  on  Mihcigan  avenue  south  of  Van  Buren  street  about 
a  year  ago.  He  has  recently  sold  sixty-four  feet  for  what  the 
whole  purchase  cost  him.  The  balance  is  worth  at  least  $100  per 
foot,  making  a  clear  advance  of  at  least  $5,600,"  said  the  Demo- 
cratic Press  of  December  20.  Fire  Engine  No.  3  was  called  "Niag- 
ara." The  growth  of  the  city  at  this  time  was  the  wonder  and 
delight  of  the  inhabitants;  even  during  the  winter  of  1852-3  new 
residents  continued  to  pour  in.  The  Democratic  Press  of  January 
1,  1853,  said,  "Within  the  last  two  years  our  hotel  accommodations 
have  been  doubled  and  we  are  worse  off  now  than  then.  The  dif- 
ferent public  houses  frequently  have  to  turn  away  strangers  for 
want  of  room.  A  few  nights'  ago  the  Sherman  House  had  to  turn 
away  over  sixty  on  that  account."  On  January  4,  1853,  cars  ran 
as  far  out  as  Morris,  and  ran  regularly  on  the  Rock  Island  to  Joliet. 
The  old  buildings  on  the  public  square  were  removed  in  Janu- 
ary, 1853 ;  the  old  watch-house  being  the  first  to  go.  About  the 
middle  of  January  it  was  proposed  to  extend  the  city  limits,  as  the 
city  population  proper  began  to  overflow  the  boundaries.  At  this 
time  all  of  the  Tremont  house  above  the  first  story  was  rented  to 
G.  W.  and  D.  A.  Gage  for  $12,000.  The  planking  of  the  streets 
was  not  carried  forward  in  1852  as  the  wants  of  the  city  required ; 
this  was  due  to  the  dissatisfaction  with  the  system.  Ogden's  bridge 
on  the  South  branch  was  useful  at  this  time.  The  new  bridewell 
was  located  at  the  corner  of  Wells  and  Polk  streets  in  January,  1853. 
Local  writers  yet  could  not  dismiss  the  fixed  notion  that  Chicago 
was  bound  to  receive  great  benefit  from  trade  through  the  St.  Law- 
rence river.  "The  postage  on  letters  handled  at  the  Chicago  post- 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 


241 


office  during  the  quarter  ending  December  31,  1852,  amounts  to 
$46,201.86.  About  seventy-five  per  cent,  of  this  amount  is  for  let- 
ters distributed.  The  above  figures  show  an  increase  in  the  business 
of  the  office  of  thirty  and  a  quarter  per  cent,  over  the  corresponding 
quarter  of  the  previous  year,"  said  the  Democratic  Press  of  Febru- 
ary 3.  By  February  3  the  walls  of  the  old  courthouse  had  been  torn 
down.  At  this  time  the  city  clerk's  office  was  removed  from  over 
the  South  side  market  to  the  new  city  hall  in  the  courthouse.  "Some 
of  the  good  people  of  Milwaukee  are  greatly  horrified  at  the  idea  of 
having  a  railroad  built  to  their  city  by  Chicago  contractors.  They 
call  Mayor  Crocker's  recommendation  of  the  proposition  of  Messrs. 
Wadsworth  &  Steele  'an  attempt  to  sell  Milwaukee  to  Chicago,' >: 
said  the  Democratic  Press  of  February  7.  At  this  time  the  Board 
of  Trade  met  in  their  rooms  at  the  corner  of  Clark  and  South  Water 
streets.  Again  the  project  of  tunneling  the  river  was  considered 
by  Council  and  people  in  February,  1853.  By  February  14  the 
Rock  Island  railroad  was  open  to  Ottawa.  At  this  time  the  famous 
Bull's  Head  tavern  on  West  Madison  street — barns,  sheds,  fences 
and  about  two  acres — was  sold  for  about  $15,000.  Said  the  Dem- 
ocratic Press  February  2 1 ,  "Never  before  at  this  season  of  the  year 
have  we  met  so  many  strange  faces  in  Chicago.  We  have  heard 
this  remark  again  and  again  within  a  few  weeks.  The  thing  is 
very  easily  accounted  for.  Charge  it  to  our  railroads."  The  West- 
ern Plank  Road  company  was  organized  in  February  to  build  west- 
ward on  Lake  street  six  and  a  half  miles  from  the  river;  stock  at 
the  start  sold  for  $100  per  share — par. 


CITY    MORTALITY. 


1847 

1848 

1849 

1850 

1851 

1852 

33 

26 

52 

60 

30 

48 

23 

31 

62 

57 

29 

45 

March  

32 

41 

36 

53 

35 

44 

29 

31 

49 

50 

35 

64 

36 

48 

127 

43 

45 

71 

t  y 

27 

41 

172 

27 

36 

91 

July.. 

53 

46 

411 

240 

70 

179 

August  

65 

65 

242 

466 

247 

384 

September  

87 

60 

164 

174 

161 

368 

October  

55 

63 

97 

70 

53 

202 

November  

50 

65 

64 

46 

45 

85 

30 

43 

42 

49 

58 

75 

520 

560 

1518 

1335 

844 

1656 

The  Oakwoods  Cemetery  association  of  Cook  county  was  incor- 
porated by  Act  of  February  12,  1853,  the  incorporators  being 
Joseph  B.  Wells,  W.  B.  Herrick,  John  Evans,  Norman  B.  Judd,  W. 
B.  Egan,  Ebenezer  Peck,  J.  Young  Scammon,  R.  K.  Swift  and  C. 
N.  McKubbin ;  it  was  authorized  to  conduct  a  cemetery  "near  the 
City  of  Chicago  in  the  County  of  Cook." 


242  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

The  Mayor-elect,  Charles  M.  Gray,  said  in  his  inaugural  that 
the  financial  affairs  of  the  city  were  in  a  flattering  and  healthy  con- 
dition ;  that  little  scrip  had  been  issued  for  several  years  and  provi- 
sion for  its  redemption  had  been  made ;  that  money  to  meet  all  city 
obligations  must  be  provided;  that  the  debt  of  $13.000  owed  by  the 
city  to  the  county  for  the  public  buildings  must  be  met;  that  the 
new  Recorder's  Court — a  city  affair — must  be  provided  for;  that 
the  police  department  should  be  expanded  at  once  to  meet  the  grow- 
ing city ;  that  the  important  office  of  surveyor,  about  which  there  was 
some  complaint,  should  be  rendered  effective  and  satisfactory ;  that 
the  school  fund  should  be  rigidly  maintained  and  secured ;  and  that 
better  rules  concerning  the  payment  of  court  expenses  should  be 
adopted. 

The  act  of  February  12,  1853,  extended  the  limits  of  the  city  of 
Chicago  to  embrace  the  following  tracts :  North  Division :  All 
those  parts  of  Sections  31  and  32,  Township  40  north,  Range  14 
east,  lying  east  of  the  center  of  the  North  branch  of  Chicago  river 
and  west  half  of  Section  33,  same  township  and  range.  South  Divi- 
sion: All  of  fractional  Section  27,  Township  39  north,  Range  14 
east,  and  so  much  of  the  shore  and  bed  of  the  lake  as  lie  within  one 
mile  east  of  said  section ;  and  all  that  part  of  Section  28,  same  town- 
ship and  range,  lying  south  and  east  of  the  South  branch  of  the  Chi- 
cago river.  West  Division :  All  those  parts  of  Sections  28,  29  and 
30,  Township  39  north,  Range  14  east,  lying  north  of  the  South 
branch  of  the  Chicago  river  and  the  branch  thereof  running  west 
through  said  Section  30. 

This  act  was  an  amendment  to  the  act  of  February  14,  1851,  to 
reduce  the  law  incorporating  Chicago  and  its  several  amendments 
into  one  act.  The  land  above  mentioned  added  to  the  North  division 
was  made  a  part  of  the  Seventh  ward ;  that  of  the  West  division  was 
added  to  the  Fifth  ward ;  and  that  of  the  South  division  was  added 
to  the  First,  Second,  Third  and  Fourth  wards  on  their  southern  ex- 
tremities, the  east  and  west  lines  of  each  ward  being  extended  south 
to  embrace  the  new  tracts.  The  city  clerk  was  authorized  to  couple 
together  two  or  more  taxes  levied  by  the  Common  Council  and  gen- 
eral over  the  whole  city,  or  over  one  of  the  three  divisions,  provided 
he  should  designate  each  tax  rate  under  proper  names  and  columns. 
This  act  also  repealed  so  much  of  the  act  of  February  23,  1847,  as 
created  South  Chicago  school  district  and  included  therein  any  of  the 
lands  above  provided  for  by  this  act. 

On  April  4,  1853,  a  beautiful  mirage  of  the  eastern  shore  of  Lake 
Michigan  opposite  Chicago  was  seen  here;  the  shore  line,  forests, 
streams  and  buildings  could  be  seen.  In  1852-53,  for  the  first  time, 
merchants  in  the  West  learned  that  they  could  buy  goods  in  Chicago 
as  cheap  as  in  New  York,  thus  saving  freight,  delay,  etc.  In  April. 
1853,  under  the  advices  of  the  Board  of  Trade,  the  wharfage  and 
storage  charges  were  regulated  and  improved.  The  Buffalo  Com- 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  243 

jncrcial  Advertiser  at  this  time  predicted  that  the  lines  of  travel  and 
commerce  would  run  soutli  of  Lake  Michigan,  thus  leaving  Chicago, 
like  Milwaukee,  a  town  of  local  importance  only.  Many  others  in 
the  East  made  the  same  prediction.  While  their  predictions  were 
not  fulfilled,  it  cannot  be  denied  that  there  was  such  a  possibility 
in  view  of  the  cut-off  policy  of  the  railroads.  The  facts  that  Chi- 
cago fought  against  the  cut-off  policy  and  that  no  important  town 
movement  was  made  at  the  mouth  of  the  Calumet  river  or  in  In- 
diana at  the  southern  extremity  of  the  lake,  were  sufficient  to  force 
all  the  railways  to  center  in  this  city.  In  July,  when  the  news  was 
received  here  that  the  railways  had  united  to  form  east  and  west 
connections  south  of  the  city,  there  was  much  excitement.  The 
Democratic  Press,  on  June  22,  thus  explained  matters  and  the  ex- 
citement subsided :  "We  have  known  for  a  long  while  that  both  of 
the  rival  roads  from  the  East  had,  or  believed  they  had,  ample  au- 
thority for  forming  a  connection  with  a  Southwestern  road  and 
designed  doing  so  whenever  it  best  answered  their  purpose.  The 
Michigan  Southern  intends  connecting  with  the  Rock  Island  road ; 
the  Michigan  Central  with  the  Illinois  Central,  the  Chicago  &  Alton, 
and  probably  the  Central  Military  Tract  roads.  We  have  never  been 
frightened  in  view  of  these  connections.  Chicago  will  for  all  time 
to  come  command  the  trade  of  the  country  traversed  by  these  roads. 
But  the  "cut-off"  still  has  terrors  for  some  of  our  people." 

A  terrible  railroad  accident  occurred  April  26  about  ten  miles 
south  of  Chicago  at  the  junction  of  the  Michigan  Southern  and 
Michigan  Central  railways,  through  which  about  sixteen  were  killed 
and  nearly  fifty  wounded.  At  that  date  trains  were  not  required  to 
slow  up  or  stop  at  crossings.  But  the  coroner's  jury  found,  the 
train  crews  of  both  roads  guilty  of  gross  carelessness  and  neglect. 
The  .journeymen  shoemakers  struck  in  April.  In  May  Warren 
Parker  bought  all  the  city  omnibuses  and  thereafter  operated  them ; 
before  this  date  they  had  been  run  by  the  hotels — Sherman,  Tremont, 
Matteson,  City,  American,  New  York,  Doty,  Commercial  and  others. 
"We  counted  over  one  hundred  persons  at  Clark  street  bridge  the 
other  day,  who  stood  in  the  rain  fully  thirty  minutes  waiting  for 
the  bridge  to  close.  The  $20,000  now  annually  lost  by  the  bridge 
nuisance  would  go  a  long  way  toward  building  a  tunnel,"  said  the 
Democratic  Press  of  May  5.  At  this  date  the  piles  for  the  Illinois 
Central  track  along  the  lake  front  were  being  rapidly  driven.  Canal 
sales  of  about  $1,000,000  again  took  place  in  May.  The  tunnel 
question  was  again  agitated  in  June.  It  was  announced  that  the 
total  cost  of  the  new  courthouse,  including  fence  and  furniture,  was 
$114,055.55.  Despite  the  great  number  of  arrivals  here,  there  was 
actually  a  dearth  of  laborers  for  buildings,  railways,  etc.  "The  city 
of  Chicago  has  built  herself  up,  doubled  her  trade,  doubled  her  manu- 
factures, trebled  the  value  of  her  real  estate  and  rendered  it  saleable 
by  a  single  act  of  policy — that  of  making  herself  a  railroad  center." 


244  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

— (Detroit  Advertiser,  June,  1853.)  During  a  fire  on  the  West 
Side  in  June,  1853,  the  private  wells  and  cisterns  there  were  soon 
exhausted,  whereupon  a  line  of  men  half  a  mile  long  to  the  river 
was  formed  and  an  abundance  of  water  was  thus  secured.  In  June, 
1853,  the  city  clerk  was  authorized  to  advertize  for  plans  for  a  tun- 
nel under  the  river;  this  is  believed  to  have  been  the  first  official 
action  in  the  matter. 

"The  pipe  of  the  new  waterworks  has  all  been  laid  in  the  North 
division  of  the  city ;  in  about  a  week  more  it  will  all  be  down  on 
the  West  Side  and  by  the  first  of  August  all  down  on  the  South 
division — thirty  miles  in  all.  The  crib  work  to  be  put  down  in 
the  lake  is  all  prepared.  .  .  .  The  engineer  hopes  to  be  able  to 
have  the  entire  work  completed  by  the  middle  of  October.  That 
will  be  the  proudest  day  Chicago  has  ever  seen." — (Democratic 
Press,  July  2,  1853.) 

Although  the  arrival  of  lumber  was  very  great,  yet  in  June, 
1853,  so  enormous  was  the  shipment  of  the  same  westward  and  its 
use  here,  that  building  lumber  was  actually  scarce  in  this  city.  The 
Blue  Island  Plank  Road  company  called  for  subscriptions  in  July; 
the  line  was  to  be  a  continuation  of  Hoosier  (Blue  Island)  avenue 
through  Canalport  to  Blue  Island.  The  Democratic  Press  of  July 
12  said:  "It  is  inside  of  the  mark  to  say  that  the  commerce  of 
Chicago  has  been  more  than  quadrupled  since  the  opening  of  the 
canal  and  the  first  section  of  the  Galena  railway."  It  was  proposed 
that  the  following  parking  should  be  built : 

"On  the  South  Side,  in  addition  to  Dearborn  Park,  Lake  Park 
and  the  Courthouse  Square,  two  parks  of  ten  acres  each  between 
State  street  and  the  river,  north  of  Twelfth  street,  and  one  of  ten 
and  one  of  fifty  acres  between  Twelfth  street  and  a  line  drawn  west 
of  Myrick's.  On  the  West  Side,  two  of  ten  and  two  of  fifty  acres  at 
proper  distances  from  the  river  and  from  each  other.  On  the 
North  Side,  two  of  ten  and  one  of  fifty  acres,  properly  located. 
This,  perhaps,  to  the  minds  of  some  seems  to  be  a  large  amount  of 
precious  land  to  devote— perhaps  waste  is  the  word  they  would 
use — for  such  a  purpose.  The  necessity  for  them  does  not  appear, 
as  it  will  be  fifty  years  hence  when  Chicago  shall  contain  half  a 
million  people.  Five  years  ago  $3,000  would  have  purchased  more 
land  suitable  for  such  purposes  than  $500,000  will  now.  For  the 
time  being  the  wide  streets  and  open  spaces  answer  all  the  pur- 
poses of  parks,  but  the  latter  will  soon  be  covered  with  dwellings 
and  stores." — (Democratic  Press,  July  11,  1853.) 

"We  well  remember  the  fears  which  were  expressed  by  many  of 
our  citizens  upon  the  completion  of  the  canal  lest  that  important 
work  should  merely  prove  an  elongation  of  the  lake  on  the  one 
hand  and  of  the  Illinois  river  on  the  other,  bearing  northward  or 
southward  the  trade  of  a  region  of  country  which  had  hitherto  come 
to  Chicago.  The  same  class  of  persons  foreboded  results  equally 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  245 

as  disastrous  to  our  city  by  the  completion  of  the  various  lines  of 
railroad  which  are  to  center  in  Chicago,  and  for  the  same  reason. 
But  how  different  the  result!"  .  .  .  "Tuesday  afternoon  (July 
12,  1853)  we  passed  down  the  ninth  division  of  the  Illinois  Central 
railroad  to  Kankakee,  returning  on  yesterday.  It  was  opened  on 
Monday  (the  llth),  as  our  readers  are  aware." — (Democratic 
Press,  July  14,  1853.) 

At  the  mass  meeting  to  consider  the  tunnel  question  on  July 
22,  1853,  Mayor  Gray  presided.  The  following  citizens  were 
appointed  a  committee  on  resolutions :  B.  S.  Morris,  E.  C.  Larned, 
G.  S.  Hubbard,  G.  F.  Foster,  Alderman  Dwyer,  Peter  Page,  W.  H. 
Stickney  and  D.  S.  Cameron.  It  was  "Resolved,  That  this  meeting 
do  hereby  call  upon  the  Common  Council  of  this  city  to  take 
measures  to  have  a  tunnel  built  as  soon  as  practicable." 

"There  is  hardly  a  branch  of  mechanical  business  that  is  not 
prospering  in  our  city.  One  cannot  turn  a  corner  or  walk  the 
length  of  a  block  without  observing  some  class  of  mechanics 
busily  employed  at  their  avocation.  Especially  is  this  true  in  regard 
to  all  those  connected  with  house  building."  .  .  .  "The  present 
force  of  the  night  police  is  twenty  men.  Owen  McCarthy  is  cap- 
tain, James  Donahue  lieutenant,  which  leaves  eighteen  men  to  be 
employed  on  the  watch.  They  start  out  on  their  beats  at  eight 
o'clock  in  the  evening  and  come  in  at  four  o'clock  in  the  morning. 
There  are  two  men  on  each  beat  and  they  always  go  in  company. 
There  are  five  beats  in  the  South  Division,  two  in  the  North,  and 
two  in  the  West." — (Democratic  Press,  March,  1853.) 

"Last  Saturday  afternoon  the  officers  of  the  Rock  Island  Rail- 
road company  treated  a  portion  of  our  citizens  to  a  most  delightful 
ride.  The  company  assembled  at  the  depot  at  four  o'clock  and 
then,  all  things  being  ready  and  all  aboard,  the  hosts  gave  the  sig- 
nal and  the  train  was  off  for  Blue  Island."  .  .  .  — (Democratic 
Press,  April  11,  1853.)  "The  amount  of  travel  now  pouring  over 
the  great  thoroughfares  which  lead  into  this  city  is  truly  astound- 
ing. Every  train  that  comes  in  or  goes  out  is  full  to  overflowing. 
As  an  indication  of  the  amount  of  travel  daily  passing  through  our 
city,  we  publish  the  following  statement  of  the  number  of  meals 
served  during  the  last  five  days  at  the  Sherman  house :  Monday, 
569;  Tuesday,  628;  Wednesday,  674;  Thursday,  684;  Friday,  731. 
This,  be  it  remembered,  is  but  one  of  the  ten  or  twelve  hotels  of  the 
city — all  of  which  are  taxed  to  their  utmost  capacity."—  (Press, 
April  23,  1853.) 

"During  the  rains  of  the  last  fortnight  the  streets  have  been 
silently  teaching  the  existence  of  a  great  want  in  our  young  city — 
prompt  and  vigorous  measures  for  a  thorough  and  effective  system 
of  sewerage.  Situated  as  our  city  is  upon  a  substratum  of  clay 
totally  impervious  to  water  and  with  but  slight  natural  grades,  it 
follows  that  most  of  the  water  which  falls  remains  either  upon 


246  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

the  surface  or  passes  off  by  the  slow  process  of  evaporation.  .  .  . 
No  city  upon  the  continent  requires  a  thorough  drainage  more  than 
Chicago.  None  would  be  more  benefited  by  it — none  can  be 
drained  so  cheaply  and  effectually.  .  .  .  The  system  of  sewerage 
heretofore  adopted  in  this  city  has  served  its  day.  .  .  .  Although 
it  is  but  two  or  three  years  since  sewers  were  sunk  in  our  principal 
streets,  we  nevertheless  believe  that,  could  a  section  of  them  be 
casually  disclosed  to  public  view,  it  would  be  regarded  as  one  of 
the  most  remarkable  curiosities  of  the  day,  and  the  minds  of  the 
public  would  be  filled  with  wonder  at  the  short-sighted  policy 
which  dictated  such  inefficient  and  ephemeral  structures  for  so  im- 
portant a  purpose.  We  want  no  more  wooden  seivers  in  Chicago. 
...  We  are  arriving  at  a  point  in  the  history  of  our  city  when 
we  must  enter  upon  some  general  plan  of  sewerage.  Let  not  an- 
other dollar  be  expended  in  works  of  this  character  until  a  definite 
and  judicious  system  has  been  determined  upon.  Enough  money 
has  been  wasted  upon  public  improvements  in  Chicago." — (Demo- 
cratic Press,  May  5,  1853.)  The  following  plans  of  city  drainage 
were  proposed  at  this  date:  1.  On  the  principle  of  declination; 
2.  Drainage  vats  and  pumps  to  clear  them;  3.  Main  and  branch 
drains  in  each  division ;  4.  Deep  canals  at  definite  intervals. 

Early  in  July  the  Rock  Island  railroad  began  to  take  shipments 
for  points  westward  of  the  western  terminus  of  the  canal.  The 
tunnel  committee  was  making  elaborate  and  searching  investiga- 
tions. The  Palmer  omnibus  line  soon  had  rivals — S.  B.  &  M.  O. 
Walker  established  one  in  July,  1853.  New  wheat  in  August 
brought  98  cents  to  $1.03  per  bushel.  There  was  a  united  move- 
ment of  the  owners  of  buildings  against  the  carpenters  about  this 
date.  Eastern  "drummers"  for  the  first  time  in  considerable  num- 
bers began  to  drum  for  trade  not  only  here  but  farther  westward ; 
this  was  a  step  by  Eastern  wholesalers  to  retain  the  trade  that  was 
fast  going  to  Chicago,  St.  Louis,  Cincinnati,  etc.  When  the  Illi- 
nois Central  tracks  were  first  laid  along  the  lake  front,  they  were 
out  a  considerable  distance  from  the  shore  line,  leaving  a  body  of 
water  between.  It  was  proposed  in  July  to  fill  in  the  space  between 
the  tracks  and  the  shore  line  and  convert  the  same  into  a  park. 
In  March,  1853,  a  Chicago-built  locomotive  was  turned  out  from 
the  shops  of  the  Galena  &  Chicago  railway  and  was  named  "J.  B. 
Turner,"  for  the  president  of  the  company.  A  large  octagonal 
reservoir  was  built  about  this  time  at  Clark  and  Adams  streets ; 
it  was  made  of  boiler  iron,  was  supplied  with  a  twelve-inch  pipe, 
contained  500,000  gallons,  and  was  twenty  feet  in  diameter,  twenty- 
eight  feet  deep  and  elevated  sixty  feet.  Yellow  fever  in  New 
Orleans  caused  much  consternation  here  in  August;  the  previous 
visits  of  the  cholera  were  not  forgotten.  By  September  6,  $3,294 
was  raised  for  the  sufferers  at  New  Orleans;  by  September  12  it 
was  $4,394.  Large  numbers  of  foreigners  not  able  to  speak 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  249 

English  passed  through  here  daily  for  the  West.  In  June,  1852, 
the  Legislature  incorporated  the  "Cook  County  Drainage  Commis- 
sioners" and  empowered  them  to  drain  the  lands  around  Chicago. 
This  they  did  in  1852-53 — built  many  drains  through  the  city,  at  a 
cost  of  about  $30,000,  by  July,  1853,  and  in  the  main  advanced 
this  sum  from  their  own  pockets  or  borrowed  it  on  their  own 
responsibility.  They  put  assessments  on  the  lands  benefited,  but 
did  not  get  what  was  due  them  and  so  asked  judgment  against  the 
delinquents.  Before  Judge  Rucker  there  were  filed  two  objections 
that  the  law  was  unconstitutional  and  void  and  that  Jefferson  was 
exempted  by  the  last  Legislature  from  the  operation  of  the  law. 
The  court  overruled  the  constitutional  objection,  but  sustained  the 
Jefferson  objection.  I.  N.  Arnold,  George  Manierre  and  G.  W. 
Thompson  were  the  attorneys  for  the  commissioners,  and  Grant 
Goodrich,  C.  B.  Hosmer,  E.  Martin  and  A.  N.  Fullerton  were  the 
attorneys  for  the  objectors.  This  judgment  resulted  as  follows: 
All  land  outside  of  Jefferson,  delinquent,  was  to  be  sold,  and  in 
the  end  Jefferson  would  have  to  pay  for  the  ditches  already  built 
there. 

"Drainage  by  the  commissioners  met  with  pretty  severe  opposi- 
tion in  some  quarters  in  the  outset ;  but  the  evident  benefit  resulting 
from  the  work  has  changed  the  minds  of  all,  save  the  citizens  of 
the  only  territory  in  Cook  county  in  which  the  valuation  list  shows 
a  decrease  in  the  valuation  of  real  estate  during  the  past  year.  Jef- 
ferson township  stands  alone  in  that  unenviable  position.  It  was 
she  who  protested  against  the  assessment;  it  was  she  alone  who 
desired  to  be  relieved  (?)  from  the  tax;  and  she  alone  now  has 
her  sloughs  and  her  mire.  .  .  .  Several  individuals  of  Jefferson 
township  are  now  forming  a  board  of  their  own  for  the  purpose 
of  draining  their  own  lands.  These  gentlemen  protested  against  the 
petition  of  certain  citizens  of  Jefferson  township  presented  last 
winter  to  the  Legislature,  for  the  exemption  of  this  township  from 
the  operations  of  the  drainage  law.  They  knew  that  the  general 
weal  would  be  sacrificed  to  the  pecuniary  saving  of  vast  profits  of 
the  few.  The  law  passed,  however,  but  applied  so  far  only  as  to 
free  her  from  tax  after  the  date  of  the  passage  of  the  act.  W.  B. 
Ogden  said:  'If  you  want  high  lands,  dig  deep  ditches.'  " — ("Jef- 
ferson" in  the  Democratic  Press,  September  15,  1853.) 

The  city  directory  of  December,  1853,  gave  Chicago  a  population 
of  55,500.  There  were  156  lawyers,  106  doctors,  forty-two 
churches,  six  public  schools  with  thirty-one  teachers,  ten  colleges 
and  high  schools,  four  military  companies  (one  mounted),  twenty- 
four  periodicals,  of  which  seven  were  dailies,  sixteen  weeklies,  four 
monthlies  and  eight  religious.  The  fire  department  consisted  of 
twelve  companies  with  a  total  of  about  600  men.  eight  good  engines 
and  three  hose  carriages.  In  November,  1853,  the  Council  changed 
the  name  of  Hoosier  avenue  to  Blue  Island  avenue.  It  crossed  the 

Vol.  1—15. 


250  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

canal  and  the  South  branch,  formed  a  junction  with  Archer  road, 
and  then  passed  south  to  Brighton,  where  the  Union  Stock  Yards 
now  are.  On  December  6  there  was  an  excursion  over  the  Illinois 
&  Wisconsin  railway  to  Elk  Grove.  There  was  great  dearth  of 
water  in  November  and  December;  the  hydrants  were  inadequate 
and  peddlers'  carts  again  made  their  appearance.  The  newspapers 
of  1853  are  filled  with  railway  extension  notices  and  with  predic- 
tions of  Chicago's  railway  growth  and  supremacy.  Fierce  attacks 
upon  the  water  commissioners  for  failure  to  have  the  works  ready 
in  October  as  agreed  were  made  late  in  1853.  At  this  time  the 
drainage  committee  was  busy  laying  its  assessments.  In  October 
the  hotels  were  so  crowded  that  the  newspapers  called  for  the 
construction  of  others.  Vessels  grounded  on  the  sand  bar  at  the 
harbor  entrance  at  this  time.  The  tax  of  Chicago  in  1853  was  as 
follows:  City  tax,  $58,946.40;  school,  $25,262.74;  state,  $8,420.- 
91;  building,  $16,841.83;  water,  $16,841.83;  market,  $7,243.92; 
lamp,  $2,105.02;  whole  tax,  $135,662.65.  The  valuation  of  real 
estate  was  $13,130,677;  personal  property,  $3,711,154;  total  valua- 
tion, $16,841,831.  About  this  time  New  York,  Philadelphia,  Bos- 
ton and  other  Eastern  cities,  which  had  begun  an  elaborate  system 
of  selling  goods  by  sample  throughout  the  West,  were  seen  to  be 
aiming  at  the  life  of  Western  wholesalers;  a  great  outcry  against 
them  was  therefore  raised.  In  the  end  Western  wholesalers  were 
compelled  to  adopt  the  same  custom — to  sell  by  sample  and  drum- 
mers. 

On  December  31  the  city  had  eight  railroads  in  operation,  with 
thirty-seven  trains  arriving  and  leaving  daily;  7,627  dwellings;  9,435 
families;  population,  60,652 — native  white  29,134,  foreign  white 
29,404,  colored  583 ;  stores  and  other  business  places,  1,184;  schools 
of  all  kinds,  54;  churches,  61 ;  manufactories,  196.  In  1847  Chicago 
had  imports  valued  at  $2,641,852  and  exports  at  $2,296,299.  In  1852 
there  were,  imports  $8,338,639,  exports  $10,709,333.  The  total  value 
of  real  and  personal  property  of  Chicago  in  1840  was  $1,829,420; 
in  1847  it  was  $6,071,402;  in  1853  it  was  $16,841,831. 

The  daily  papers  were  the  Democratic  Press,  Journal,  Tribune, 
Democrat,  Courant,  Commercial  Advertiser  and  Stoats  Zeitung;  tri- 
weeklies, Northwestern  Christian  Advocate,  Budget,  Democratic 
Press,  Democrat,  Evangelist,  Free  West,  Garden  City,  Herald,  Jour- 
nal, New  Courant,  Olive  Branch  of  the  West,  Staats  Zeitung, 
Tribune,  Times  and  Tablet;  semi-monthly,  Sheldon's  Bank  Note 
Reporter;  monthlies,  Prairie  Farmer,  Northwestern  Medical  and 
Surgical  Journal,  Youths'  Temperance  Banner;  bi-monthly,  Homeo- 
path. 

The  market  houses  were  leased  for  the  following  sums:  State 
street  market,  1852  $1,808,  1853  $1,900;  Market  street  market,  1852 
$320,  1853  $320;  Randolph  street  market,  1852  $911.  1853  $720; 
North  Side  market,  1852  $905,  1853  $845.  In  January,  1854,  wheat 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  251 

was  worth  $1.15.  On  the  23d  the  mercury  stood  at  17  degrees  below 
zero.  On  January  26,  1854,  hydrant  water  was  forced  to  all  parts 
of  the  city  where  pipes  had  been  laid.  It  flowed  from  the  North  to 
the  West  Side  through  a  pipe  at  Kinzie  street  bridge;  thence  it  came 
to  the  South  Side  from  the  West  Side  through  a  pipe  laid  across 
the  river  at  South  Adams  street;  but  later  a  pipe  across  the  main 
river  at  Dearborn  street  brought  water  directly  from  the  North  to 
the  South  Side. 

By  act  of  the  Legislature  Cook  county  came  into  possession  of 
18,000  to  20,000  acres  of  swamp  land — mostly  on  the  Calumet  and 
easy  of  drainage.  In  January,  1854,  the  county  authorities  requested 
the  further  right  to  sell  these  lands  to  a  company  that  would  drain 
the  same  and  construct  a  harbor  at  the  mouth  of  the  Calumet.  At 
this  time  there  were  nearly  600  places  in  the  city  where  liquor  was 
sold,  and  it  was  estimated  that  two-fifths  of  such  places  conducted 
gambling  games  of  some  sort  and  many  of  them  were  bad  resorts. 
In  1853  the  number  of  arrests  was  2,449,  of  which  2,237  were 
caused  by  liquor.  There  were  220  licensed  groceries  (saloons)  and 
nearly  400  without  license.  Capital  invested  in  the  liquor  business 
amounted  to  about  $1,000,000. — (From  statistics  collected  by  Rev. 
Mr.  Archibald  Kenyon  under  the  direction  of  the  Cook  County 
Maine  Law  League.) 

A  quantity  of  Wisconsin  wheat  to  be  delivered  in  Buffalo  in  the 
spring  of  1854  sold  here  in  January,  1854,  at  $1.35  per  bushel; 
good  winter  wheat  was  worth  here  in  January  $1.28.  Corn  deliver- 
able in  Buffalo  was  worth  60  cents  per  bushel  and  oats  30  cents; 
choice  hogs,  $4.95.  Prices  were  thus  sent  soaring  by  the  European 
demand.  The  whole  Legislature  visited  Chicago  in  February,  1858, 
upon  invitation  of  the  Common  Council.  It  began  to  be  noted 
at  this  time  that  Chicago,  with  its  numerous  railways,  was  the  cen- 
tral point  from  which  to  go  everywhere — "it  was  in  everybody's 
way."  On  February  20,  1854,  the  Fort  Wayne  &  Chicago  Rail- 
way company  offered  to  plank  Canal  or  Clinton  street,  providing 
they  were  permitted  to  run  their  proposed  "horse  railway"  (street 
railway)  into  the  city.  This  was  the  first  public  project  to  run 
street  cars  in  Chicago.  Land  on  the  West  Side  for  a  park  to  be 
called  "Union"  was  bought  of  S.  S.  Hayes,  W.  S.  Johnson,  Jr., 
and  an  adjoining  tract  of  W.  S.  Davidson,  Isaac  Shelly,  Jr.,  and  S. 
L.  Baker.  The  first  tract  comprised  10,948  acres  and  the  addition 
Lot  5.  The  sum  of  $57,024.66  was  paid  for  all.  The  tract  was 
bounded  by  Lake,  Reuben,  Warren  and  two  diagonal  streets  on 
the  east.  In  February,  1854,  William  B.  Ogden,  while  in  Europe, 
obtained  a  valuable  collection  of  books  which  he  designed  as  a 
nucleus  for  a  public  library  for  the  city.  He  managed  to  secure 
the  books  as  a  contribution  on  the  proposition  of  an  interchange 
by  the  state  of  Illinois  with  the  governments  of  France,  Belgium, 
Holland  and  Switzerland.  There  were  books,  pamphlets,  maps, 


252  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

drawings,  engravings,  etc.,  selected  by  him.  He  proposed  the  es- 
tablishment of  a  public  library  and  agreed  to  give  $1,000  if  $50,- 
000  were  raised,  or  $3,000  if  $100,000  were  raised.  This  was  the 
real  start  of  Chicago's  present  splendid  public  library. 

In  nearly  all  reform  movements  of  the  forties  and  fifties  Grant 
Goodrich,  Dr.  N.  S.  Davis  and  Thomas  B.  Bryan  were  active  and 
enthusiastic  participants  and  leaders.  On  February  28,  1854,  wheat 
was  $1.08.  A  survey  of  Chicago  harbor  in  March  showed  but 
eight  feet  of  water  over  the  sandbar;  a  subscription  of  $600  was 
promptly  raised  to  clear  it;  by  March  10  the  amount  had  grown 
to  $1,000  to  be  expended  under  the  direction  of  the  Board  of 
Trade.  "Our  harbor,  after  all,  is  the  life  of  Chicago.  Shut  it  up 
and  Chicago  would  be  a  railroad  center,  it  is  true;  but  her  lake 
commerce  is,  after  all,  the  mainspring  of  her  prosperity.  This  fact 
is  well  understood  by  our  business  men,  and  hence  their  prompt 
attention  to  everything  that  affects  so  vitally  the  best  interests  of 
the  city." — (Democratic  Press,  March  9,  1854.) 

Again  in  the  spring  of  1854,  as  for  several  seasons  past,  there 
were  too  few  buildings  to  accommodate  the  people;  rents  were 
very  high  and  business  men  declared  "We  must  have  more  room." 
All  old  residents  noted  the  enormous  proportion  of  foreigners  here. 
The  new  city  charter  forbade  the  use  of  more  than  $100,000 
credit  by  the  city  authorities  in  one  year.  In  1853-54  Union  Park 
was  bought  on  the  credit  of  the  city,  of  which  one-third  was  as- 
sessed to  the  property  benefited.  A  new  city  hospital  was  pro- 
jected. The  new  water  works  were  not  wholly  satisfactory,  had 
taken  too  long  and  had  cost  too  much.  The  Legislature  accord- 
ingly granted  the  city  the  right  to  raise  an  additional  sum  to  com- 
plete the  works.  The  bridewell  was  used  principally  for  petty 
offenders  from  the  Recorder's  court.  Congress  granted  the  re- 
quest of  the  city  to  widen  the  river  at  old  Fort  Dearborn.  New 
bridges  were  built  and  the  tunnel  was  considered.  A  uniform 
grade  of  sidewalks  was  very  important  in  the  estimation  of  all 
persons  and  began  to  take  form  late  in  1853.  All  things  consid- 
ered the  most  notable  circumstance  of  1853  was  the  large  number 
of  wholesale  houses  established.  The  Board  of  Trade  duly  con- 
sidered the  pending  question  of  opening  a  channel  across  the  St. 
Clair  flats.  The  plan  embraced  the  opening  of  a  ship  canal  from 
Lake  Erie  to  Lake  Michigan.  Mr.  Ogclen  in  the  spring  of  1854 
wrote  urgently  from  Paris  about  it.  The  artesian  well  at  the 
Galena  station  on  the  West  Side  encountered  104  feet  of  blue  clay; 
30  feet  of  marble;  9  feet  of  soapstone,  and  342  feet  of  solid  lime- 
stone. At  180  feet  good  water  was  found,  but  it  would  not  rise  to 
the  surface.  E.  Sherman,  E.  I.  Tinkham  and  L.  W.  Clark  were 
the  original  proprietors  of  Holstein,  the  suburb  on  the  West  Side 
along  the  North  branch.  In  1854  goods  began  to  be  imported 
directly  from  Europe.  "Why  pay  New  York  jobbers?"  it  was 
asked. 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  253 

Ten  or  fifteen  years  ago,  or  until  the  completion  of  the  Wabash 
and  Erie  canal,  the  principal  trade  of  Chicago  was  from  Lafayette, 
Terre  Haute  and  other  Wabash  towns.  The  streets  of  Chicago 
were  thronged  continually  with  wagons  and  prairie  schooners  from 
the  Wabash  valley.  One  of  the  principal  streets  of  that  city  was 
named  Wabash  avenue  in  commemoration  of  the  vast  amount  of 
trade  and  the  immense  number  of  teams  that  daily  poured  into  the 
Garden  City  from  the  Wabash." — (Lafayette  (Ind.)  Courier, 
March  30,  1854.) 

The  writer  of  the  Annual  Reviews  of  Chicago  in  January,  1854, 
stated  that  the  postoffice  was  receiving  fourteen  daily  mails  and 
several  weekly  and  semi-weekly  mails;  that  the  receipts  for  the 
quarter  ending  January  1,  1854,  were  over  $130,000;  that  an  aver- 
age of  30,000  letters  and  seventy-five  bags  containing  45,000  news- 
papers, passed  through  daily.  About  5,000  letters  were  received 
and  sent  out  daily  by  Chicagoans. 

The  act  of  February  28,  1854,  amendatory  to  the  act  to  reduce 
the  law  incorporating  the  city  of  Chicago,  provided  that  the  corpo- 
rate limits  and  jurisdiction  of  the  city  of  Chicago  should  be  extended 
to  Lake  Michigan  and  should  include  so  much  of  the  waters  and  bed 
of  said  Lake  as  lie  within  one  mile  of  the  shore  thereof  and  east  of 
the  present  boundaries  of  the  city.  It  was  provided  in  this  act  that 
in  case  of  more  than  one  vacancy  in  the  office  of  alderman  in  any 
ward,  the  candidate  receiving  the  highest  number  of  votes  should 
have  the  longest  term,  etc. ;  that  the  vacancy  in  1854  in  the  Chicago 
water  commissioners  should  be  filled  from  the  West  division,  that 
of  1855  from  the  North  division  and  that  of  1856  from  the  South 
division ;  that  the  city  marshal  should  be  elected  for  two  years ; 
that  the  Common  Council  should  have  power  to  borrow  $100,000 
for  the  use  of  the  water  works,  provided  two-thirds  of  the  Council 
should  concur;  that  the  Recorder's  court  should  sentence  criminals 
to  the  bridewell ;  that  when  expedient  the  Council  could  elect  a  su- 
perintendent of  special  assessments;  that  they  could  purchase  and 
improve  suitable  grounds  for  a  house  of  refuge  and  correction  and 
to  erect  buildings  thereon  ;  that  they  could  authorize  the  construction 
of  tunnels  under  the  Chicago  river  and  its  branches;  that  private 
persons  should  have  the  protection  of  their  property ;  that  the  Coun- 
cil could  regulate  the  keeping  of  lumber  yards  within  the  fire  limits 
of  the  city ;  that  they  could  annually  thereafter  levy  not  to  exceed  a 
mill  on  the  dollar  to  meet  the  interest  accruing  on  the  funded  debt 
of  the  city;  that  if  the  expenses  of  either  of  the  three  divisions 
should  exceed  its  proportion  of  the  revenue,  the  Common  Council 
could  collect  such  excess  by  special  pro  rata  assessment  on  that  divi- 
sion. 

In  1852-53  (winter)  only  one  railway  entered  Chicago — the  Ga- 
lena &  Chicago — and  was  finished  only  a  few  miles  out.  Now 
(January,  1854)  there  were  1,621  finished  miles  and  7,779  pro- 


254  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

jected  miles  radiating  from  Chicago.  By  May,  1854,  there  were 
forty-six  trains  daily,  making  ninety-two  arrivals  and  departures 
daily.  The  population  had  doubled ;  the  same  of  real  estate  and  of 
all  property.  Already  it  was  "a  great  railroad  center."  And 
Chicago  in  her  corporate  capacity  had  not  invested  a  dollar  in 
them.  All  were  projected  and  built  by  private  enterprise.  The 
railroad  bonds  of  other  cities  were  hawked  about  Wall  street, 
but  Chicago's  were  not.  Galena  railway  stock  was  high  above  par — 
so  far  as  to  surprise  eastern  capitalists. 

Lots  on  Michigan  avenue  between  Adams  and  Jackson  were 
held  at  $200  a  front  foot;  this  was  regarded  as  an  extraordinary 
figure,  but  the  land  was  worth  it.  During  the  spring  of  1854  there 
was  wonderful  activity  in  real  estate  of  all  kinds.  In  March  coal 
sold  at  $9  per  ton,  due  to  the  large  increase  in  population  for  which 
suitable  calculation  had  not  been  made.  Without  asking  permis- 
sion from  the  government — wholly  disregarding  all  red  tape— the 
city  authorities  took  possession  of  the  government  dredging  boat 
and  began  using  it  to  clear  out  the  bar  at  the  harbor  entrance.  The 
subject  of  sewerage  was  thoroughly  discussed  at  this  time.  All 
government  buildings  here  were  much  too  small  and  inadequate  to 
meet  the  wants  of  the  public.  The  appropriations  for  the  Chicago 
lighthouse  were  as  follows:  In  1849,  $15,000;  in  1851,  $4,498.39; 
in  1852,  $6,300;  total,  $25,798.39,  of  which  amount  only  $13,500 
had  been  spent  by  April,  1854.  Another  sale  of  canal  lands  oc- 
curred in  May ;  there  were  about  200  lots  in  Chicago  remaining  un- 
sold and  about  90,000  acres  between  this  city  and  La  Salle.  Meas- 
ures to  secure  a  lifeboat  for  the  city  were  taken  at  this  time.  The 
stone  cutters  struck  for  higher  wages  in  June;  at  Athens  the  non- 
union and  union  men  clashed  in  a  serious  riot. 

On  June  7,  1854,  choice  winter  wheat  .was  $1.50  per  bushel ;  good 
winter  wheat,  $1.40;  spring  wheat.  $1.30;  corn,  43  to  49  cents; 
oats,  30  to  35  cents.  The  big  bell  for  the  new  courthouse,  six  feet 
in  diameter,  six  feet  high  and  weighing  about  10,000  pounds,  was 
cast  in  the  foundry  of  H.  W.  Rincker,  of  this  city ;  it  was  ready  in 
June.  Notices  similar  to  the  following  appeared  in  almost  every 
local  newspaper  at  this  date: 

"What  Crowds! — Twelve  hundred  passengers  arrived  in  the 
four  trains  of  the  Michigan  Southern  railroad  and  800  emigrants — 
making  2,000  passengers  by  a  single  line.  The  same  number  6f 
emigrants  arrived  by  the  same  road  last  Saturday  evening.  Is  it 
any  wonder  that  the  West  grows?"  .  .  .  "A  change  is  coming 
over  South  Clark  street.  It  is  being  transformed  from  a  street  of 
private  residences  to  a  business  thoroughfare." — (Democratic 
Press.  June  29,  1854.) 

The  firemen  held  a  splendid  review  in  June,  1854.  Great  efforts 
to  secure  an  appropriation  from  the  city  treasury  with  which  to  cele- 
brate the  Fourth  of  July  were  made  at  this  time,  but  resulted  in 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  255 

failure,  although  such  an  appropriation  had  been  made  in  1853.  It 
was  regarded  as  a  dangerous  precedent  which  should  be  broken. 
Public  meetings  were  held  and  much  bitterness  was  manifested. 
Many  country  people  came  to  town  to  see  the  eclipse  in  June.  It  is 
related  that  a  citizen  of  Chicago  planted  a  quantity  of  beans,  but 
when  they  grew  up,  noticing  that  the  beans  were  on  top  of  the 
stalks  and  thinking  that  he  had  made  a  mistake  and  planted  them 
wrong  side  up,  he  pulled  them  up  and  reversed  them ;  his  neighbors 
said  he  did  not  know  beans. 

VOTE  OF  APRIL,  1854.  For  Tunnel.     Against  Tunnel. 

First   ward 85  127 

Second  ward 96  146 

Third   ward 106  142 

Fourth    ward 50  143 

Fifth  ward 48  288 

Sixth   ward 66  155 

Seventh   ward 242  10 

Eighth    ward 594  8 

Ninth  ward  . .  .  .no  vote 


1,287  1,019 

The  tunnel  question  continued  to  be  investigated  and  discussed 
at  intervals  during  1854.  The  new  Lake  View  hotel  was  opened 
July  4.  In  spite  of  every  precaution  cholera  again  made  its  ap- 
pearance here  in  June  and  was  deadlier  than  ever  before.  The 
deaths  in  June,  1851,  were  36;  in  1852,  91;  in  1853,  82;  and 
in  1854,  331.  Those  who  could  possibly  get  away  scattered  in 
every  direction  and  the  hush  of  death  fell  upon  all  ranks  and  ages. 
The  Board  of  Health  made  heroic  efforts  without  avail.  A  cholera 
hospital  was  opened  one  and  three-fourths  miles  south  of  Madison 
street,  nearly  midway  between  Clark  street  and  the  river.  It  was 
one  and  a  half  stories  high,  enclosed  by  a  tall  fence  and  completely 
isolated.  Many  emigrants  were  overtaken  here  by  the  cholera  and 
required  care.  S.  Lisle  Smith,  Chicago's  most  brilliant  orator,  died 
at  this  time,  but  not  of  cholera  it  was  said.  The  ire  of  Chicago 
was  again  kindled  in  August  upon  receipt  of  the  news  that  Presi- 
dent Pierce  had  vetoed  the  river  and  harbor  bill  on  the  ground  of 
unconstitutionality. 

The  summer  of  1854  was  probably  the  hottest  and  driest  ever 
known  in  this  section  of  the  country.  The  hot  weather  began  on 
July  3,  and  by  August  5  there  had  been  twenty  days  when  the  mer- 
cury registered  over  80  degrees ;  fourteen  days  over  85  degrees,  and 
ten  days  90  degrees  and  over.  Then  there  was  a  long  period  with 
the  mercury  over  70  and  80  degrees,  with  a  short  stretch  of  over 
90  from  August  21  to  August  24,  inclusive,  but  on  September  1 
the  mercury  shot  up  to  94  degrees  and  was  92  on  the  2d,  92  on  the 
3d,  94  on  the  4th,  94  on  the  5th  and  82  on  the  6th. 

Heating  houses  by  steam  began  to  be  considered  in  1854.  Stock- 
men complained  that  there  was  in  vogue  here  no  system  to  bring 


256  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

all  sellers  and  buyers  of  cattle,  hogs,  etc.,  together.  There  were  two 
principal  centers  for  stockmen — one  at  Bull's  Head,  on  West  Mad- 
ison street,  and  one  at  Myrick's  yards,  south  on  the  lake  shore. 
Sometimes  prices  varied  at  these  two  centers,  so  that  both  buyers 
and  sellers  were  obliged  to  visit  each  yard  several  times  a  day  to 
learn  what  market  changes  had  taken  place.  The  new  water  works 
were  no  sooner  ready  than  they  were  put  in  operation  to  their 
utmost  capacity.  By  September  18  the  following  buildings  were 
supplied:  1,164  on  the  South  Side,  465  on  the  North  Side  and 
459  on  the  West  Side.  By  June  30  there  had  been  spent  for  the 
water  works  $351,788,  on  construction  account;  $46,050,  on  inter- 
est, and  $29,761  on  miscellaneous  items;  total,  $427,599. 

"Thirteen  thousand  seven  hundred  and  sixty-nine  passengers 
arrived  and  departed  from  the  depot  of  the  Michigan  Southern 
Railroad  last  week.  Our  ten  railroads  are  pouring  their  crowds 
into  our  city  and  through  it  and  our  hotels  are  overflowing."  .  .  . 
"Never  in  the  history  of  Chicago  have  the  streets  of  our  city  given 
so  clear  evidence  of  intense  activity  as  for  the  past  few  weeks. 
Carriages,  drays  and  vehicles  of  all  descriptions  fill  the  streets,  and 
the  sidewalks  are  literally  crowded  with  people  in  a  hurry,  rushing 
in  all  directions.  The  hotels  are  crowded  to  overflowing  and  those 
who  arrive  by  the  evening  trains  are  fortunate  if  they  find  a  place  to 
He  down  on  the  parlor  floor  till  morning."  .  .  .  Yesterday  at 
12  o'clock  we  counted  twenty-eight  sails  outside  beating  up  to  get 
near  the  harbor  so  as  to  come  in  with  a  change  of  the  wind,  which 
was  then  blowing  a  gale  off  shore.  It  died  away  before  night  and 
by  the  assistance  of  tugs  nearly  everything  had  got  inside  the  har- 
bor by  dark.  As  yet  we  have  no  tug  here  which  can  bring  in  a 
large  vessel  in  a  gale  or  hardly  in  a  stiff  breeze."  .  .  .  "Yes- 
terday we  examined  the  first  building  we  have  seen  heated  by  steam 
in  Chicago — Lake  View  house." — (Democratic  Press,  October  and 
November,  1854.) 

In  September,  1854,  the  new  Metropolitan  hall  was  ready  for 
occupancy;  it  was  owned  by  Messrs.  Gurley,  was  61  by  99  feet  and 
seated  from  1,800  to  2,000  persons.  It  was  noted  by  the  newspa- 
pers about  October  1  that  grocery  and  provision  stores  began  to 
be  opened  much  farther  south  on  Clark  and  State  streets  than  ever 
before,  and  that  residences  on  the  downtown  streets  were  being 
rapidly  supplanted  by  business  establishments.  On  October  4  win- 
ter wheat  was  $1.30  to  $1.40;  spring  wheat,  $1;  corn,  54  cents; 
oats,  35  cents.  'Change  began  to  be  a  power  here  by  this  time; 
they  did  a  large  business  at  the  Board  of  Trade  rooms.  The  travel 
over  the  Clark  street  bridge  was  enormous ;  a  close  estimate  early 
in  October  fixed  the  number  of  persons  crossing  at  24.000  and  the 
number  of  teams  at  6.000,  from  6  A.  M.  to  7  P.  M.  During  this 
time  the  bridge  was  open  about  three  hours  to  permit  the  passage 
of  nearly  one  hundred  boats,  causing  great  annoyance  and  incon- 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  257 

venience.  The  citizens  "demanded"  the  construction  of  a  tunnel 
under  the  main  river.  It  was  observed  that  more  out  of  town  mer- 
chants were  here  to  buy  goods  than  were  ever  seen  before ;  in  fact, 
the  wholesalers  began  to  run  short  by  November  1.  Competition 
forced  the  merchants  to  adopt  the  credit  system ;  sales  on  from  three 
to  six  months'  time  began  to  be  made. 

The  semi-annual  parade  of  the  fire  department  took  place  on 
October  25.  At  this  date  J.  A.  Donnelly  was  chief  engineer,  and 
Delos  Chapell  first  assistant  engineer.  The  parade  was  as  follows: 
John  Miel's  band,  mayor  and  Common  Council,  hook  and  ladder 
No.  1,  Philadelphia  hose  No.  1,  Hope  hose  No.  2,  Illinois  hose  No. 
3,  Fire  King  hose  No.  1,  Fire  King  engine  No.  1,  band,  Kenosha 
hose  No.  1,  Kenosha  engine  No.  1,  Metamora  hose  No.  2,  Meta- 
mora  engine  No.  2,  Third  Assistant  Engineer  Silas  McBride, 
Niagara  hose  No.  3,  theater  band,  Niagara  engine  No.  3,  Excel- 
sior engine  No.  5,  Excelsior  hose  No.  5,  Adrian  band,  Adrian  Pro- 
tection engine  No.  2,  Adrian  hose  No.  2,  Light  Guard  band,  Gar- 
den City  engine  No.  6,  Garden  City  hose  No.  6,  Naperville  band, 
Eagle  engine  No.  7,  Eagle  hose  No.  7,  Wabansia  hose  No.  8,  Wa- 
bansia  engine  No.  8.  The  ceremonies  closed  with  an  excellent  ex- 
hibit of  water  throwing  on  the  lake  front  with  water  drawn  from 
the  lake  and  from  hydrants. 

It  was  now  heralded  abroad  that  Chicago  was  the  greatest  pri- 
mary grain  market  in  the  world ;  Buffalo  and  Odessa  handled  more 
grain,  but  not  from  primary  sources.  A  mass  meeting  to  consider 
the  question  of  sewerage  was  held  on  December  20,  1854;  Mayor 
Milliken  presided.  Resolutions  to  the  following  effect  were  passed : 
1.  The  condition  of  the  city  demanded  at  once  a  complete  and 
comprehensive  system  of  sewerage.  2.  Great  danger  to  property 
and  injury  to  health  would  otherwise  result.  3.  The  site  of  the 
city,  if  properly  drained,  would  render  the  location  healthful.  4. 
There  was  nothing  impracticable  in  such  a  system.  5.  The  City 
Council  did  not  have  sufficient  continuity  and  fixity  to  accomplish 
such  a  task.  6.  The  work  demanded  a  separate  and  distinct  board 
of  sewerage  commissioners  to  carry  the  system  to  a  finality. 

About  thirty  feet  of  the  river  bank  where  old  Fort  Dearborn 
had  stood  was  removed  to  widen  the  harbor  and  the  dirt  thus 
taken  away  was  deposited  on  South  Water  street  between  Dearborn 
and  Wabash.  The  financial  crisis  of  October  and  November  caused 
business  men  much  annoyance  and  loss.  On  November  18  the 
newspapers  boasted  that  Chicago  had  direct  railway  connection  with 
the  Mississippi  river  at  Rock  Island  and  Galena.  A  lot  25  by  80 
feet  on  the  east  side  of  Clark  street  near  Washington,  which  had 
been  bought  in  1852  for  $2.300,  was  sold  in  1854  for  $8.000.  In 
October  trees  were  planted  in  the  courthouse  square.  The  Council 
ordered  Dearborn  street  extended  southward  from  Monroe  to  Jack- 
son and  there  to  be  connected  with  Edina  place.  At  this  time  Dear- 


258  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

born  street  between  Madison  and  Monroe  was  only  thirty-three  feet 
wide.  It  was  at  this  time  that  Doctor  Dyer,  for  $26,000,  sold  a  lot 
at  the  corner  of  Dearborn  and  Monroe  streets  to  the  government  to 
be  used  as  a  site  for  a  postoffice  and  customhouse.  Bids  had  been 
called  for  and  it  was  claimed  that  his  tract  was  too  far  south  and 
away  from  the  business  center  and  that  he  had  been  shown  special 
favors  in  the  award.  There  were  recriminations  and  considerable  ill 
feeling  over  the  matter.  It  was  claimed  that  Doctor  Dyer's  lot  was 
sold  for  $15,000  more  than  it  was  worth.  The  propositions  sub- 
mitted were  as  follows,  the  last  being  that  of  Doctor  Dyer : 

Corner  Adams  and  Clark,  120x140  feet $  47,000 

Corner  La  Salle  and  Randolph,  140x140  feet 121,500 

Corner  La  Salle  and  Randolph,  130x140  feet 102,800 

Corner  Randolph  and  Wells,  120x140  feet 74,000 

Washington,    between    Presbyterian    and    Baptist    churches, 

133x180   feet 80,000 

Corner  La  Salle  and  Washington,  120x140  feet 60,000 

Corner  Lake  and  Market  (old  Sauganash),  120x140  feet 85,000 

Corner  Dearborn  and  Washington,  120x140  feet 59,000 

Corner  Dearborn  and  Monroe,  120x140  feet 26,000 

The  dissatisfaction  continued  to  grow  until  at  last  a  public  meet- 
ing to  voice  the  view  of  the  people  was  held,  with  Mayor  Milliken 
as  chairman,  and  W.  L.  Newberry,  head  of  the  committee  on  reso- 
lutions. The  resolutions  embraced  the  following  points:  1.  That 
the  lot  selected  was  unsuitable  and  unsatisfactory.  2.  That  the 
Secretary  of  the  Treasury  would  probably  be  willing  to  sell  the 
Dyer  lot  and  buy  another  better  suited  for  the  purpose.  3.  That  a 
committee  of  three  be  appointed  to  wait  upon  the  Secretary  of  the 
Treasury  to  learn  what  could  be  done.  4.  That  the  State  Legis- 
lature be  asked  not  to  granfthe  government  a  site  until  the  same 
should  be  satisfactory  to  the  citizens. 

There  were  large  sales  of  lots  in  Holstein  in  December,  1854 — 
particularly  in  Pierce's  addition — on  the  West  Side  near  the  North 
branch.  Winter  wheat  was  $1.35  to  $1.40  in  November,  but  by 
December  1  had  dropped  to  $1.12  to  $1.25.  On  December  11  it 
was  $1.35  to  $1.40.  The  committee  of  nine  appointed  by  the  citi- 
zens to  prepare  a  bill  to  be  presented  to  the  Legislature  in  favor 
of  a  board  of  sewerage  commissioners  reported  in  January.  1845, 
and  the  proposed  law  was  duly  considered  by  all  Chicago  in  mass 
meeting.  The  bill  as  first  prepared  provided  for  three  commission- 
ers from  each  of  the  three  city  divisions  and  for  a  sewerage  fund 
of  $500.000.  The  people  voted  acceptance  of  the  bill  and  it  was 
forwarded  to  the  Legislature,  and,  with  some  changes,  became  a 
law.  The  immediate  necessity  for  a  sufficient  sewerage  system  was 
conceded  by  all  residents,  but  the  Common  Council  feared  to  take 
action  in  so  important  a  measure  and  the  citizens  dreaded  the  ex- 
pense. An  appeal  to  the  Legislature  was  the  final  resort.  The 
Democrat,  edited  by  John  Wentworth.  had  opposed  the  new  water- 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  259 

works  and  now  disfavored  the  proposed  sewerage  system  on  the 
ground  of  the  enormous  expense. 

YEAR.  Chicago  Mortality.     Population. 

1847    520  16,859 

1848    560  19,724 

1849    1,519  23,047 

1850   1,332  28,620 

1851    836  32,000 

1852   1,649  38,733 

1853    1,206  60,652 

1854   3,827  70,000 

In  1854  over  1,400  died  of  cholera. 

Choice  winter  wheat  sold  here  on  January  17  at  $1.50  per  bushel. 
The  years  1853  and  1854  were  noted  for  the  number  of  industrial 
unions  organized.  Almost  every  trade  effected  such  action.  Lots 
on  Clark  street  between  Washington  and  Madison  sold  in  Janu- 
ary, 1855,  for  $300  per  front  foot;  the  same  lots  two  years  before 
sold  for  $60  per  front  foot.  Again  in  January  another  mass  meet- 
ing to  protest  against  the  location  of  the  new  postoffice  at  Dear- 
born and  Monroe  streets  was  held.  One  of  the  severest  snow 
storms  that  ever  visited  Chicago  swept  this  locality  in  1855.  For 
a  week  all  business  was  suspended.  The  railways  were  completely 
tied  up.  It  was  observed  that  this  was  an  entirely  new  experience 
for  the  railroads  and  the  city.  On  February  23  Isaac  Cook,  post- 
master, opened  the  postoffice  on  the  west  side  of  Dearborn  street, 
in  the  first  brick  block  south  of  Randolph. 

The  city's  receipts  for  1854  were  as  follows:  General  fund, 
$298,413.08;  local  tax,  South  division,  $60,969.82;  local  tax, 
West  division,  $30,868.54;  local  tax,  North  division,  $33,087.27; 
total  receipts,  $423,338.71.  The  expenses  were  as  follows:  Gen- 
eral fund,  $247,591.57:  local  expense.  South  division.  $82,146.87; 
local  expense,  West  division,  $39,309.19;  local  expense,  North 
division,  $39,854.76;  total  expenses,  $408,902.39.  There  was  on 
hand  in  the  city  treasury  on  February  1,  1855,  $14,436.32. 

"And  yet,  for  all  these  railroads,  Chicago  in  her  corporate  capac- 
ity has  never  expended  a  single  dollar.  Eastern  and  foreign  capi- 
tal, proverbially  cautious,  and  even  skeptical  though  it  be.  has  done 
the  mighty  work.  There  has  been  no  spasmodic  effort  to  accom- 
plish it.  ...  Compared  with  other  cities,  Chicago  owes  but  a 
mere  nominal  sum.  Her  principal  debt  is  for  her  waterworks,  and 
her  revenue  derived  from  water  rents  will  ere  long  pay  the  interest 
and  in  the  end  liquidate  the  debt.  She  has  now  adopted  a  general 
and  it  is  believed  efficient  plan  of  sewerage  for  which  an  additional 
loan  has  been  made.  Most  of  the  streets  yet  remain  to  be  paved, 
from  the  necessities  of  the  case  plank  having  been  heretofore 
used."  It  was  argued  that  if  Chicago  had  thus  grown  in  twenty- 
five  years  while  only  50.000  square  miles  of  country  between  Lake 
Michigan  and  the  Rocky  Mountains  had  become  settled,  what 


260  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

would  she  become  when  the  whole  700,000  square  miles  of  that 
territory  had  become  settled.  It  was  not  to  the  credit  of  Chicago 
that  she  had  done  nothing  to  aid  the  railways;  but  there  was  no 
occasion  for  her  to  do  so. 

In  an  act  of  February  14,  1855,  supplemental  to  the  act  to  incor- 
porate the  Chicago  City  Hydraulic  company,  it  was  provided  that 
the  persons  to  be  elected  Water  Commissioners  of  the  city  should 
be  chosen  successively  from  the  North,  West  and  South  Sides,  one 
to  be  thus  chosen  annually  and  to  hold  the  office  for  three  years; 
that  the  first  one  to  be  elected  under  this  act  should  be  chosen  in 
May,  1855,  from  the  South  division;  that  the  board  should  assess 
such  water  rents  upon  owners  or  occupants  of  buildings  as  should 
seem  equitable;  that  such  assessments  should  be  a  lien  upon  such 
property;  that  the  board  should  have  power  to  borrow  as  the 
Common  Council  should  deem  expedient  not  to  exceed  $300,000 
and  should  issue  bonds  therefor  bearing  not  over  7  per  cent  interest ; 
that  such  bonds  should  be  sold  for  not  less  than  the  equivalent 
of  7  per  cent  at  par;  that  such  bonds  should  not  be  issued  until 
approved  by  a  majority  of  all  aldermen;  that  the  board  should 
print  and  issue  rules  and  restrictions  of  the  water  service;  that 
a  sinking  fund  should  be  provided ;  that  said  board  members  could 
be  removed  for  cause;  that  the  chief  engineer  should  reside  in  the 
city ;  and  that  proper  accounts  of  all  acts  and  proceedings  should 
be  kept. 

The  act  of  February  15,  1855,  incorporated  the  Chicago  Tunnel 
company  with  W.  B.  Ogden,  George  Steel,  Henry  Farnam,  John 
H.  Kinzie,  Peter  Page,  Edward  Benling,  Edward  H.  Haddock, 
Walter  L.  Newberry,  John  S.  Reed,  Isaac  N.  Arnold,  Henry 
Smith,  George  F.  Ramsey,  Sylvester  Lind,  Ezra  B.  McCagg,  A.  C. 
Stuart,  William  Lill,  Philo  Carpenter,  George  W.  Snow  and  James 
H.  Rees  as  the  incorporators,  and  with  $1,000,000  capital.  The 
Common  Council  was  authorized  to  contract  with  the  company 
for  the  construction  and  maintenance  of  one  or  more  tunnels  through 
or  across  Chicago  river  or  either  of  its  branches.  The  company 
was  authorized  to  borrow  money  at  not  over  12  per  cent  and  to 
mortgage  its  property  to  secure  the  debt,  and  issue  bonds  if  desired, 
and  to  use  the  streets  and  alleys  with  the  consent  of  the  mayor 
and  Common  Council.  Chicago  was  empowered  to  buy  such  tun- 
nels if  deemed  desirable. 

During  the  fiscal  year  ending  February  1,  1855,  Union  Park  was 
bought  at  an  outlay  of  nearly  $60,000  in  short  time  bonds,  which 
were  promptly  met  as  they  matured.  Business  men  at  this  date 
considered  city  lands  a  good  investment.  The  apparent  debt  of  the 
citv  increased  bv  $87,000,  but  when  the  $60.000  was  deducted  and 
$16.000  more  that  had  been  paid  for  the  Clark  street  bridge,  real 
estate  and  fire  apparatus,  the  actual  debt  was  inconsiderable.  Ow- 
ing to  the  cholera,  the  health  department  had  spent  about  $5,000 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  261 

more  than  in  1853.  There  was  an  increase  of  $3,000  in  school 
expenses,  due  to  an  increase  in  the  salaries  of  teachers  and  of  the 
city  superintendent,  and  office  which  did  not  exist  before  1854.  The 
police  and  judiciary  departments  had  cost  about  $49,000,  which 
amount  was  reduced  to  about  $18,000  by  fines  and  licenses.  About 
one-half  of  the  latter  sum  was  for  the  recorder's  court  and  legal 
expenses.  On  February  1,  1855,  the  city  funded  debt  amounted 
to  $328,000,  and  the  total  liabilities  to  $374,316.44.  The  general 
resources  were  valued  at  $498,025.59.  The  net  available  assets 
were  estimated  to  be  worth  $32,707.63.  This  report  was  made  by 
L.  D.  Boone,  Eli  B.  Williams  and  M.  L.  Keith,  finance  committee 
of  the  Common  Council. 

In  February,  1855,  it  was  proposed  that  the  Young  Men's  asso- 
ciation, Board  of  Trade  and  Mechanics'  institute  should  raise  capi- 
tal and  erect  a  large  suitable  hall  for  lectures,  public  concerts,  etc. 
At  the  municipal  election  in  March,  1855,  twenty-four  German 
saloonkeepers  voluntarily  closed  their  places  of  business  on  election 
day,  announcing  beforehand  that  they  would  do  so.  This  act  was 
almost  the  first  of  its  kind  and  was  warmly  commended  by  the 
press,  clergy,  etc.  Choice  winter  wheat  was  worth  $1.55  on  March 
6.  Levi  D.  Boone  became  mayor  in  March,  1854.  The  City  Coun- 
cil decided  in  March  to  increase  the  extent  of  paved  streets.  A  lot 
on  Lake  street,  near  Clark,  20  by  100  feet,  sold  for  $18,000.  The 
spring  of  1855  was  very  cold,  late  and  backward,  but  the  wholesale 
trade  here  was  simply  gigantic.  Western  merchants  poured  in  to 
buy  goods.  In  April  white  winter  wheat  sold  as  high  as  $1.60. 
A  determined  and  desperate  fight  of  the  combined  liquor  dealers 
against  prohibition  and  all  stringent  liquor  laws  was  made  here  in 
April,  1855.  J.  N.  Brundage  began  to  issue  the  Chicago  Wide 
Awake  at  this  time.  The  emigration  westward  through  this  city 
was  even  larger  than  in  1854;  trains  of  a  dozen  coaches,  loaded 
to  their  utmost  capacity,  were  a  common  sight  at  the  depots.  On 
April  6  twenty-five  cars  in  one  train,  drawn  by  two  locomotives, 
arrived  near  midnight  with  about  1,300  passengers.  A  lot  20  by  90 
feet  on  Market  street,  near  Madison,  sold  for  $3,300  in  April. 
The  Democratic  Press  of  April  11  said:  "Cutting  off  the  docks 
on  the  south  side  of  the  river  between  Clark  and  Wells  street 
bridges  is  a  great  improvement  to  the  harbor,  and  it  now  seems  a 
wonder  that  the  encroachment  was  so  long  permitted."  On  April 
10  white  winter  wheat  sold  at  $1.70.  The  Michigan  Central 
brought  3,000  emigrants  here  on  April  13.  Lots  on  State  street, 
at  Eldridge  court,  were  quoted  at  $100  per  front  foot,  and  on  Mich- 
igan avenue,  near  Taylor,  at  $170.  Pinkerton  &  Company,  of  the 
Northwestern  Police  Agency,  were  active  in  catching  criminals 
of  all  sorts  at  this  time.  In  April,  1855.  Washington  Square,  on 
the  North  Side,  began  to  figure  as  a  point  of  recreation.  It  had 
been  donated  to  the  city  by  the  owners  of  Bushnell's  addition  upon 


263  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

condition  that  it  should  be  fenced  and  forever  used  as  a  park.  At 
this  period  the  Council  fixed  all  liquor  licenses  at  $300  and  made 
all  terminate  on  July  1,  when  prohibition  should  go  into  effect  if 
sanctioned  by  the  vote  of  the  people.  Seventy  or  eighty  took  out 
licenses,  a  number  quit  the  business,  and  many  refused  either  to 
quit  or  take  out  a  license.  About  a  score  were  fined  by  Judge 
Rucker  and  serious  riots  occurred  in  several  places.  The  militia 
was  called  out  and  cannons  were  planted  around  the  court  house 
square  at  Clark  and  Randolph.  The  city  marshal,  sheriff  and 
several  policemen  were  badly  bruised.  Nine  rioters,  cut,  bruised 
and  bleeding,  were  arrested.  An  immense  crowd  gathered  and 
rioting  continued  nearly  all  day.  One  rioter,  Peter  Martin,  died 
from  the  result  of  a  pistol  shot.  A  big  law  and  order  mass  meet- 
ing finally  ended  the  violence,  but  not  the  contention.  Upon  the 
question  of  liquor,  license  the  county  polled  6,075  votes  for  and 
4,603  against  license.  Upon  the  question  of  prohibition  the  fol- 
lowing vote  was  cast  (see  Press,  June  8,  1855)  : 

For  Against 

PRECINCTS.  Prohibition.     Prohibition. 

First   ward 405  394 

Second  ward 523  370 

Third   ward 290  310 

Fourth   ward 223  334 

Fifth  ward 586  410 

Sixth  ward 333  411 

Seventh   ward 84  483 

Eighth    ward 201  425 

Ninth    ward 140  467 

Tenth  ward,  so  called 129 

South  Chicago  precinct 62  51 

Jefferson   20  20 

Thornton     37  45 

Lemont 63  74 

Northfield   36                        11 

Orland   89  39 

Palatine    20  54 

Bremen    14                          6 

Lake     63  71 

Leyden     8                        66 

New   Trier 22  77 

Niles     72  45 

Ridgeville   48  44 

Maine     5  71 

Rich    33 

Lyons     12  56 

Proviso    4  49 

Palos    56  49 

Schaumburg     "...  20  91 

Bloom    40  60 

Elk  Grove 65  26 

Wheeling    84  79 

Hanover    58 

Barrington    89  35 

3,807  1,182 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  263 

By  act  of  February  12,  1855,  the  People's  Gas  Light  and  Coke 
company  was  incorporated  with  capital  not  over  $500,000  and 
with  location  in  Chicago.  The  object  was  to  manufacture  gas 
and  coke  and  sell  the  same  after  February  12,  1859,  and  to  lay 
pipes  in  the  streets  with  the  consent  of  the  Council.  It  was  an 
express  provision  of  this  act  that  gas  should  be  furnished  the  inhab- 
itants at  not  to  exceed  $2.50  per  thousand  feet,  and  furnished  the 
,city  of  Chicago  for  public  uses,  at  the  election  of  the  proper  authori- 
ties, at  not  to  exceed  $2  per  thousand  feet.  The  incorporators 
were  Matthew  Laflin,  L.  C.  Paine  Freer,  A.  G.  Throop,  D.  A.  Gage, 
John  S.  Wallace,  George  W.  Snow,  H.  B.  Bay  and  R.  H.  Foss. 

The  plan  for  the  improvement  of  Union  park,  which  comprised 
about  eighteen  acres,  was  prepared  by  Carter  &  Bauer;  the  first 
sum  assessed  for  improvement  of  the  same  was  $6,333.33.  In  May, 
1855,  the  Board  of  Sewerage  Commissioners  offered  $1,000  for 
the  best  plan  of  a  systematic  drainage  system  for  Chicago  and  vicin- 
ity. Another  sale  of  canal  lands  occurred  in  May.  For  the  sum- 
mer of  1855  a  special  health  officer  was  appointed  from  each  of 
the  nine  wards.  Quarantine  was  established  in  May,  and  all  arriv- 
als by  vessel,  canal  and  railways  were  rigidly  scrutinized  for  cases 
of  cholera,  smallpox,  ship  fever,  etc.  The  Council  appropriated 
$25,000  for  quarantine  purposes,  of  which  amount  the  mayor  and 
Board  of  Health  were  authorized  to  expend  on  buildings  and 
grounds,  for  quarantine  service,  not  to  exceed  $8,000.  W.  H. 
Stickney  was  chairman  of  the  committee  on  quarantine. 

The  cities  of  Chicago  and  Milwaukee  were  united  by  railway  on 
May  19,  1855.  Already  the  bridewell  was  found  to  be  too  small. 
The  space  along  the  lake  front  between  the  Illinois  Central  tracks 
and  the  shore  was  a  stagnant  pond  at  this  time;  the  newspapers 
demanded  that  it  be  filled.  In  the  spring  of  1855  the  police  depart- 
ment was  reorganized,  the  ordinance  allowing  eighty  men  under 
C.  P.  Bradley,  chief.  At  first  under  the  new  system  seventy-three 
men  were  set  at  work. 

As  stated  before,  the  first  proposition  for  a  street  railway  (called 
horse  railway  then)  was  made  in  1854,  and  thereafter  until  May 
26,  1855,  the  subject  was  duly  considered  by  both  people  and  Coun- 
cil. All  proceedings  culminated  on  the  latter  date  upon  the  passage 
of  the  first  street  car  ordinance  by  a  vote  of  nine  for  and  four 
against.  Permission  to  cover  the  following  streets  was  given : 
State  street  south  to  the  city  limits;  Ridgely  place  to  Colbourn 
avenue;  Ringgold  place  and  Cottage  Grove  avenue;  Washington 
from  State  to  Market;  on  the  North  Side,  Dearborn  to  North, 
Division,  Clybourn,  Racine  and  Sedgwick.  These  streets  pierced  the 
most  densely  populated  parts  of  the  city  at  that  date. 

On  May  26,  1855,  at  the  Clark  Street  Methodist  church  1,800 
children  participated  in  a  memorable  temperance  celebration.  The 
owner  of  the  Sauganash  hotel  site  raised  a  petition  to  the  Council 


264  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

in  May,  praying  that  such  tract  be  used  for  the  proposed  new  post- 
office  and  customhouse.  At  the  vote  on  prohibition  throughout 
the  county  in  May,  vigilance  committees  of  the  prohibitionists  and 
liquor  interests  stood  guard  at  the  polls  in  Chicago  and  other  saloon 
localities.  In  June  the  Council  appropriated  $500  to  be  used  in 
opening  an  entrance  through  the  bar  into  the  harbor;  the  same 
amount  was  raised  by  subscription  from  the  citizens.  Light  iron 
fronts  began  to  supplant  massive  stone  fronts  on  many  stores  and 
other  buildings.  In  June,  1855,  the  Council  approved  the  Sau- 
ganash  site  for  the  location  of  the  proposed  postoffice  and  custom- 
house. On  July  14  the  mercury  reached  eighty-one  degrees  above 
zero;  the  15th,  ninety-two;  the  16th,  ninety-four;  the  17th,  ninety- 
six;  the  18th,  ninety- four;  and  the  19th,  ninety-one.  On  the  17th 
it  dropped  suddenly  from  ninety-six  to  sixty  degrees,  but  rose  again 
during  the  night.  The  newspapers  noted  that  at  3  o'clock  p.  M. 
on  the  17th  the  heat  at  ninety-six  degrees  was  almost  suffocating, 
but  by  6  o'clock  p.  u.,  with  the  mercury  at  sixty  degrees,  a  fire  was 
comfortable.  In  July  vessels  of  large  draft  could  not  cross  the  bar 
into  the  harbor.  On  July  13  red  winter  wheat  sold  at  $1.80,  and 
white  winter  wheat  at  $2  per  bushel.  July  21  new  winter  wheat 
was  worth  $1.60  to  $1.70. 

"It  is  hardly  possible  to  pass  through  a  street  in  the  city  with- 
out coming  upon  buildings  in  process  of  erection."  .  .  .  "The 
planks  on  our  streets  have  been  placed  on  the  even  surface 
of  the  ground — not  elevated  in  the  center  or  turnpiked.  The  result 
is  a  constant  splashing  or  squirting  as  you  ride  on  them."  .  .  . 
"Our  railroads  are  the  work  of  capitalists  all  over  the  country,  who 
had  the  sagacity  to  see  that  the  resources  of  the  Northwest  were 
boundless,  and  that  Chicago  was  the  natural  seat  of  empire  of  this 
vast  region.  .  .  .  Our  citizens  deserve  credit  chiefly  for  making 
the  best  use  of  the  facilities  for  trade  and  commerce  which  they 
find  created,  as  it  were,  over  night,  to  their  hands.  We  have  grown 
in  population  and  wealth  because  we  could  not  help  it." — (Press, 
July  and  August,  1855.) 

Electric  fire  alarms  and  signals  for  the  city  were  first  considered 
in  July,  1855.  New  winter  wheat  was  worth  $1.75  on  July  24, 
but  soon  fell  to  $1.40.  It  was  so  cold  on  July  30  that  woolen  cloth- 
ing was  comfortable,  and  on  July  20  the  mercury  fell  from  ninety- 
six  degrees  to  fifty-eight  degrees.  Observers  declared  that  tide 
variations  in  Chicago  reached  a  height  of  about  two  feet.  A  con- 
test of  the  firemen  to  see  which  company  had  the  best  engine  and 
the  most  efficient  force  was  held  on  August  10.  Two  of  the  great- 
est improvements  in  1855  were  the  new  depots  for  the  Illinois  Cen- 
tral and  the  Michigan  Central  railways.  Both  of  these  railways 
laid  double  tracks  in  and  near  the  city  in  1855.  In  August,  De  Gol- 
yer's  pavement  was  laid  on  the  section  of  Lake  street  down  town — 
probably  the  first  used  in  the  city.  The  deaths  from  cholera  in  1855 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  267 

prior  to  August  1  were  448;  all  efforts  and  precautions  failed  to 
prevent  its  ravages;  many  fled,  but  busy  Chicago  as  a  whole  was 
about  as  strenuous  as  ever.  In  September  the  city  leased  of  the 
county  the  old  poorhouse  property  on  the  lake,  about  five  miles 
south  of  the  city,  and  converted  it  into  a  reform  school.  It  em- 
braced ten  acres  and  was  leased  for  five  years  without  rent.  About 
$500  in  repairs  was  spent  upon  the  property  by  the  city. 

The  first  wheat  ever  to  come  from  Iowa  to  Chicago  wholly  by 
rail  arrived  on  September  20.  It  was  grown  twelve  miles  west  of 
Davenport,  was  shipped  from  that  city,  and  comprised  600  bushels, 
which  brought  $1.20  per  bushel.  The  State  Fair  was  held  here  in 
1855  on  the  South  Side,  just  beyond  the  city  limits,  on  the  bank  of 
the  South  branch.  Much  difficulty  in  reaching  the  grounds  was 
experienced.  Tugs,  omnibuses  and  private  conveyances  were 
brought  into  requisition.  White  winter  wheat  was  worth  $1.60  to 
$1.70  in  October.  The  famous  tract  called  "Egan's  Garden,"  at 
Jefferson  and  Lake  streets,  on  the  West  Side,  sold  in  October,  1855, 
for  $59  to  $75  per  front  foot.  Big  sales  of  lots  in  Elston's  and 
Sheffield's  divisions  on  the  North  branch  were  recorded  at  this  date. 
The  De  Golyer  pavement  was  referred  to  as  the  "wooden  streets  of 
Chicago."  The  fire  engine  companies  held  a  trial  of  efficiency  on 
October  21.  A  vigorous  but  abortive  attempt  to  organize  a  stock 
company  to  build  a  tunnel  under  the  main  river  was  made  at  this 
time.  Rev.  D.  B.  Nichols  became  first  superintendent  of  the  Reform 
School,  with  a  salary  of  $1,000;  he  had  previously  been  a  city  mis- 
sionary. 

The  Times  of  October  24,  1855,  declared  that  Chicago,  "the  great 
metropolis  of  the  Northwest — the  city  of  Abolitionists  and  Know- 
nothings — the  greatest  grain  emporium  in  the  world — is  without  a 
dollar  to  pay  its  honest  debts !  Its  bank  funds  are  gone — its  orders 
are  refused  by  the  banks  and  depreciated  with  individuals — its  credit 
is  comparatively  worthless."  The  Press  replied  as  follows:  "It  is 
sufficient  to  say  that  the  paragraph  is  utterly  and  basely  false.  Last 
Monday  evening  the  city  treasurer  reported  $7,798.34  cash  on  hand, 
and  there  has  not  been  a  time  within  our  recollection  for  the  past 
seven  years  when  'its  credit  was. comparatively  worthless.'  The 
credit  and  resources  of  Chicago  are  undoubted." 

On  November  5,  1855,  red  winter  wheat  was  worth  $1.60  to 
$1.65  and  white  winter  wheat  $1.75  to  $1.80  per  bushel.  Lots  in 
Archer's  addition  to  the  South  Side  were  offered  for  sale  in  Novem- 
ber. The  fierce  struggle  in  Kansas  began  to  attract  attention  and 
to  kindle  the  wrath  of  Chicagoans.  The  large  Stables  of  Frank 
Parmelee  &  Company  at  State  and  Randolph  streets  were  com- 
pleted in  December.  The  building  operations  in  1855  were  enor- 
mous— were  declared  at  the  time  to  be  greater  than  for  any  year. 
At  the  session  of  Congress  1854-55  the  harbor  bill  was  supported 
by  General  Cass,  but  Douglas  worked  against  it  and  Pierce  vetoed 

Vol.  1—16. 


268  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

it.  This  moved  the  Press  of  December  22  to  observe :  "The  piers 
of  Chicago  harbor  are  going  to  wreck  and  ruin;  the  bar  at  the 
mouth  of  the  harbor  has  seriously  obstructed  navigation  and  sundry 
vessels  have  been  wrecked,  and  yet  Mr.  Douglas  and  Mr.  Pierce 
can  grant  us  no  appropriations.  True,  the  receipts  of  our  custom- 
house for  the  past  year  will  probably  reach  three-quarters  of  a  mil- 
lion dollars,  but  Chicago  cannot  have  appropriations  for  the  improve- 
ment of  her  harbors." 

About  the  close  of  1855  an  elaborate  sewerage  system  for  Chi- 
cago was  decided  upon.  The  district  to  be  covered  was  bounded 
as  follows :  Division  street  on  the  north,  Reuben  on  the  west,  North 
on  the  south,  and  Lake  Michigan  on  the  east.  The  important  ques- 
tion was,  Into  what  should  the  sewerage  be  drained?  The  follow- 
ing routes  of  drainage  were  proposed:  1.  Into  the  river  and  its 
branches;  2.  Directly  into  the  lake;  3.  Into  artificial  reservoirs, 
thence  to  be  pumped  up  and  used  as  fertilizing  material;  4.  Into 
the  Chicago  river,  thence  by  the  proposed  steamboat  canal  into  the 
Illinois  river.  After  mature  deliberation  plan  1  above  was  adopted. 
Approximately  State  and  Washington  streets  were  the  high  lines  or 
the  ridges  of  the  South  Side,  from  which  the  drainage  should  radi- 
ate. On  the  North  Side  three  main  lines  of  drainage  were  neces- 
sary— into  the  Chicago  river,  into  its  North  branch  and  into  the 
lake.  On  the  West  Side  all  drainage  was  toward  the  North  and 
South  branches.  The  river  was  to  be  flushed  from  the  canal  and  the 
lake.  It  was  decided  that  the  mains  should  be  from  five  to  six  feet 
in  diameter.  The  estimated  cost  of  the  existing  (1855)  sewer 
lines  was  as  follows :  South  Side,  $157,893  ;  North  Side,  $156,522 ; 
West  Side,  $188,831.  The  drainage  of  the  above  described  tract 
under  the  new  system  proposed  in  1855  was  estimated  to  cost 
$2,300,000. 

In  October,  1855,  at  a  meeting  of  the  old  settlers  of  Chicago 
called  to  review  early  times,  it  was  concluded  to  organize  an  old 
settlers'  society,  to  be  composed  of  all  persons  who  settled  in  the 
country  prior  to  January  1,  1835.  At  a  subsequent  meeting  the 
following  was  one  of  the  articles  of  the  constitution  adopted : 
"Article  3.  None  shall  be  eligible  to  membership  in  this  society 
but  the  persons  who  resided  in  Chicago  prior  to  January  1,  1837; 
and  the  male  children  of  those  who  are  now  eligible  to  membership 
and  who  were  born  prior  to  that  date,  who  shall  become  so  eligible 
at  the  age  of  21  years,  and  who  desire  to  become  members,  must 
first  sign  the  constitution  and  by-laws."  Among  those  eligible  to 
membership  were  the  following: 

Berwyn  Jones,  S.  B.  Cobb,  O.  J.  Heacock,  A.  J.  Pierce,  John  C.  Rue,  J.  K. 
Botsford,  Ashley  Gilbert,  James  Clark,  Dr.  Harmon,  J.  A.  Marshall,  James  Sin- 
clair, R.  L.  Wilson,  John  Calhoun,  John  S.  Wright,  George  W.  Snow,  Thomas 
Cook,  P.  Ballingall,  David  Foote,  John  Foote,  A.  Lloyd,  Frank  Gilbertson,  Ralph 
Gilbertson,  Francis  L.  Sherman,  Edwin  Sherman,  Henry  Whitehead,  Sergeant 
Adams,  James  Bickerdike,  Timothy  Wright,  C.  Harmon,  Walter  Kimball,  Luther 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  269 

Nichols,  P.  F.  W.  Peck,  George  Bickerdike,  Morgan  Shapley,  John  W.  Kinzie, 
George  W.  Dole,  G.  S.  Hubbard,  Aaron  H.  Taylor,  Dervat  Taylor,  Captain 
Johnson,  C.  P.  Albee,  Sanford  Johnson,  John  Davis,  V.  A.  Boyer,  John  E. 
Kimberly,  Henry  Graves,  Alex  Robinson,  Lewis  A.  Kimberly,  Richard  J. 
Hamilton,  James  Boyer,  Philo  Carpenter,  Jacob  Miller,  Dr.  Maxwell,  William 
Jones,  George  Davis,  John  Noble,  Edward  Simons,  Mark  Noble,  John  L. 
Wilson,  Starr  Foote,  Hibbard  Porter,  Orsemus  Morrison,  J.  B.  Beaubien,  James 
Morrison,  Ezekiel  Morrison,  Mark  Beaubien,  Dr.  Kimberly,  Dr.  Egan,  Frank 
Sherman,  Thomas  Church,  E.  H.  Haddock,  E.  B.  Williams,  Joseph  Meeker, 
Ashbel  Steele,  Rufus  Brown,  Lemuel  Brown,  John  Miller,  John  Clark,  Archi- 
bald Clybourn,  Samuel  Brooks,  Charles  Cleaver,  A.  N.  Fullerton,  Edward 
Wright,  Stephen  Gale,  William  H.  Clarke,  John  Ludley,  William  Werencraft, 
Philip  Reber,  J.  Berg,  Anthony  Berg,  J.  O.  Humphrey,  David  Andrews.  Oliver 
Lozier,  Stephen  Rexford,  Ezra  Jackson,  Samuel  Everden,  Benjamin  Butter- 
field,  Zimri  Butterfield,  John  Marshall,  Robert  Dewes,  Samuel  Aiken,  George 
Herlington,  Erastus  Bowen,  Leonard  Hugunin,  Robinson  Tripp,  Edwin  Har- 
mon, Joseph  P.  Cook,  Joel  Ellis,  W.  W.  Taylor,  George  Smith,  Henry  Brooks, 
Frederick  Brooks  John  Spence,  Louis  Malzacker,  Richard  Sweet,  Charles  Walker, 
William  Osborne,  Burnett  Bailey,  Alonzo  Huntington,  George  M.  Gray,  James 
Welden,  Captain  Johnson,  J.  K.  Palmer,  George  T.  Pearson,  William  Lill, 
James  A.  Smith,  J.  D.  Harmon,  David  Mclntpsh,  John  C.  Haines,  Charles  M. 
Gray,  Joseph  Kettlestrings,  A.  C.  Wood,  William  Freeman,  Isaac  N.  Harmon, 
David  Mclntosh;  John  H.  Kinzie,  1804;  Col.  J.  B.  Beaubien,  Mark  Beaubien, 
Gurdon  S.  Hubbard,  1826;  George  W.  Dole,  1828;  Dr.  Harmon,  1830;  Mark 
Noble,  1831 ;  John  Noble,  1831 ;  Capt.  S.  Johnson,  1832 ;  J.  S.  Wright,  1832 ;  John 
Bates,  1832. 

In  September,  1855,  Chicago  had  216  lawyers,  125  doctors, 
twenty-six  banking  and  exchange  offices,  ninety-one  lumber  yards, 
fifty-seven  hotels,  sixty-four  commission  houses,  sixty-six  clothing 
houses,  seventy-one  boot  and  shoe  stores,  forty-six  wagon  and  car- 
riage makers,  twenty-one  wholesale  and  173  retail  grocers,  forty- 
five  dry  goods  stores,  twenty-six  furniture  stores,  thirty-two  hard- 
ware dealers,  nineteen  watch  and  jewerly  stores,  fifty-five  drug 
stores,  fifteen  tinware  and  stove  dealers,  and  ten  breweries.  Bull's 
Head  was  owned  by  E.  Stevens  before  the  summer  of  1855,  but  at 
that  time  Belden  &  Sherman  became  its  owners — hotel,  yards,  sta- 
bles, pens,  scales,  etc. 

"Not  the  least  important  wonder  of  the  age  is  the  city  of  Chicago. 
Its  rapid  growth  and  immense  trade  are  subjects  of  remark  in  every 
section  of  the  Union  and  are  beginning  to  excite  the  jealousy  of 
older  but  less  enterprising  competitors  in  the  strife  for  supremacy 
in  the  West." — (Charleston,  Illinois,  Courier,  December,  1855.) 

"In  nine  years  we  have  paid  the  penalty  of  imperfect  harbors  to 
the  tune  of  about  $13,000,000,  and  increasing  every  year,  not  to 
speak  of  the  loss  of  some  thousands  of  lives.  A  glance  at  the  record 
we  have  made  will  show  that  nine-tenths  of  the  disasters  of  the 
present  year  have  occurred  from  the  want  of  harbors  on  the  lakes, 
or  from  imperfect  harbors,  obstructed  rivers  and  sand  bars.  In 
vain  has  the  commercial  public  appealed  to  the  Federal  government 
for  aid  to  improve  our  rivers  and  harbors.  .  .  .  Take  our  own 
harbor  for  an  example.  Not  a  storm  occurs  but  thousands  of  dollars 
are  sunk  at  our  bars  or  dashed  to  pieces  against  our  piers  and 
breakwaters.  The  loss  this  year  (1856)  alone  exceeds  sixfold  what 


270  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

was  wrung  from  Congress  at  the  last  session  over  the  President's 
veto.  The  Federal  government  has  been  too  keenly  following 
the  scent  of  Southern  popularity  to  attend  to  the  legitimate  interests 
of  the  young  and  vigorous  West.  Our  richly  freighted  vessels  have 
been  dashed  to  pieces  and  our  seamen  hurried  into  watery  graves 
before  the  very  eyes  of  statesmen  who  have  been  criminally  indif- 
ferent to  the  fate  of  both."  It  was  noted  that  in  1848  the  loss  on 
the  lakes  has  been  $404,830,  while  in  1855  the  loss  was  $2,797,839. 
"Here  is  a  tax  upon  the  commercial  interests  of  the  West  with  a 
vengeance." — (Press,  1856.) 

Nearly  one  hundred  trains  arrived  and  departed  daily  at  the  end 
of  1854.  On  February  16,  1852,  there  were  forty  miles  of  road 
completed  with  Chicago  as  a  center;  in  January,  1856,  there  were 
2,933  miles  completed.  In  January,  1856,  there  were  actually  in 
operation  in  Illinois  2,410  miles  of  railway.  Europe  and  the  East 
had  awakened  to  the  importance  of  'investing  in  the  West.  For 
the  year  1855  the  railway  earnings,  passenger  and  freight,  of  the 
roads  centering  in  Chicago  was  $13,292,201.09;  total  earnings  of 
all  railways  (forty  miles)  centering  in  Chicago  January,  1852,  was 
(estimated)  $40,000.  In  January,  1856,  fifty-eight  passenger  and 
thirty-eight  freight  trains  arrived  and  departed  at  Chicago  daily. 

At  the  end  of  1854  the  railroads  were  completed  as  follows: 

Chicago  &   Milwaukee 40  miles 

Illinois  &  Wisconsin 41  miles 

Galena  &  Chicago 121  miles 

Beloit   branch,    Galena 20  miles 

Beloit  &  Madison 16%  miles 

Chicago   &   Galena   Air   Line 98  miles 

St.    Charles   branch 4  miles 

Chicago  &  Aurora 89  miles 

Central   Military   tract 84  miles 

Peoria  &  Oquevvka 35  miles 

Chicago  &  Rock  Island 181  miles 

Peoria  &  Bureau  Val 47  miles 

Chicago   &   Mississippi 265  miles 

Illinois  Central   587  miles 

Michigan  Southern  &  Northern  Indiana 242  miles 

Michigan  Central 282  miles 

New  Albany  &  Salem , 284  miles 


Total 2,436%  miles 

On  January  8,  1856,  at  daybreak  the  mercury  stood  at  twenty- 
five  degrees  below  zero,  and  at  the  same  time  the  next  morning, 
January  9,  it  stood  at  thirty  below.  So  thick  was  the  ice  on  the  river 
that  teams  with  heavy  loads  crossed  and  pleasure  sleighs  raced  up 
and  down  on  the  main  river  and  both  branches. — (Democratic 
Press,  January  15  and  17,  1856.)  On  February  3  the  mer- 
cury stood  at  twenty-six  below  zero.  Wide  Awake  Fire  Company, 
No.  12,  was  organized  in  January.  For  the  fiscal  year  ending 
February  1,  1856,  the  receipts  of  Chicago  were  $583,046.92  and 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  271 

the  expenses  $550,766.11.  During  the  winter  and  spring  of  1856 
the  grades  of  the  three  divisions  were  accurately  laid  off  by  the 
surveyors  preparatory  to  the  construction  of  sewers. 

A  merchants'  exchange  building  was  proposed  in  April,  1856. 
Soundings  were  made  and  a  full  description  of  how  to  enter  the 
harbor  over  the  bar  was  published  in  the  newspapers.  Again  in 
April,  1856,  as  for  several  years  past,  railway  trains  from  the  East 
were  crowded  with  emigrants  for  the  West.  In  1833  H.  C.  West 
owned  eighty  feet  on  Lake  street  at  the  northwest  corner  of  Lake 
and  Clark ;  he  paid  $300  for  it  on  a  debt  and  felt  cheated.  In  the 
fall  of  1833  he  sold  it  for  $1,000  and  felt  he  had  made  a  big  bar- 
gain, as  he  really  had.  In  1856  the  same  lot  was  worth  $100,000. 
At  the  port  of  Chicago  in  1855  the  imports  were  $191,524,165.13 
and  the  exports  $214,118,318.25,  according  to  Colonel  Graham  in 
the  Democratic  Press  of  May  6,  1856.  On  May  8  the  Council 
authorized  the  issue  of  $100,000  worth  of  city  bonds,  bearing  6  per 
cent  interest  and  due  in  twenty  years,  to  be  used  for  general  munici- 
pal purposes.  They  were  sold  to  B.  F.  Carver  of  Chicago  for  90^ 
cents  on  the  dollar.  The  Democratic  Press  of  May  21  said:  "It 
is  the  first  time  bonds  to  so  large  an  amount  have  been  negotiated 
among  our  own  capitalists  and  shows  that  we  long  ago  predicted 
that  we  are  rapidly  becoming  independent  of  Wall  street."  The 
dredge  was  busy  removing  the  bar  at  the  harbor  entrance  May, 
1856. 

In  May,  1856,  an  organization,  the  Chicago  South  Branch  Canal 
company,  composed  of  William  Green,  Charles  Stetson  and  W.  S. 
Sampson  of  Cincinnati,  Colonel  Mason,  Colonel  Fish,  A.  G.  Throop 
and  W.  L.  Sampson  of  Chicago,  bought  a  tract  of  151  acres  on  the 
South  branch,  including  the  site  of  the  State  Fair  in  1855,  paying 
therefor  $4,000  per  acre,  or  $604.000  for  the  whole  tract.  They 
proceeded  immediately  to  dredge  the  South  branch  and  to  dig 
canals  100  feet  wide  at  right  angles  to  the  river  and  250  feet  deep. 
This  was  the  foundation  of  the  first  great  dock  system  at  Chicago. 
Sleeping  cars  on  the  railroads  made  their  first  appearance  here  in 
1856.  They  would  not  be  looked  at  now  (1909)  except  with  surprise 
and  incredulity,  but  then  (1856)  were  regarded  as  the  acme  of  com- 
fort and  luxuriance.  On  June  25  there  were  in  store  here  542,472 
bushels  of  corn.  It  was  about  this  time  that  Chicago  hackmen  be- 
came the  worst  robbers,  thieves,  bandits,  rapers  of  women,  and  vil- 
lains and  criminals  generally  that  ever  infested  any  community; 
severe  measures  were  necessary  to  suppress  their  outrages  and 
crimes.  During  a  heavy  rain  in  Julv  nearly  all  cellars  and  base- 
ments of  the  city  were  flooded.  On  July  7  it  was  ninety-seven  de- 
grees in  the  shade.  The  new  Randolph  street  bridge  was  opened 
in  July :  its  bottom  was  eighteen  feet  above  the  river,  thus  permit- 
tins'  tugs  to  pass  under  by  lowering  their  smokestacks. 

The  city  hospital  was  built  under  the  direction  of  the  Board  of 


272  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

Health  and  the  corner  stone  was  laid  in  June,  1856.  Among  the 
founders  were  George  P.  Hanson,  George  W.  Dole,  Doctor  Mc- 
Vicker  and  Isaac  Speer.  It  was  located  on  La  Salle  street  between 
Old  and  New,  two  miles  south  of  the  river,  and  cost  about  $75,000. 
Chicago  by  position,  canal,  railways,  etc.,  was  the  natural  depot 
for  the  West.  She  did  not  grow  any  faster  than  the  country.  Her 
growth  was  not  to  be  compared  to  that  of  other  cities,  because  she 
was  vastly,  differently  situated.  She  grew  as  the  Western  country 
grew.  Illinois,  Iowa,  Missouri,  Wisconsin,  Minnesota — all  were 
building  her  up.  Other  cities  did  not  grow  thus  because  they  had 
but  a  limited  tributary  country.  The  citizens  did  nothing  but  won- 
der— were  open-mouthed  at  their  own  growth  and  grandeur.  To 
say  that  the  enterprise  of  the  citizens  or  the  efforts  of  individuals 
made  Chicago  is  idle  and  incorrect.  God  Almighty  first  made  the 
divide;  Joliet,  second,  called  attention  to  it;  the  canal  builders, 
third,  utilized  it,  and  the  railways,  fourth,  supplemented  it.  Lake 
Michigan  made  Chicago  largely.  This  was  the  end  of  water  as  it 
was  the  beginning  of  railways  to  the  West.  In  1856  enough  people 
to  form  two  states  found  their  way  west  of  Lake  Michigan.  In 
1856  the  Dean  Richmond  loaded  with  wheat  at  the  wharves  of 
Chicago  and  unloaded  at  the  wharves  of  Liverpool.  Steamers 
ran  to  the  head  of  Lake  Superior.  Its  situation  at  the  terminus  of 
the  great  lakes ;  water  communication  with  the  Mississippi ;  access 
to  the  great  Illinois  coal  belt ;  contact  by  rail  with  the  lead,  iron  and 
copper  mines  of  the  Mississippi  and  Lake  Superior  regions;  in  the 
heart  of  an  agriculture  empire  and  in  a  genial  climate — were  the 
substantial  advantages  possessed  by  Chicago. 

The  Lake  street  bridge  was  nearly  ready.  The  Wells  street 
bridge  was  ready  August  4.  On  August  21  white  winter  wheat 
was  worth  $1.28  to  $1.30.  This  was  the  time  of  the  "bridge  and 
tug  war."  The  latter  demanded  the  prompt  opening  of  the  river 
whenever  they  had  occasion  to  pass,  but  the  latter  insisted  on  recog- 
nizing the  rights  of  the  public  as  well ;  violence  was  resorted  to, 
but  in  the  end  an  ordinance  requiring  the  boats  to  lower  their  chim- 
neys settled  the  dispute.  The  new  Richmond  house  was  opened 
in  October.  On  the  13th  of  that  month  the  Chicago  Reform  school 
on  the  lake  shore  south  of  the  city  was  destroyed  by  fire ;  it  consisted 
of  four  buildings  connected  together  and  had  been  the  old  county 
poorhouse.  The  loss  was  about  $800 :  the  Council  promptly  appro- 
priated $3,500  for  a  new  building.  The  Board  of  Trade  and  busi- 
ness men  generally  still  clung  to  the  idea  of  the  great  importance 
to  Chicago  of  the  trade  with  Canada  and  Liverpool  through  the 
St.  Lawrence  valley.  In  October.  1856.  the  Board  of  Trade  assem- 
bled at  their  new  rooms  in  Steele's  building  at  the  corner  of  South 
Water  and  La  Salle  streets.  It  was  particularly  noted  that  on 
October  19,  1856.  one  Chicago  merchant  bought  on  'Change  corn 
for  immediate  delivery  to  the  amount  of  145,000  bushels.  It  was 
regarded  as  a  remarkably  large  transaction. 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  273 

In  October,  1856,  112  policemen  were  employed,  which  number 
was  thirty-two  more  than  the  ordinance  allowed.  On  November  10 
red  winter  wheat  was  worth  94  to  95  cents,  and  white  winter  $1. 
The  wrecks  on  the  lake  in  1856  were  unprecedented  in  number  and 
value,  and  from  all  sides  came  the  cry  for  better  harbors.  Prior  to 
December,  1856,  the  extent  of  sewerage  laid  under  the  new  law 
was  as  follows:  Of  six-foot  bore,  1,596  feet;  five-foot  bore,  6,084 
feet ;  four- foot  bore,  1 ,024  feet ;  three-foot  bore,  280  feet ;  two  and 
one-half  foot  bore,  1,352  feet;  two-foot  bore,  12,062  feet;  one-foot 
bore,  3,304  feet;  total,  31,662  feet,  or  almost  exactly  six  miles. 
During  1856  the  following  expense  was  incurred :  Wells  street 
bridge,  cost  $19,182;  Chicago  avenue  bridge,  $4,013;  Randolph 
street  bridge,  $20,811;  Rush  street  bridge,  $15,825;  repairing 
South  Water  street  bridge,  $13,299;  paving  Lake,  State  and  Market 
streets,  $29,510.  The  following  work  was  in  progress:  New  float 
bridge  at  Indiana  street,  $5,000;  same  at  Erie  street,  $5,000;  same 
at  Polk  street,  $5,000;  new  iron  draw  bridge  at  Madison  street, 
$30,000 ;  improvement  of  the  harbor  at  Dearborn  Point,  $40,000 ; 
improvement  of  the  harbor  around  Blocks  6,  7  and  14,  Old  Town, 
$43,000.  The  Democratic  Press  of  December  15  said:  "Chicago 
has  already  passed  that  point  in  her  commercial  history  from  which 
must  date  the  ability  and  disposition  of  her  citizens  to  engage  in 
stock  and  other  speculative  financial  transactions  incident  to  the 
accumulating  of  capital." 

The  direct  Chicago  and  Liverpool  grain  trade  was  established 
by  C.  Y.  Richmond,  the  sailing  vessel  "Dean  Richmond"  making 
the  first  trip  from  one  port  to  the  other.  The  box  receipts  of  the 
Chicago  postoffice  for  the  year  ending  June  30,  1856,  were  $5,717. 
This  was  greater  than  those  of  Washington,  Buffalo,  Detroit,  Cin- 
cinnati and  Baltimore,  but  less  than  those  of  Boston  ($9,674), 
Philadelphia  ($5,863),  St.  Louis  ($6,000)  and  New  York  ($25,- 
572).  A  new  policeman  arrested  a  drunken  man  on  the  Illinois 
Central  tracks  and  charged  him  with  obstructing  the  railway. 

A  big  fire  on  August  13,  1856,  destroyed  the  Michigan  Southern 
and  Rock  Island  freight  depots,  the  Rock  Island  and  Walker  hotels 
and  other  property  to  the  amount  of  $100,000.  In  the  fall  of  1856 
the  Massasoit  hotel  was  opened  on  South  Water  Street.  On  Janu- 
ary 2,  1857,  the  lake  was  frozen  out  farther  than  ever  was  known 
before  and  many  skaters  went  out  in  safety  several  miles.  The 
Democratic  Press  of  January  3  said :  "At  4  o'clock  at  least  a  thou- 
sand boys  and  men  were  skimming  the  glassy  surface,  many  quite 
as  far  out  as  they  could  be  seen  from  the  shore."  At  this  date  red 
winter  wheat  was  worth  $1.06,  and  white  winter  $1.15.  Chicago 
forwarders  were  sharply  criticised  for  putting  on  extra  charges  for 
handling  goods  here  shipped  from  Eastern  points  to  places  west 
of  this  city.  The  "back  charges,"  as  they  were  called,  were  de- 
clared to  be  unfair,  because  the  consignee  had  no  voice  as  to  how 


274 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 


much  he  should  pay  the  Chicago  forwarder.  Western  merchants 
claimed  they  not  only  took  the  profits  but  the  goods  also.  William 
B.  Ogden  still  continued  to  press  the  project  of  a  steamboat  chan- 
nel from  Lake  Michigan  to  the  Mississippi  river. 


POSTMASTERS. 

Years. 

Commissions. 

Expenses. 

Surplus. 

1836 

$2  148 

$  300 

Sidney  Abell      ... 

1837 

2835 

1804 

1838 

4456 

2649 

1839 

4778 

2,820 

Sidney  Abell    

1840 

5081 

2943 

$  138 

1841 

4571 

2,604 

William  Stewart  

1842 

5,293 

3,368 

William  Stewart  

1843 

6263 

4274 

1844 

7,228 

5,259 

William  Stewart  

1845 

7963 

5329 

643 

H    L   Stewart 

1846 

7228 

5234 

H    L   Stewart 

1847 

7897 

6  175 

H    L   Stewart     

1848 

9681 

7674 

6 

H    L.  Stewart 

1849 

12488 

10535 

R.  L.  Wilson  

1850 

14,630 

11,863 

766 

G   W   Dole  

1851 

13704 

8,766 

2,937 

G.  W.  Dole  

1852 

13894 

9,900 

1,993 

G.  W.  Dole  

1853 

17,573 

13,179 

2,394 

Isaac  Cook  

1854 

30356 

21,645 

6,711 

1855 

50,364 

32,204 

,'16,159 

Isaac  Cook     

1856 

65804 

41,130 

22,673 

The  Illinois  game  law  went  into  effect  on  January  15,  1857 — 
on  deer,  quail,  prairie  chicken,  wild  turkey,  pheasant,  woodcock, 
etc.  Prior  to  this  a  city  ordinance  had  in  a  small  measure  pro- 
tected such  game.  On  January  22  it  was  sixteen  degrees  below 
zero,  and  on  the  23d  twenty  below.  Early  in  1857  work  was 
commenced  on  Dearborn  hall,  a  building  62  by  100  feet  on  Dear- 
born, between  Lake  and  Randolph.  The  city  in  January  and 
February  made  a  determined  fight  against  watered  milk.  The 
report  of  the  water  commissioners  in  February,  1857,  showed  that 
a  total  of  fifty-two  and  one-half  miles  of  pipes  had  been  laid.  The 
Democratic  Press,  speaking  in  February  of  the  large  business  houses 
of  the  city,  said :  "One  of  these  firms  handled  during  the  business 
season  of  1856  the  aggregate  of  $15,000,000  in  their  transactions 
in  grain  and  other  descriptions  of  produce.  There  has  passed 
through  their  hands  5,256,000  bushels  of  grain,  mostly  wheat. 
Their  check  account  at  a  single  one  of  our  banking  institutions 
foots  up  nearly  eight  millions  of  dollars." 

The  old  cemetery  (now  a  part  of  Lincoln  park)  was  declared  in 
February,  1857,  to  be  too  small  and  too  near  the  city,  and  a  new 
one  was  demanded.  It  was  proposed  to  trade  the  old  one,  consist- 
ing of  over  sixty  acres,  for  a  tract  of  640  acres  owned  by  C.  V. 
Dyer  ten  miles  south  of  the  city,  and  $30,000  to  be  paid  in  ten  years. 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  275 

The  tract  was  at  Riley's  tavern  and  the  little  village  of  Comorn. 
A  new  city  charter  was  discussed  in  January  and  February,  1857. 
By  act  of  February  16,  1857,  the  Chicago  Hydraulic  company  was 
authorized  to  borrow,  in  addition  to  sums  previously  specified,  the 
sum  of  $500,000,  but  not  for  more  than  7  per  cent  interest. 

The  city  balance  sheet  for  1856  gave  the  following  statistics: 
Cost  of  fire  department,  $81,264;  health,  $32,136;  interest,  $40,797; 
loans,  $103,543;  salaries,  $43,761;  schools,  $70,990;  police,  $99,- 
972.  The  total  expense  of  the  general  fund  was  $678,137.77 ;  total 
funded  or  bonded  debt,  $535,000;  total  liabilities,  $639,661.  An 
additional  ward — the  Tenth — was  added  to  the  city  early  in  1857. 
On  March  7  red  winter  wheat  was  worth  $1.05  to  $1.10  and  white 
winter  $1.15  to  $1.20.  It  was  noted  often  during  the  early  years 
of  the  city's  history  that  at  no  time  did  accommodation  keep  pace 
with  population  and  improvement.  The  city  government  in  every 
department  struggled  far  in  the  rear  to  keep  up  with  development 
and  growth.  Although  the  city  government  was  restricted  to  bor- 
row but  $100,000  in  any  one  year,  it  had  gone  to  the  limit  for 
several  years  and  thus  was  deeply  in  debt  for  improvement  to  its 
water,  sewerage  and  other  systems.  Mayor  Wentworth  in  his  in- 
augural of  March,  1857,  said : 

"While  our  city  government  is  amply  sufficient  for  us,  we  are 
paying  largely  for  a  county  government  which  would  be  entirely 
unnecessary  save  for  our  relations  to  certain  territory  outside  our 
city  limits  which  cannot  be  conveniently  attached  to  any  other 
county.  This  territory  is  so  scattered  around  our  city  that  it  cannot 
be  erected  into  a  single  county.  From  their  location  the  inhabitants 
of  the  country  towns  affiliate  more  with  our  citizens  than  they  do 
with  each  other.  Thus  naturally  they  throw  the  responsibility  of 
county  government  upon  us,  while  we  are  almost  entirely  indifferent 
to  it,  as  will  be  seen  by  the  small  number  of  votes  cast  at  the  election 
of  ward  supervisors.  We  have  a  city  assessor  and  county  assessor, 
a  city  treasurer  and  county  treasurer,  a  city  physician  and  county 
physician,  a  city  attorney  and  county  attorney,  and  so  on,  dupli- 
cating almost  every  city  officer.  In  many  cases,  no  doubt,  there  is 
an  understanding  between  these  duplicates  to  divide  work  with  each 
other  and  thus  make  our  tax  payers  pay  twice  for  work  that  need 
be  done  but  once.  Our  county  taxes  have  increased  without  good 
cause.  Our  supervisors  meet  too  often  and  pay  themselves  too 
much  for  their  services.  No  alderman  can  be  interested  in  any 
city  contract,  nor  hold  any  office  the  salary  for  which  comes  out 
of  the  city  treasury.  The  reverse  is  the  case  with  the  supervisors, 
and  they  are  not  at  all  modest  in  appointing  one  another  to  office. 
Indeed,  it  is  very  seldom  that  they  go  out  of  their  own  board  in 
their  selections.  .  .  .  These  supervisors  appoint  themselves  dis- 
bursing officers  for  their  own  towns.  They  generally  take  the 
money  as  soon  as  it  is  appropriated  and  then  account  to  each  other 


276  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

for  its  expenditure.  There  is  no  responsibility  beyond  themselves, 
while  each  has  a  personal  interest  in  not  questioning  the  account 
of  his  fellow  supervisor.  And  I  know  of  no  particular  instance  of 
wrong  done  among  our  supervisors,  but  such  practices  have  never 
failed  in  the  end  to  lead  to  the  greatest  abuse  and  corruption.  I 
suggest  the  appointment  of  a  committee  on  county  relations.  There 
is  now  in  our  county  treasury  nearly  one  hundred  thousand  dollars 
of  surplus  money.  The  taxes  of  this  year  will  greatly  increase  this 
amount.  And  yet  our  county  has  bonds  outstanding  upon  which 
we  are  paying  10  per  cent  interest.  Thus  in  our  county,  as  often 
in  our  city,  money  has  been  borrowed  at  high  rates  of  interest  to 
lie  idle  in  the  hands  of  officials,  or  to  be  loaned  out  at  their  pleasure 
at  from  2  to  5  per  cent  a  month." 

The  new  office  of  city  comptroller  gave  satisfaction  in  1857  by 
placing  before  the  people  a  more  detailed  and  better  knowledge  of 
municipal  affairs.  C.  G.  Hammond  occupied  this  office  in  1857, 
with  a  salary  of  $4,000,  the  highest  ever  paid  to  a  city  official.  At 
this  date,  owing  to  the  want  of  suitable  ordinances  or  the  lack  of 
their  rigid  execution,  crime  and  outrage  were  rampant.  The  hack- 
men  continued  to  be  robbers,  highwaymen  and  swindlers  and  were 
guilty  of  more  than  one  attack  on  women.  In  one  case  even  several 
members  of  a  fire  department  seized  a  respectable  woman,  compelled 
her  to  enter  their  building  and  there  abused  her.  The  police  were 
involved  in  these  outrages.  They  were  in  civilian's  dress,  with 
nothing  but  a  star  to  distinguish  them.  Often  they  pocketed  their 
stars  and  engaged  in  outrages  without  being  discovered.  The  bar 
at  the  harbor  entrance  continued  to  cause  annoyance  and  loss. 
Under  President  Jackson  five  bills  appropriating  money  to  the 
amount  of  $162,000  for  Chicago  harbor  had  been  passed.  One  was 
passed  under  Van  Buren,  two  under  Tyler,  one  under  Fillmore, 
but  Polk  and  Pierce  vetoed  all  river  and  harbor  bills  that  came 
before  them.  The  press  of  the  city  contested  sharply  for  the  ap- 
pointment as  corporation  newspaper  and  paid  a  bonus  to  get  it ; 
before  1856  $100  had  been  paid  by  one  newspaper  and  $350  by 
another.  In  1856  $3,000  was  paid  for  the  appointment.  In  the 
following  extract  from  Mayor  Wentworth's  inaugural  in  1857  he 
probably  referred  to  Allan  Pinkerton  and  associates  when  he  speaks 
of  "a  highly  respectable  police" : 

"Our  police  system  has  been  gradually  falling  into  disrepute, 
and  it  is  a  lamentable  fact  that  while  our  citizens  are  heavily  taxed 
to  support  a  large  police  force,  a  highly  respectable  private  police 
is  doing  a  lucrative  business.  Our  citizens  have  ceased  to  look  to 
the  public  police  for  protection,  for  the  detection  of  culprits,  or  the 
recovery  of  stolen  property." 

The  act  of  February  13,  1857,  incorporated  the  Lake  Michigan 
and  Chicago  Canal  company  and  authorized  it  to  construct  a  canal 
from  the  South  branch  of  Chicago  river  to  Lake  Michigan,  the 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  277 

canal  "to  be  located  on  the  most  eligible  route  between  the  south 
line  of  the  city  and  the  south  line  of  Sections  7,  8,  9,  10  and  11, 
Township  38  north,  Range  14  east  in  Cook  county,  or  with  the 
consent  of  the  Common  Council  of  the  city  of  Chicago  and  the 
owners  of  property  adjacent  thereto,  between  the  south  line  of  said 
city  and  the  south  line  of  South  street  in  said  city,"  also  to  construct 
piers  and  breakwaters  on  Lake  Michigan  at  the  mouth  of  the  canal. 
The  company  was  authorized  to  take  for  its  use  a  strip  of  land  not 
over  300  feet  wide.  The  capital  was  fixed  at  $500,000,  but  could 
be  increased.  The  corporate  powers  were  vested  in  a  board  of 
directors  which  could  make  its  own  rules  and  regulations  and  could 
fix  its  own  rate  of  toll.  They  were  authorized  to  borrow  money 
for  construction  purposes.  Nothing  was  done. 

Under  Mayor  Wentworth,  for  the  first  time  in  the  annals  of  the 
city,  policemen  were  required  to  wear  certain  caps  on  which  were 
their  stars  and  numbers,  and  hackmen  were  required  to  wear  brass 
plates  or  badges.  County  supervisors  were  elected  from  the  towns 
of  the  county  and  also  from  the  wards  of  the  city.  William  Price 
became  postmaster  in  April,  1857.  A  terrible  gale  in  April  de- 
stroyed much  property.  In  April,  1857,  new  and  vigorous  demands 
for  a  higher  grade  for  the  streets  were  made.  It  was  proposed 
to  raise  the  streets  thirteen  feet  above  low  water  mark,  which 
would  necessitate  raising  them  an  average  of  about  three  feet  above 
their  grade  in  1857.  A  mass  meeting  demanded  the  thirteen-foot 
grade.  The  Burlington  (Iowa)  Board  of  Trade  complained  of 
the  back  charges  of  Chicago  forwarders.  The  wholesale  trade  of 
the  city  was  enormous  in  the  spring  of  1857,  as  was  also  the  emi- 
gration westward. 

For  many  years  the  sand  disposits  on  the  north  side  of  the  river 
adjoining  the  lake  had  continued  to  grow  until  in  1857  they  num- 
bered many  acres  of  solid  ground.  From  the  start  squatters  had 
located  thereon,  laid  out  rude  streets,  built  shanties  and  fenced  in 
small  patches  for  gardens  and  yards  and  otherwise  made  themselves 
at  home.  They  paid  no  rent  and  soon  they  paid  little  or  no  atten- 
tion to  law.  Occasional  raids  of  the  police  served  only  to  unite 
them  for  mutual  protection  against  their  deadly  enemies — police- 
men and  landlords.  By  1857  the  whole  tract  called  "The  Sands" 
was  covered  with  shanties  and  was  the  resort  and  retreat  of  the 
rabble,  tramps,  thieves,  criminals,  etc.,  of  every  description.  It  was 
not  safe  for  a  policeman  to  venture  there  alone  even  in  the  daytime. 
Should  he  do  so,  like  lightning  the  wireless  message  flew  to  all 
parts  of  the  tract.  There  would  be  a  hurrying  and  skurrying;  hos- 
tilities to  his  intrusion  would  be  manifested ;  no  information  what- 
ever would  be  given  him ;  and  if  he  attempted  any  liberties,  missiles 
of  every  description  would  assail  him  from  a  score  of  clapboard 
ramparts,  until  he  took  pleasure  in  retreat  and  delight  in  escape, 
regardless  of  official  dignity.  Processes  of  law  demanding  their 


278  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

evacuation  were  met  by  threats  and  open  and  vigorous  battle.  Pre- 
vious to  1857  raids  had  been  made  upon  the  dwellers  there  and  they 
had  thus  been  kept  from  openly  attempting  to  ransack  and  destroy 
the  city — at  least  in  daylight.  In  the  spring  of  1857  it  was  deter- 
mined to  break  up  this  haunt  of  crime.  Accordingly  a  sheriff's 
posse  numbering  about  a  score  visited  the  tract,  tore  down  about 
sixty  shanties  which  had  previously  been  marked,  and  generally 
renovated  that  section  and  placed  it  under  the  eye  of  the  police. 
Those  who  submitted  and  paid  their  rent  were  usually  permitted 
to  remain — about  twenty  shanties  in  all.  This  raid  cleared  "The 
Sands,"  but  the  criminals  moved  a  few  blocks  to  the  westward  and 
soon  were  even  more  formidable,  wicked  and  defiant  than  ever. 
It  was  even  necessary  later  to  again  raid  "The  Sands." 

Alderman  Coughlin  was  convicted  of  misdemeanor  on  election 
day  and  sentenced  to  pay  a  fine  of  $250  and  to  an  imprisonment  of 
two  months.  On  May  1  inmates  of  the  bridewell  numbered  104; 
ninety-three  were  committed  in  April.  Small  hotels  and  merchants, 
hackmen  and  salesmen — many  of  them — were  guilty  of  extortion 
at  this  date.  Offenses  of  every  description  poured  like  a  flood  over 
the  inefficient  legal  restraints  until  the  Council  controlled  them  with 
ordinance  after  ordinance.  In  May,  1857,  it  was  ordered  that 
Twelfth  street  from  the  river  westward  to  the  city  limits  should 
be  planked  six  feet  wide  with  three-inch  oak,  at  a  cost  of  $19,534, 
to  be  assessed  upon  the  property  benefited.  The  same  was  ordered 
for  Van  Buren  street  from  the  canal  to  the  Southwest  plank  road, 
at  a  cost  of  $11,927;  the  same  for  Canal  street  from  Van  Buren  to 
Old,  at  a  cost  of  $20,814;  and  the  same  for  Van  Buren  from  the 
South  branch  to  Clark,  at  a  cost  of  $5,420.  This  was  the  first  move- 
ment to  plank  the  streets  outside  of  the  down-town  district.  The 
"runner"  nuisance  had  become  unendurable;  they  infested  the  boat 
landings  and  railroad  depots  and  kidnapped  passengers  if  they  could 
not  secure  them  any  other  way ;  they  were  regulated  by  ordinance. 
In  May,  1857,  in  an  excavation  on  South  Water  street  between  State 
and  Wabash,  numbers  of  skeletons  of  white  men  were  uncovered 
by  the  workmen ;  they  were  supposed  to  be  those  of  General  Scott's 
soldiers  who  had  died  of  cholera  in  1832  and  been  buried  in  un- 
marked graves ;  the  bones  were  removed  to  the  city  cemetery.  In  a 
raid  on  gambling  dens  in  May  $2,500  worth  of  property  was  con- 
fiscated. 

On  May  28  spring  wheat  was  worth  $1.23  to  $1.30  and  winter 
wheat  $1.60;  hogs,  $5  to  $5.50;  cattle,  $5.50.  A  squad  of  town 
and  city  officials  in  May  were  indicted,  tried  and  found  guilty  of 
being  in  league  with  disreputable  houses  and  criminals.  Thomas 
G.  Prendergast,  police  magistrate  and  justice  of  the  peace,  and 
Charles  O.  Malley.  acting  justice  of  the  peace,  were  thus  convicted. 
Messrs.  Ford.  Ouinn  and  Nolan  were  convicted  of  blackmail  and 
extortion.  There  was  an  enormous  increase  in  "police  cases"  during 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  279 

the  spring  and  summer  of  1857.  It  was  now  the  regular  custom  for 
tugs  to  take  vessels  out  beyond  the  harbor.  Long  John  Wentworth 
made  a  model  mayor ;  he  tore  precedent  and  obstruction  to  tatters ; 
uprooted  crime,  cleaned  the  streets,  enforced  order  and  economy, 
regulated  the  municipal  departments  and  made  the  city  a  city  in 
fact  instead  of  a  dirty,  disorganized  village,  with  hogs  on  the  streets 
and  crime  in  the  doggeries.  A  line  of  propellers  ran  regularly  to 
Collingwood,  Canada.  The  Rush  street  bridge  was  opened  in 
June;  it  was  a  double  draw  with  a  center  pier,  and  worked  on  a 
pivot;  it  was  210  feet  long,  had  a  clearance  of  eighteen  feet  and 
cost  nearly  $50,000. 

"Urbs  in  Horto — A  City  in  a  Garden. — It  was  once  true  of  our 
city.  It  is  still  on  our  municipal  seal,  but  the  din  of  business  and 
the  rise  of  block  after  block  of  iron,  marble  and  brick  stores,  ware- 
houses, mills  and  manufactories  are  fast  destroying  the  truth  of 
our  motto  and  driving  our  garden  afar  from  the  dusty  streets.  The 
time  is  fast  approaching,  nay,  is  even  now  upon  us,  when  our  mer- 
chants and  our  solid  men,  our  clerks,  our  lawyers,  will  seek  their 
homes  without  the  din  and  bustle  of  business  in  quiet  suburban 
retreats.  And  of  these  none  is  probably  more  delightful  than  Hyde 
Park,  five  miles  south  of  the  river,  on  the  lake  shore." — (Press, 
June  20,  1857.)  "Boston  has  its  Maiden,  its  Auburndale  and  its 
Melrose ;  New  York  has  its  Staten  Island  and  its  Brooklyn  Heights ; 
and  Chicago  will  have  its  Hyde  Park,  its  Highland  Park,  and  its 
Evanston.  Our  citizens  are  now  looking  about  for  residences  out 
of  town."—  (Press,  June  22,  1857.) 

The  act  of  February  14,  1857,  incorporated  the  Brighton  Hotel 
and  Stock  Yards  company  with  capital  of  $50,000,  located  at  or  near 
Brighton,  in  Cook  county.  The  object  was  to  establish  a  cattle, 
sheep,  hog  and  horse  market,  with  all  necessary  buildings  to  care 
for  the  animals.  The  company  was  authorized  to  build  a  hotel  and 
to  borrow  money  on  the  pledge  of  its  property.  The  act  of  February 
22,  1861,  changed  the  name  of  the  "Brighton  Hotel  and  Stock 
Yards  company"  to  "Brighton  company."  On  February  5,  1857, 
the  Chicago  Merchants'  Exchange  company  was  incorporated  by 
George  Steele,  John  P.  Chapin,  Samuel  B.  Pomeroy,  James  Peck, 
Julian  S.  Rumsey,  Edward  K.  Rogers,  Thomas  Richmond,  Thomas 
Hall,  Walter  L.  Newberry,  Edmund  D.  Taylor,  Hiram  Wheeler, 
George  Armour,  Elisha  Wadsworth  and  Walter  S.  Gurnee.  The 
objects  were  declared  to  be  to  promote  the  commercial  interests  of 
Chicago  and  to  formulate  rules  to  facilitate  the  transaction  of  busi- 
ness among  merchants  and  traders  in  the  city. 

So  great  were  the  number  of  burglaries  and  other  crimes  in 
June,  1857,  that  the  Democratic  Press  published  daily  lists  of  them, 
duly  numbered ;  from  two  to  eight  occurred  each  night.  By  June 
27  there  were  forty-eight  burglaries  for  that  month  alone.  Many 
hackmen  were  convicted  and  punished  for  passing  counterfeit  money 


280  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

on  travelers ;  they  had  made  a  business  of  it.  The  ordinance  for  the 
new  thirteen-foot  grade  was  being-  carried  into  effect  at  this  time. 
In  July  it  was  dicided  to  add  another  story  to  the  courthouse.  The 
Fourth  of  July  was  duly  celebrated  by  the  militia  and  fire  companies. 
On  that  day  the  corner  stone  of  Chicago  University  was  laid  at  Cot- 
tage Grove,  Stephen  A.  Douglas  and  Isaac  N.  Arnold  delivering 
appropriate  addresses.  On  July  14,  1857,  the  "Madeira  Pet,"  a 
British  schooner  direct  from  Liverpool  with  a  cargo  of  earthen  and 
china  ware,  hardware,  cutlery,  Britannia  ware,  paint,  iron,  etc., 
entered  the  Chicago  river;  its  displacement  was  123  tons.  One 
hundred  guns  were  fired  to  celebrate  the  event.  The  Chicago  Press 
of  July  15  said:  "This  event  is  regarded  as  one  of  the  most  im- 
portant and  significant  in  the  commercial  history  of  our  city."  The 
Board  of  Trade  passed  the  following  resolution:  "That  we  hail 
the  arrival  at  this  port  of  the  'Madeira  Pet'  direct  from  Liverpool 
as  the  pioneer  of  an  immense  foreign  trade  soon  to  be  opened  be- 
tween Chicago  and  Europe."  The  "Dean  Richmond"  had  gone 
from  Chicago  to  Liverpool  in  1856. 

In  the  autumn  of  1855  the  Illinois  Central  began  to  use  coal- 
burning  locomotives — the  first  here.  City  rents  were  ruinously  high. 
Proprietors  of  daily  newspapers  were  forced  by  the  Associated 
Press  of  New  York  to  pay  exorbitant  sums  for  telegraphic  service 
and  complained  bitterly  and  repeatedly.  At  this  time  'Change 
recognized  seven  grades  of  wheat;  in  July  it  was  proposed  to  cut 
them  down  to  four.  The  Cook  County  Agricultural  and  Horti- 
tural  society,  with  Edgar  Sanders  president,  was  organized  in  July 
at  the  office  of  the  Prairie  Farmer.  In  August,  1857,  the  "Madeira 
Pet"  cleared  for  Liverpool  with  a  cargo  of  4,000  cured  hides.  It 
was  escorted  out  of  the  harbor  with  much  ceremony.  An  omnibus 
line  ran  four  times  daily  between  Chicago  and  Holstein ;  lots  there 
sold  for  $125  to  $300.  That  suburb  was  high,  rolling  and  drained 
to  the  North  branch.  It  was  about  half  a  mile  west  of  Ward's  roll- 
ing mill  on  the  north  branch  and  about  three  miles  from  the  Lake 
street  bridge;  John  Donlin  sold  lots  there.  Steps  to  have  branch 
postoffices  in  different  parts  of  the  city  were  taken  in  August,  1857. 
A  ferry  on  the  river  at  Polk  street  was  upset  and  thirty  persons 
were  thrown  into  the  river;  no  lives  were  lost.  Union  park  was 
being  greatly  improved  and  beautified  in  August. 

The  panic  of  1857  was  heralded  here  by  the  refusal  of  the  banks 
to  grant  discounts  on  any  terms  and  by  the  failure  of  the  business 
house  of  Loomis,  Abbott  &  Chapman.  A  little  later  Thomas 
George  &  Company  failed.  Brokers  were  waiting  like  hawks  to 
swoop  down  upon  the  banks  at  the  least  excuse.  Frost  &  Bradley 
(lumber)  and  Higginbotham  &  White  (dry  goods)  went  down 
about  the  middle  of  September.  Fraser  &  Carr  (dry  goods),  B.  F. 
Farnsworth,  G.  F.  Hamilton  and  John  S.  Wright  also  failed  before 
September  22.  Soon  banks  and  bankers  began  to  go  down.  Ben- 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  281 

son  &  Kingsbury,  Baker  &  Davidson,  F.  B.  Gardner  &  Company, 
Seymour  &  Woodruff  and  others  were  forced  to  close.  The  con- 
sternation and  dismay  were  complete.  The  Press  of  October  15 
said:  "It  is  with  pride  that  we  record  the  fact  that  Chicago  yet 
stands."  One  of  the  worst  fires  in  the  history  of  the  city  occurred 
here  October  19;  twenty-two  lives  were  lost,  eighteen  bodies  were 
recovered,  and  property  worth  $676,200  was  destroyed. 

A  fire  brigade  was  at  once  planned  and  to  be  composed  of  "a 
picked  corps  of  men,  duly  qualified  for  their  functions  by  the  city, 
to  be  in  attendance  at  fires,  to  preserve  order,  remove  and  guard 
property  exposed,  and  by  their  trained  skill  lessen  the  confusion, 
check  pilfering,  and  generally  add  to  the  efficiency  of  the  fire  de- 
partment."— (Press,  October  29,  1857.)  The  plan  was  proposed 
by  E.  E.  Ellsworth  and  approved  by  the  underwriters.  The  Citi- 
zens' Fire  Brigade  was  accordingly  organized. 

On  November  5  red  winter  wheat  was  worth  68  to  78  cents  and 
white  winter  80  to  90  cents.  One  of  the  results  of  the  panic  of 
1857  was  the  united  demand  of  tenants  in  November  for  a  reduction 
of  rents.  Thousands  were  thrown  out  of  employment,  and  their 
care  was  a  serious  question  for  the  city  fathers  and  others.  Martin 
Quinlan,  city  sexton,  and  several  medical  students  were  indicted  in 
November  on  the  charge  of  robbing  graves  in  the  cemetery  for  the 
purpose  of  dissection.  The  Press  of  December  3  said :  "Uncle 
Sam's  new  customhouse  and  postoffice  on  Dearborn  street  is  at  last 
beginning  to  make  its  appearance  above  ground."  It  fronted  eighty- 
two  feet  on  Monroe  and  163  feet  on  Dearborn;  Colonel  James  was 
the  contractor.  It  was  built  under  the  appropriation  of  August  4, 
1854,  and  cost  a  total  of  $434,894.  The  total  spent  for  city  im- 
provements in  1857  was  over  $604,000.  Six  new  bridges  and 
repairs  cost  $112,000;  grading  the  streets  to  the  new  datum,  $275,- 
023;  Dearborn  park,  $16,000;  two  new  schoolhouses,  a  city  hos- 
pital, three  new  fire  engine  houses  and  a  city  armory,  $111,150; 
dredging  and  improving  the  river,  $90,000.  The  dailies  at  this 
time  were  the  Press,  Times,  Democrat,  Stoats  Zeitung,  Journal, 
Tribune  and  Union;  all  were  Republican  except  the  Times  (Demo- 
cratic) and  the  Union  (Independent). 

For  six  weeks  prior  to  January  9,  1858,  the  weather  was 
as  fine,  fair  and  mild  as  April.  Hundreds  were  out  of  employ- 
ment in  January — were  willing  to  work  for  50  cents  per  day. 
The  new  city  directory  of  January,  1858,  gave  the  following 
statistics  :  Hotels,  eighty ;  real  estate  agents,  ninety-three ;  lumber 
dealers,  ninety-three ;  wholesale  grocers,  thirty ;  retail  grocers,  380 ; 
wholesale  dry  goods,  fifteen ;  retail  dry  goods,  forty-two ;  retail 
clothiers,  seventy-three;  boarding  houses,  240;  saloons,  370. 

Mayor  Wentworth,  upon  vetoing  an  ordinance  increasing  the 
salaries  of  certain  city  officials,  made  the  following  observations : 
"The  chief  inducements  that  I  had,  for  only  a  single  year,  to  accept 


282  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

the  office  of  mayor,  which  demanded  more  of  my  time  than  I  ought 
to  spare  from  private  avocations,  were  to  liquidate  the  increasing 
floating  debt  of  our  city  and  thereby  save  its  greatly  endangered 
credit,  to  prepare  the  way  for  a  great  reduction  in  taxes,  and  effectu- 
ally prevent  the  further  issue  of  city  bonds.  Few  of  our  citizens 
are  aware  that  the  right  to  borrow  money  has  been  considered  a 
legitimate  source  of  revenue.  The  charter  limits  this  right  to 
$100,000  per  year;  and  after  taxing  the  people  to  the  extreme  limit 
of  the  charter  it  has  been  considered  proper  to  add  this  annual  issue 
of  $100,000  of  bonds.  Nor  has  this  profligate  expenditure  of  money 
stopped  here.  A  floating  debt  has  been  accumulated  and  handed 
down  from  one  administration  to  another,  until  I  found  upon  my 
hands,  in  coming  into  office,  liabilities  to  be  extinguished  during 
my  year  of  quite  a  quarter  of  a  million  dollars.  The  funded  debt 
of  the  city  is  $535,000  exclusive  of  what  is  due  by  the  Board  of 
Sewerage  and  Water  Commissioners.  During  my  year  not  only 
the  interest  on  this  sum  had  to  be  paid,  but  $25,000  of  the  principal. 
So  that  $300,000  had  to  be  collected  from  this  year's  taxes,  for 
which  this  administration  is  in  no  way  responsible.  The  Water 
Commissioners  have  borrowed  $846,000  at  6  per  cent.  The  Sewer- 
age Commissioners  have  borrowed  $220,000  at  6  and  7  per  cent. 
.  .  .  To  meet  all  this  we  received  money  in  the  treasury  March  10, 
1857,  $64,464.88;  tax  warrants  of  1856,  $24,003.96;  total,  $88,- 
468.84.  Deduct  this  from  the  liabilities  that  were  handed  down  to 
us,  and  this  administration  may  be  said  to  have  been  inaugurated 
with  no  money  in  the  treasury  and  a  debt  of  over  $200,000  to  be 
provided  for,  besides  paying  its  own  expenses.  ...  It  has  been  my 
aim  to  make  the  proceeds  of  the  licenses  and  police  court  fines  pay 
all  the  expenses  of  the  police  department  and  also  of  the  bridewell. 
We  have  received  from  licenses  $74,248.81,  and  from  fines  $26,- 
829.77;  total,  $101,077.58  in  ten  months.  The  whole  expense  of 
our  police  and  bridewell  department  service  amounts  of  only  $80,- 
132.62." 

Late  in  January,  1858,  Maj.  J.  D.  Graham  of  the  Government 
engineer  corps  reported  the  city  hall  to  be  in  longitude  87  degrees, 
38  minutes  and  1.2  seconds  west  of  Greenwich,  and  in  latitude  41 
degrees,  53  minutes  and  10  seconds.  The  South  market  building 
was  ordered  sold  in  February,  1858. 

The  boundaries  of  the  city  wards  at  this  date  were  as  follows : 
South  division :  First  ward,  lake  shore  to  State  street ;  Second, 
State  to  Clark;  Third,  Clark  to  Wells;  Fourth,  Wells  to  South 
branch.  West  division :  Fifth  ward,  between  Hamilton  avenue 
and  Randolph  street,  east  and  west  from  South  branch  to  city  lim- 
its ;  Sixth,  between  Madison  and  North  and  Tenth  west  from  Hamil- 
ton avenue  south  to  city  limits.  North  division :  Seventh,  from 
North  branch  to  La  Salle;  Eighth,  from  La  Salle  to  Wolcott; 
Ninth,  from  Wolcott  to  the  lake  shore.  At  this  time  there  were 


ISAAC    N.    POWELL. 


COL.    F.    A.    EASTMAN. 


PASQUALE     MASTROIANNI. 


J.     E.    DECKER. 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  285 

two  fire  districts  on  the  South  Side,  one  on  the  West  and  two  on  the 
North. 

In  February,  1858,  Isaac  Cook  succeeded  Mr.  Price  as  the  Chi- 
cago postmaster.  December,  1857,  and  January,  1858,  were  very 
mild,  but  February  was  very  cold.  For  the  fiscal  year  ending  Janu- 
ary 30  the  comptroller's  report  showed  that  the  city  expenses 
amounted  to  the  very  large  amount  of  $1,190,146.85,  less  the  balance 
in  the  treasury  of  $30,426.81.  The  total  receipts  were  $1,190,- 
106.85.  The  treasurer's  report  showed  the  expenses  to  be  $927,- 
859.96,  with  a  balance  of  $64,464.88  from  the  previous  year, 
1856-57.  There  were  clashes  and  serious  trouble  among  the  fire 
companies  at  this  date.  The  underwriters  in  March  reported  in 
favor  of  steam  fire  engines.  An  important  railway  convention  to 
adjust  freight  rates  between  the  seaboard  and  the  West  was  held 
here  in  March.  The  winter  of  1857-58  was  such  a  hardship  on 
the  poor  that  one  or  more  public  soup  houses  were  opened.  Chicago 
was  entitled  to  a  county  supervisor  from  each  ward  in  addition  to 
the  supervisor  from  each  of  the  South,  North  and  West  towns. 
Thus  each  voter  in  the  city  was  obliged  to  vote  twice  in  April — 
once  for  a  supervisor  for  his  ward  and  once  for  a  supervisor  for 
his  town.  The  ease  with  which  immense  buildings  were  raised 
to  the  new  grade  was  the  marvel  of  the  times.  A  vast  improve- 
ment near  the  mouth  of  the  Chicago  river  was  made  in  1857-58. 
A  section  of  the  old  Fort  Dearborn  land  had  been  cut  away  and 
the  river  widened  to  facilitate  the  passage  of  vessels.  A  fine  bridge 
at  Rush  street  had  been  built  at  a  cost  of  about  $50,000,  several 
hundred  yards  of  dock  had  been  constructed,  and  the  Illinois  Cen- 
tral had  made  important  improvements.  Enormous  numbers  of 
buildings,  particularly  frame  dwellings,  were  erected  in  the  spring 
of  1858.  The  abuses  of  the  hackmen  were  so  great,  and  had  been 
for  several  years,  that  drivers  were  forced  to  form  an  organization 
to  take  corrective  measures  to  redeem  themselves  in  the  spring"  of 
1858. 

"Horse  Railroads.' — We  are  glad  to  see  some  definite  steps  taken 
looking  toward  the  establishment  of  horse  railroads  in  the  South 
division.  We  care  not  by  whom  or  through  what  streets  these 
roads  be  built  so  that  the  public  are  best  suited,  but  the  roads  we 
must  have.  We  shall  publish  the  proposed  ordinance  tomorrow." — 
(Press,  April  28,  1858.) 

In  April  the  United  States  court  rooms  were  removed  to  Lar- 
mon's  block  on  Washington  street.  A  new  vagrant  ordinance 
struck  a  severe  blow  at  all  tramps  during  the  summer  of  1858.  Two 
new  water  reservoirs — one  at  Chicago  avenue  and  Sedgwick  and 
one  at  Morgan  and  Monroe — were  ordered  built  in  1858.  The 
National  Typographical  Union  held  its  seventh  annual  session  on 
May  3.  In  this  month  a  union  depot  on  the  sands  north  of  the 
river  mouth,  for  all  the  railroads  that  did  not  come  into  the  city 

Vol.  1—17. 


286  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

on  the  tracks  of  the  Illinois  Central,  was  proposed.  The  roads  to 
be  thus  united  were  the  Galena,  Michigan  Southern,  Chicago  & 
Alton,  Rock  Island,  Chicago,  St.  Paul  and  Fond  du  Lac,  and  Chi- 
cago, Pittsburg  &  Fort  Wayne.  The  cry  arose  in  May  from  prop- 
erty owners  that  city  tax  for  1858  must  not  exceed  10  mills.  In 
April  the  vote  for  sewerage  commissioner  and  water  commissioner 
was  as  follows :  Water  commissioner,  Lunt  2,397,  Price  545,  Bay 
942.  Sewerage  commissioner,  Webster  3,312,  Gage  551.  The  city 
ordinance  of  1858  prohibiting  saloons  from  selling  liquor  on  Sun- 
day caused  bitterness  and  riot  during  that  year.  In  May,  1858, 
about  $200,000  of  Chicago  sewerage  bonds,  running  twenty-five 
years  and  bearing  7  per  cent,  were  sold  by  Commissioner  Sylvester 
Lind  for  an  average  of  9?y2  cents  on  the  dollar.  All  Western 
towns,  envious  of  Chicago's  growth  and  prosperity,  took  advantage 
of  every  opportunity  to  make  fun  of  this  city.  The  following  from 
the  Cleveland  Plain  Dealer  of  May,  1858,  is  a  sample  of  these  at- 
tacks :  "Chicago  is  a  bustling  city.  It  was  formerly  in  Illinois, 
but  now  Illinois  is  in  it.  Lake  Michigan  is  situated  on  Chicago. 
The  principal  productions  of  Chicago  are  corner  lots,  statistics, 
wind,  the  Democratic  Press  and  Long  John  Wentworth.  The 
population  of  Chicago  is  about  sixteen  millions  and  is  'rapidly 
increasing.' ' 

The  additions  to  the  courthouse  were  being  built  in  May,  1858, 
and  all  buildings  were  being  raised  to  grade.  Rejected  spring 
wheat  was  returned  to  this  city  by  New  York  in  May ;  an  investiga- 
tion by  the  Board  of  Trade  showed  that  the  complaint  was  just. 
A  new  system  of  grain  inspection  was  demanded,  devised  and  insti- 
tuted. There  had  thus  far  been  no  uniformity  of  inspection,  each 
inspector  using  his  own  judgment  or  bias.  After  June  15,  1858, 
the  following  grades  were  to  prevail:  1.  Chicago  club  wheat;  2. 
No.  1  spring  wheat;  3.  No.  2  spring  wheat;  4.  Rejected  spring 
wheat.  The  months  of  April  and  May,  1858,  were  extremely  wet, 
the  rains  being  almost  continuous.  The  Board  of  Trade  continued 
to  waste  valuable  time  and  energy  on  shipments,  via  the  St.  Law- 
rence river,  between  Liverpool  and  Chicago.  "Fluid  lamps"  (kero- 
sene) began  to  be  used;  their  frequent  explosion  was  noticed.  On 
June  23  the  thermometer  registered  ninety-eight  degrees. 

In  July,  1858,  the  city  police  force  numbered  160  men — forty- 
seven  in  the  South  division,  forty-two  in  the  West  division  and 
forty-one  in  the  North  division,  the  others  being  specials.  It  was 
in  July,  1858,  that  many  of  the  citizens  took  positive  ground  against 
granting  to  any  company  a  franchise  to  occupy  the  streets  with 
"horse  cars"  without  adequate  compensation.  The  Council  had 
granted  to  Henry  Fuller  &  Company  the  right  to  build  a  "horse 
railroad"  on  State  street,  and  in  the  opinion  of  many  had  failed  to 
obtain  suitable  consideration  therefor.  A  mass  meeting  was  held 
and  protests  were  filed.  These  vigorous  protests  caused  Mayor 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  287 

Haines  to  veto  the  ordinance  as  it  was  passed.  It  was  then  amended 
to  meet  more  nearly  the  wishes  of  the  people — to  be  built  within 
a  definite  period;  not  to  approach  nearer  than  twelve  feet  to  any 
sidewalk ;  cars  to  be  run  by  animal  power ;  not  to  connect  with  any 
other  street  railway;  no  cars  from  other  roads  to  be  run  over  its 
tracks;  the  city  to  have  the  right  to  buy  the  road  after  twenty-five 
years ;  the  purchase  price  to  be  fixed  by  a  commission  of  five  persons ; 
fare,  rate  of  speed  and  time  of  running  to  be  controlled  by  the 
city.  On  July  28  the  Clark  street  bridge,  the  most  important  one 
in  the  city,  and  but  four  years  in  use,  broke  in  two  and  fell  into 
the  river;  after  the  breakage  and  until  the  ferry  there  was  started 
people  were  forced  to  go  to  the  Wells  and  Rush  street  bridges  to 
get  across. 

The  Atlantic  telegraph,  laid  in  July  and  August,  1858,  was 
watched  with  great  interest  here.  Upon  receipt  of  the  message  of 
Queen  Victoria  to  President  Buchanan  on  August  16  and  his  reply 
thereto,  an  enormous  impromptu  celebration  of  the  important  event 
was  held.  The  fire  and  militia  companies  came  out,  bells  were 
rung,  bonfires  were  lighted  in  all  quarters  and  the  British  and 
American  flags,  blended,  were  flung  to  the  breeze.  It  was  esti- 
mated that  from  15,000  to  20,000  people  were  on  the  streets.  The 
Council  appropriated  $1,000  with  which  to  suitably  celebrate  an 
event  of  such  importance  to  the  world,  to  America  and  to  Chicago. 
The  Press  and  Tribune  of  August  17  said :  "It  is  impossible  to  do 
full  justice  to  the  events  of  last  evening  in  this  city.  Any  descrip- 
tion would  fall  short  of  adequateness  save  that  which  with  those 
who  had  not  the  evidence  of  their  own  eyes  would  pass  to  the  least 
pardonable  extreme  of  exaggeration.  The  affair  was  spontaneous 
and  the  hearty  outburst  of  our  entire  community  in  their  rejoicings 
at  the  successful  termination  of  suspense  and  the  glorious  comple- 
tion of  an  enterprise  literally  world-wide  in  its  scope." 

On  August  17  an  imposing  formal  celebration  was  held  to  em- 
phasize and  dignify  the  event  and  spend  the  money  that  had  been 
appropriated  by  the  Council.  The  streets  were  illuminated,  as 
were  also  the  courthouse,  postoffice  and  many  business  blocks.  At 
a  meeting  of  the  Board  of  Trade  an  appropriate  letter  was  addressed 
to  Cyrus  W.  Field,  who  had  conducted  the  project  to  success. 

In  August,  1858,  spring  wheat  was  worth  81  to  82  cents,  red 
winter  $1  to  $1.11,  white  winter  $1.15  to  $1.20.  The  ejectment 
suit  against  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad  company  by  George  C. 
Bates,  to  recover  possession  of  the  depot  grounds  of  that  company 
on  the  lake  front,  was  tried  in  September,  1858.  The  suit  was 
based  upon  the  preemption  claims  of  the  Kinzie  family  to  the  tract. 
After  a  long  and  important  trial  the  claimant  was  defeated.  By 
August,  1858,  the  union  depot  had  been  located  definitely  on  the 
West  Side.  The  small  park  (then  called  Washington)  on  the 
North  Side,  next  to  Clark  street,  had  not  been  improved  as  agreed 


288  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

upon  and  suit  to  recover  it  from  the  city  was  threatened  in  October, 
1858.  Also  Jefferson  park,  on  the  West  Side,  acquired  from  Judge 
Thomas,  administrator,  in  1850,  was  claimed  by  his  widow  in  1858 
upon  the  same  and  other  grounds.  The  People's  Gas  Light  &  Coke 
company  was  organized  in  October.  On  October  9  occurred  the 
great  fire  on  Lake  street,  by  which  twenty-three  lives  were  lost 
and  $500,000  worth  of  property  was  destroyed.  The  Citizens'  Fire 
Brigade  had  their  first  annual  review  on  October  28,  1858.  On 
November  1,  1858,  the  first  ground  for  a  "horse  railroad"  (street 
railway)  was  broken  on  State  street.  The  first  rail  on  this  road 
was  laid  on  December  2.  The  Adams  house  was  opened  this  fall. 
Bridgeport  was  called  South  Chicago  in  1858.  By  November  4 
the  big  reservoir  on  the  West  Side  at  Monroe  street  was  nearly 
finished.  "During  the  last  week  32,900  hogs,  alive  and  dressed, 
were  received  in  this  city  over  the  various  routes  of  supply,"  said  the 
Press  and  Tribune  of  November  22.  There  was  a  big  exodus  to 
Pike's  Peak  late  in  1858  and  early  in  1859.  The  act  of  February 
19,  1859,  repealed  the  act  of  February  16,  1857,  providing  for  the 
laying  out  of  a  park  in  the  South  division  of  Chicago;  such  law 
was  declared  immature  and  not  demanded  by  the  interest  of  the 
people  of  the  South  division. 

The  act  of  February  11,  1859,  incorporated  the  Rosehill  Ceme- 
tery company,  the  incorporators  being  William  B.  Ogden,  Charles 
G.  Hammond,  John  H.  Kinzie,  Hiram  A.  Tucker,  Levi  D.  Boone, 
Benjamin  W.  Raymond,  Charles  V.  Dyer,  James  H.  Rees,  John 
Evans,  Jonathan  Burr,  Levi  B.  Taft,  E.  K.  Rogers,  Robert  H. 
Morford,  Andrew  T.  Sherman,  William  Turner,  George  Schneider, 
C.  H.  Deihl,  Andrew  Nelson,  James  V.  Z.  Blaney,  Henry  Smith, 
Philo  Judson,  E.  L.  Jansen,  Francis  H.  Benson,  all  of  whom  were 
constituted  a  board  of  consultation.  The  five  persons  last  named 
were  the  first  board  of  managers.  The  company  was  authorized 
to  purchase  not  to  exceed  500  acres  in  the  township  of  Lake  View, 
Cook  county,  and  to  devote  the  same  to  cemetery  purposes. 

In  the  spring  of  1859  U.  P.  Harris  was  elected  chief  of  the  fire 
department.  In  March  the  Council  granted  the  North  Chicago 
Railway  company  the  right  to  construct  and  operate  a  horse  rail- 
road on  the  North  Side;  William  B.  Ogden  was  one  of  the  incor- 
porators. On  March  30  the  water  commissioners  reported  that 
during  the  fiscal  year  1858-59,  74,433  feet  of  water  pipes  had  been 
laid;  that  the  total  length  of  pipes  in  the  city  were  382.282  feet; 
that  122  fire  hydrants  had  been  set;  that  the  total  number  of  gal- 
lons of  water  pumped  had  been  1,091,865,000,  which  was  about 
3,000,000  gallons  daily,  and  that  8,231  buildings  had  been  supplied 
with  water.  It  was  noted  in  March,  1859,  that  vessels  had  just 
left  here  bound  for  Liverpool,  Pike's  Peak  and  New  Orleans,  that 
to  Pike's  Peak  going  via  the  canal  and  Illinois,  Mississippi,  Missouri 
and  Kaw  rivers  as  far  as  possible.  A  single  track  street  railway 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  289 

was  being  laid  on  State  street  in  March.  Prior  to  April,  1859, 
city  contractors  were  required  to  wait  for  their  pay  until  assess- 
ments had  been  collected,  but  at  that  date  the  Council  ordered  the 
issue  of  construction  bonds.  So  great  was  the  demand  for  houses 
now  that  the  Press  and  Tribune  issued  a  call,  headed  "1,000  Houses 
Wanted."  The  McCormick  reaper  works  were  regarded  as  one 
of  the  greatest  local  industries.  The  following  machines  had  been 
turned  out  by  that  concern:  In  1854,  1,600;  1855,  2,500;  1856, 
4,000;  1857,  4,000;  1858,  4,500.  The  improvement  of  the  court- 
house in  1858-59  greatly  enhanced  the  appearance  of  that  structure. 
In  April,  1859,  five  trains  daily  reached  Hyde  Park.  Commutation 
tickets  sold  at  7^  cents  a  ride.  The  following  bridges  were  in 
existence  in  April,  1859:,  Rush,  Clark,  Wells,  Lake,  Randolph 
Madison,  Van  Buren,  Polk,  Twelfth,  old  Kinzie,  Erie,  Indiana,  Chi- 
cago avenue  and  North.  Wentworth  of  the  Democrat  opposed  the 
location  of  the  union  depot  on  the  West  Side ;  the  Tribune  said  he 
wanted  it  on  the  South  Side  where  his  property  was  located.  On 
April  19  North  Market  hall  was  destroyed  by  fire.  On  April  25 
four  street  cars  were  kept  in  operation  all  day  on  State  street — this 
was  the  first  general  run.  The  plan  was  to  extend  the  State  street 
car  line  to  Ulick's  hotel,  two  miles  south,  at  the  earliest  possible 
moment.  By  April  30  the  postoffice  and  customhouse  at  Monroe 
and  Dearborn  was  ready  for  the  roof.  The  war  news  in  Europe 
caused  all  prices  to  advance  in  the  spring  of  1859.  The  Press  and 
Tribune  said  :  "Later — A  Panic. — Late  last  evening  the  dispatches 
of  the  steamer  'Vigo'  were  received,  indicating  a  heavy  decline  in 
breadstuffs.  The  news  caused  a  frightful  panic  among  the  holders 
of  wheat,  and  large  quantities  were  immediately  thrown  on  the 
market,  which  declined  rapidly  8  to  10  cents  on  the  closing  price 
on  'Change — No.  1  red  selling  as  low  as  $1.55  and  standard  and 
spring  at  $1.15 — a  decline  of  15  to  18  cents  per  bushel  since  yes- 
terday noon." 

In  May,  1859,  the  "horse  railway"  was  being  built  on  West  Madi- 
son street.  The  new  Rosehill  cemetery,  six  miles  north  of  the  city, 
was  now  ready  for  interments.  A  gentleman  asked  an  Irish  grave- 
digger.  "Is  this  the  place  where  the  new  cemetery  is  going  to  be?" 
The  Irishman  replied,  "Yis,  yer  Honor,  and  not  a  healthier  place 
for  a  cemetery  is  there  on  top  of  this  earth."  In  June  a  resolution 
before  the  Council  in  favor  of  building  a  fire-proof  recorder's  office 
on  the  public  square,  fronting  on  Washington  street,  and  not  to 
cost  more  than  $4,000,  was  lost  by  a  vote  of  20  to  17.  On  June 
16  the  second  horse  railroad  in  the  city  was  opened  on  Madison 
to  Sangamon  streets.  At  this  date  the  State  street  line  had  been 
extended  to  Cottage  Grove.  On  the  occasion  of  the  visit  to  this 
city  of  the  Council  of  Cincinnati  in  June,  1859,  the  old  fire  engine 
"Neptune"  was  brought  out  and  its  power  exhibited.  It  threw 
a  stream  253  feet  in  a  horizontal  direction.  At  this  date  (1859) 


290  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

the  "Long  John"  steam  fire  engine  was  the  pride  of  the  depart- 
ment. On  May  16  red  winter  wheat  sold  at  $1.73,  but  on  July  8 
it  sold  at  $1.12.  On  July  14  corn  was  1  cent  higher  than  standard 
spring  wheat;  the  next  day  they  were  quoted  at  the  same  price 
and  were  exchanged  on  even  terms  in  the  Chicago  market — about 
68  cents.  On  Sunday,  July  17,  the  mercury  stood  at  ninety-six 
degrees.  In  July  the  horse  railway  tracks  on  Randolph  from  Clark 
west  to  Reuben  were  being  laid.  On  July  28,  1859,  Rosehill  ceme- 
tery was  dedicated  with  much  ceremony  by  the  laying  of  the  corner 
stone  of  the  chapel  there  and  the  reading  of  a  poem  by  Professor 
Goodwin.  J.  V.  Z.  Blaney,  president  of  the  company,  addressed 
the  assemblage.  The  cemetery  then  embraced  a  little  more  than 
twenty  acres.  A  strong  demand  for  a  girls'  reform  school  was 
made  at  this  time;  there  was  no  place  except  the  jail  in  which  to 
confine  female  offenders.  In  August  the  Council  passed  an  ordi- 
nance providing  for  such  an  institution,  and  the  board  of  Guardians 
decided  to  spend  not  to  exceed  $3,000  the  first  year  thereon.  The 
guardians  of  the  boys'  reform  school,  owing  to  a  shortness  of  funds, 
objected  to  the  movement.  Owing,  it  was  claimed,  to  a  war  between 
the  allopaths  and  homeopaths,  the  city  hospital  had  remained  for 
some  time  silent  and  unfinished ;  it  was  on  the  South  Side,  near 
Archer  road. 

On  August  25,  1859,  the  Chicago  City  Railway  company  had  in 
operation  three  lines,  with  seven  miles  of  tracks  and  forty-eight 
cars.  A  double  track  was  opened  to  Cottage  Grove  on  August  28. 
A  vigorous  attempt  to  change  the  name  of  Clark  street  to  Broad- 
way was  made  at  this  time.  The  West  Side  lumber  district  had  a 
$500,000  fire  in  September.  The  National  Fair  held  here  in  Sep- 
tember at  Cottage  Grove  was  an  important  event.  The  exhibits, 
racing,  shooting,  military  drills,  band  contests,  balloon  ascension 
surpassed  naything  ever  seen  in  the  West.  The  Press  and  Tribune 
of  September  18  said :  "The  fair  brought  together  the  largest  num- 
ber of  people,  mainly  out  of  the  six  states  of  the  Northwest,  that 
ever  gathered  at  any  point  in  either  of  those  states  for  any  pur- 
pose whatever.  On  Tuesday,  the  culminating  day,  there  were  not 
less  than  60,000  persons  on  the  grounds."  The  park  was  owned 
by  Henry  Graves,  was  surrounded  with  a  tight  board  fence  nine 
feet  high,  contained  thirty-one  acres,  seated  over  one  thousand  per- 
sons and  had  one  of  the  best  trotting  tracks  in  the  country. 

"Kilgubbin"  was  on  the  North  Side,  first  along  Kinzie  street  and 
later  at  the  angle  where  the  North  branch  joined  the  South  branch. 
It  held  at  one  time  over  two  thousand  population  and  became  in 
1858  as  famous  or  infamous  as  "The  Sands"  had  been  two  or  three 
years  before.  One  hundred  families  or  more  (if  such  they  can 
appropriately  be  called),  of  which  the  members  were  nearly  all 
law-breakers,  had  gathered  there  in  all  sorts  of  habitations  except 
respectable,  with  pigs,  geese,  goats,  rats,  etc.,  and  the  locality  had 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  291 

become  the  resort  and  hiding  place  of  numerous  criminals;  but  in 
1859  the  place  was  raided  and  uprooted,  the  river  there  was  wid- 
ened, and  a  valuable  basin  was  built.  The  name  Kilgubbin  was 
afterward  (1864-65)  applied  to  a  tract  of  forty  or  fifty  acres,  cov- 
ered with  shanties,  located  on  the  West  Side  where  Carpenter  street 
touched  the  river.  Another  similar  section  of  about  twenty  acres 
was  on  the  West  Side  between  Des  Plaines  and  Halsted,  near  Har- 
rison avenue.  A  few  other  smaller  sections  were  similarly  built  up 
and  occupied — one  at  Milwaukee  avenue  and  Union;  another  near 
North  Rucker  and  Kinzie;  another  small  one  between  Clark  and 
State,  near  Twelfth.  In  those  localities  it  was  usual  for  the  inhab- 
itants to  have  a  patois  or  jargon  of  their  own. 

Late  in  September  a  double  track  was  laid  on  Madison  from 
State  to  the  South  branch.  At  this  time  cars  began  to  run  from 
Clark  street  along  Division  to  Clybourn.  The  Kingsbury  tract 
(on  the  east  side  of  the  North  branch  above  Kinzie) ,  which  previous 
to  this  date  had  lain  mostly  covered  with  water  and  unimproved, 
was  now  being  rapidly  formed  into  streets  and  lots  and  built  upon ; 
it  had  been  part  of  the  estate  of  Major  Kingsbury.  The  extraordi- 
nary activity  in  the  grain  market  here  made  it  necessary  at  this 
date  to  start  a  clearing  house  for  grain.  On  October  17  a  total 
of  six  street  cars  were  run  on  Randolph  street,  thus  allowing  a  car 
every  ten  minutes,  instead  of  every  twenty  minutes  as  before;  this 
improvement  was  regarded  with  great  satisfaction  by  the  citizens. 
About  this  date  George  Horsley  secured  a  judgment  of  $1,000 
against  the  city,  and,  as  the  comptroller  refused  to  honor  the  same, 
he  levied  on  fire  horses  and  engines.  Ten  skeletons  in  rude  coffins 
were  exhumed  at  Doyle's  building  on  South  Water  street  on  Octo- 
ber 27 ;  they  were  supposed  to  be  members  of  General  Scott's  army 
who  had  died  of  cholera  in  1832.  Stealing  cattle  and  hurriedly 
slaughtering  them  was  a  common  offense  at  this  time.  At  one  of 
the  big  slaughter  houses  there  was  employed  a  good-natured 
Scotchman  as  foreman.  On  one  occasion  when  his  force  was  busily 
engaged  in  knocking  down  hogs  with  a  sledge  hammer  and  then 
sticking  them,  a  visitor  who  was  an  interested  witness  of  the  pro- 
ceedings was  asked  by  the  accommodating  Scotchman,  "Wouldn't 
ye  like  to  knock  down  a  hog  or  two  yerself  ?" 

In  November,  1859,  when  it  was  proposed  to  unite  the  North 
and  South  Side  street  railway  systems  by  a  track  over  the  Clark 
street  bridge,  a  great  outcry  against  such  a  step  arose.  The  North 
pier  was  in  very  bad  condition  and  liable  to  be  washed  away  by  any 
severe  gale;  the  Board  of  Trade  asked  for  an  appropriation  of 
$600  to  be  used  in  repairing  it.  Not  receiving  the  appropriation, 
the  board  with  characteristic  liberality  and  promptness  raised  $650 
for  the  purpose.  The  Secretary  of  the  Treasury  was  petitioned  to 
expend  the  balance  (about  $60,000)  of  the  last  winter's  appropria- 
tion for  the  lighthouse  (about  $87,000)  in  rebuilding  the  north 
pier.  On  December  3 1  it  was  twenty-two  degrees  below  zero. 


292  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

The  year  1859  was  characterized  by  a  severe  depression  in  finan- 
cial and  business  circles,  and  at  times  by  spurts  of  extraordinary 
prosperity.  A  fine  school  building  was  erected  on  Aberdeen  street. 
The  postoffice  was  finished  externally.  Building  improvements 
cost  about  $2,044,000.  South  Clark  street  was  paved  with  Nichol- 
son blocks  and  Michigan  avenue  with  gravel.  Improvements  on 
the  Kingsbury  tract  cost  $125,000.  City  improvements  cost  a  total 
of  $275,800,  as  follows :  Macadamizing,  $45,332 ;  graveling,  $82,- 
819;  paving,  $57,561 ;  Washington  park,  North  Side,  $1,187;  Lake 
street  bridge,  $14,571;  Kinzie  bridge,  $8,860;  Halsted  bridge, 
$8,000;  dredging,  $40,000;  sidewalks  by  city,  estimated,  $8,000; 
culverts,  crossings,  etc.,  estimated,  $5,000;  planking  streets  and 
alleys,  $5,500. 

The  fire  department  about  this  time  adopted  a  decoration  of  honor 
consisting  of  a  maltese  star  with  silver  rays  and  shield.  The  old 
cemetery  (now  a  part  of  Lincoln  park)  embraced  about  one  hundred 
and  twenty  acres,  of  which  about  sixty  acres  had  been  surveyed  into 
lots  and  mostly  sold;  not  over  half  of  the  lots  were  occupied  by 
burials.  It  was  now  proposed  to  donate  the  north  sixty  acres  to 
the  city  for  a  public  park  and  to  fence  in  and  hold  the  sixty  acres 
of  cemetery. 

At  this  time  (1859)  the  growth  and  prosperity  of  Chicago  were 
formally  considered  by  the  citizens,  who  in  mass  meetings  appointed 
committees  on  manufactures,  commerce,  agriculture,  drainage,  emi- 
gration, printing,  publishing,  currency,  finance,  etc.  Receipts  of 
the  city  for  the  fiscal  year  February  1,  1859,  to  January  31,  1860, 
were  $1,386,295.19,  less  $39,145.33  balance  on  hand  at  the  begin- 
ning.. The  expenditures  for  the  year  amounted  to  $1,286,295.19, 
less  $65,752.21  on  hand  at  the  close.  The  funded  debt  on  January 
31,  1859,  was  $514,000.  Attempts  to  lay  double  tracks  on  State 
street  and  across  Clark  street  bridge  were  checked  by  injunctions. 
The  Board  of  Trade  was  now  located  in  the  Newhouse  block  on 
South  Water  street.  By  March,  1860,  there  were  eleven  trunk 
railway  lines  and  twenty  branches  and  extensions,  with  a  total 
mileage  of  4,736,  centering  in  Chicago.  The  total  earnings  of  all 
these  railroads  for  1859  were  $14,978,300.29.  The  total  receipts 
of  grain,  with  flour  expressed  in  wheat,  were  20,008,223  bushels ; 
cattle  packed,  51,809;  hogs  packed,  185,000;  receipts  of  lumber, 
feet,  305,688,233. 

In  the  spring  of  1860  the  receipts  of  corn  were  enormous. 
George  W.  Dole  died  in  April,  1860.  The  following  public  halls 
were  here  at  this  time :  Metropolitan,  Bryan,  Light  Guard,  Kings- 
bury,  Wilkowsky,  and  three  in  the  market  buildings.  The  proposi- 
tion to  build  a  railroad  to  the  Pacific  met  the  unqualified  approval 
of  all  Chicago.  The  ship  canal  was  not  lost  sight  of,  but  continued 
to  be  discussed  periodically.  In  May,  1860,  the  union  station  was 
at  last  definitely  located  on  the  West  Side.  In  May,  1860,  the 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  293 

Citizens'  Fire  Brigade,  after  two  and  a  half  years  of  existence,  re- 
solved that  as  they  had  up  to  date  paid  their  own  expenses  so  far 
as  the  city  was  concerned,  and  had  rendered  good  services,  they 
would  disband  on  June  1  unless  the  city  should  assist  them.  Dur- 
ing the  week  of  the  National  Republican  convention  the  Press  and 
Tribune  claimed  a  daily  circulation  of  21,000  copies;  the  presses 
were  not  fast  enough,  as  more  copies  were  demanded.  In  the 
spring  of  1860  a  resolution  by  Peter  Page  to  build  a  "hall  of  rec- 
ords" was  again  defeated  in  the  Council.  He  wanted  a  portion  of 
the  land  (twenty-eight  acres)  at  the  Reform  school  to  be  traded  for 
the  Armory,  where  a  jail  could  be  built,  which  change  would  permit 
the  jail  in  the  courthouse  to  be  transformed  into  the  "hall  of  rec- 
ords." Wilkowsky  hall,  45  by  90  feet,  at  the  corner  of  Clark  and 
Monroe,  was  sold  in  June,  1860,  for  $30,000.  Late  in  June  the 
crop  of  hay  on  the  courthouse  square  was  harvested.  In  June, 
1860,  Graceland  Cemetery  company  was  organized.  It  was  now 
seen  that  corporate  cemeteries  would  supplant  those  of  the  city. 
Chicago  raised  $1,500  for  the  tornado  sufferers  in  Northern  Illi- 
nois, Rev.  Robert  Collyer  being  the  disbursing  agent;  Lee  Center, 
Amboy,  Albany,  Comanche,  and  other  towns  had  been  leveled. 
Late  in  July,  1860,  the  Times  passed  to  C.  H.  McCormick,  pro- 
prietor of  the  Herald.  On  August  6  it  was  ninety-seven  degrees. 
Upon  invitation  of  the  corporate  authorities  of  Montreal,  John 
Wentworth  was  sent  there  to  represent  Chicago  at  the  reception 
given  to  Prince  Edward.  In  the  Calumet  region  were  the  best 
hunting  and  fishing  grounds  near  Chicago. 

By  August  27,  1860,  the  city  had  nearly  forty-seven  miles  of 
sewers,  six  miles  being  laid  in  1860.  The  system  had  cost,  up  to 
July  1  a  total  of  $748,181.43.  It  was  recognized  at  the  time  that 
the  system  was  only  in  its  infancy  and  that  perhaps  the  most  im- 
portant step  thus  far  had  been  raising  the  grade.  It  was  also  admit- 
ted that  the  next  most  important  step  was  to  dig  a  channel  and 
force  the  water  of  Chicago  river  into  Illinois  river.  The  various 
plans  talked  of  at  this  time  were  as  follows:  1.  To  cut  down  the 
summit  of  the  Illinois  and  Michigan  canal ;  2.  To  dig  a  new  channel 
through  Mud  Lake  to  the  Des  Plaines;  3.  To  dig  a  steamboat 
canal  200  feet  wide  and  six  feet  deep;  4.  The  same  twelve  and  a 
half  feet  deep. 

Prince  Napoleon,  second  son  of  Jerome  Bonaparte,  was  at  the 
Tremont  house  Septmber  2.  Said  the  Tribune  of  September  5 : 
"A  New  Public  Park. — A  public  park  of  eighty  acres  in  extent  is 
being  rapidly  formed  in  the  North  division.  The  park  will  embrace 
the  extreme  northern  section  of  the  cemetery  grounds  and  is  already 
underbrushed  and  laid  out  with  roadways."  The  Mechanics'  Insti- 
tute fair  at  the  Wigwam  was  a  success  in  September.  There  were 
in  Chicago  at  this  time  fourteen  public  schools,  three  universities, 
six  libraries,  four  asylums,  five  hospitals,  nineteen  Masonic  lodges, 


294  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

eleven  Odd  Fellow  lodges,  two  Good  Templar  lodges,  three  benevo- 
lent societies,  two  medical  colleges,  two  musical  societies,  two  theo- 
logical seminaries,  four  cemeteries,  two  theaters,  one  law  institute, 
and  fourteen  public  halls.  Graceland  cemetery,  with  seventy  acres, 
two  miles  north  of  the  city  limits,  was  dedicated  on  August  30; 
Thomas  B.  Bryan  was  president.  Wheat  rose  20  cents  a  bushel  in 
August.  An  attempt  to  burn  the  Rock  Island  bridge,  presumably 
at  the  instigation  of  St.  Louis  persons,  kindled  the  wrath  of  Chicago 
this  year;  it  was  supposed  to  be  an  attempt  to  divert  the  trade  be- 
yond the  Mississippi  from  Chicago  to  St.  Louis.  On  September  1 
there  were  received  here  190,396  bushels  of  wheat,  the  largest 
amount  ever  received  up  to  date  in  one  day ;  on  September  5,  192,394 
bushels  were  received.  The  loss  of  the  steamer  "Lady  Elgin"  on 
Friday  night,  September  7,  sixteen  miles  north  of  Chicago  and 
twelve  miles  off  Winnetka,  caused  intense  grief  and  horror  here 
and  throughout  the  country;  Spencer  and  Combs,  students  of  the 
Garrett  Biblical  Institute,  heroically  saved  many  lives  by  swimming 
out  and  rescuing  them  in  the  surf.  The  steamer  was  owned  by  Gur- 
don  S.  Hubbard  and  collided  with  the  schooner  "Augusta,"  laden 
with  lumber.  For  weeks  after  the  event  the  shore  was  patrolled  by 
watches  to  recover  the  bodies  washed  up.  Nearly  four  hundred 
persons  were  lost ;  bodies  were  found  as  late  as  the  last  of  October. 
Several  unidentified  bodies  were  buried  at  Rosehill. 

The  Prince  of  Wales,  traveling  as  Lord  Renfrew,  arrived  here  on 
September  21  and  stopped  at  the  Richmond  house.  He  came  from 
Detroit  over  the  Michigan  Central  and  was  received  by  a  large 
crowd  at  the  station.  A  committee  consisting  of  William  B.  Ogden, 
John  Wentworth,  William  Bross  and  W.  McComas,  was  author- 
ized to  welcome  him  and  suite  to  Chicago  and  Illinois.  He  declined 
a  public  reception — wanted  rest,  but  showed  himself  to  the  public 
from  the  balcony  of  the  hotel  and  rode  around  the  city.  A  newspaper 
called  the  Tribune  was  started  here  by  Mr.  Ryan  as  early  as  1838. 
Later  it  was  discontinued  and  in  1847  another  Tribune  made  its 
appearance.  It  was  united  with  the  Press  in  the  fifties  under  the 
name  of  Press  and  Tribune  and  on  October  25,  1860,  the  name 
Press  was  dropped  and  since  that  date  the  paper  has  been  issued  as 
the  Tribune.  Dr.  William  B.  Egan  died  on  October  27,  1860;  he 
had  come  here  in  the  fall  of  1833  and  had  located  on  the  North  Side. 
He  owned  the  Tremont  house  corner — paid  $500  and  $200  in  medi- 
cal attendance  for  it.  He  delivered  the  oration  when  the  ground  was 
broken  for  the  canal.  The  propeller  "Globe"  blew  up  in  the  river 
at  Wells  street  in  November,  killing  about  fifteen  persons. 

The  new  Postoffice  and  Custom  House  at  Dearborn  and  Monroe 
was  first  occupied  on  November  20,  1860.  During  the  fall  of  1860 
the  following  among  other  ceremonies  were  held  in  the  Wigwam : 
Mechanics'  fair,  Zouave  receptions,  a  concert,  three  days  festival  of 
the  Catholics,  tornado  relief  concert,  obsequies  of  Capt.  Jack  Wil- 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  295 

son  of  the  "Lady  Elgin ;"  Sabbath  school  concerts,  and  religious 
services  every  Sunday  evening.  It  was  noted  in  1860  that  the  street 
cars  were  robbing  the  omnibus  lines  of  their  passengers.  An  excel- 
lent skating  pond  was  on  Wabash,  north  of  Twelfth.  Col.  Richard 
J.  Hamilton  died  here  on  December  26,  at  the  house  of  his  son-in- 
law,  Murray  P.  Tuley. 

Emigration  to  the  West  reached  high  water  mark  in  1856,  after 
which  it  declined  until  1860,  when  it  nearly  doubled  that  of  1859, 
but  later  fell  off,  owing  to  the  war.  By  March,  1861,  the  total 
number  of  miles  of  railroad  centering  in  Chicago  was  4,915;  total 
receipts  of  grain  in  1860,  with  flour  expressed  in  wheat  were 
36,504,772,  with  total  shipments  expressed  in  same,  31,256,697 
bushels,  the  largest  ever  known  up  to  that  date;  the  total  receipts 
of  corn  were  15,487,966  bushels;  hogs  packed,  101,816;  live  hogs 
shipped,  133,612;  hogs  received,  275,095;  cattle  packed,  25,209; 
live  cattle  shipped,  104,122.  The  slaughter  houses  at  Bridgeport 
were  considered  a  great  nuisance  in  March,  1861 ;  their  removal  was 
talked  of.  Nathan  H.  Bolles,  an  old  and  prominent  settler,  died  at 
this  time.  In  the  warehouses  here  in  March  were  stored  4,300,000 
bushels  of  grain.  In  1861  four  suits  aggregating  $280,000  were 
begun  against  the  sewerage  commissioners — Sylvester  Lind,  Philip 
Conley  and  S.  D.  Webster,  who  were  that  amount  short  in  their 
accounts. 

The  act  of  February  18,  1861,  provided  that  no  encroachment 
should  be  made  upon  the  land  or  water  west  of  a  line  mentioned  in 
the  second  section  of  an  ordinance  concerning  the  Illinois  Central 
railroad  (which  line  was  not  less  than  four  hundred  feet  east  from 
the  west  line  of  Michigan  avenue  and  parallel  thereto),  by  any  rail- 
road company :  that  no  cars  should  be  permitted  to  occupy  the  same ; 
that  the  City  Council  should  never  allow  any  encroachment  west  of 
said  line ;  that  any  person  owning  a  lot  on  Michigan  avenue  should 
have  the  right  to  enjoin  any  company  or  persons  from  violating  the 
above  provision;  that  "neither  the  Common  Council  nor  any  other 
authority  should  ever  have  the  power  to  permit  encroachments  on 
said  tract  without  the  assent  of  all  persons  owning  lots  or  land  on 
said  street  or  avenue,  'because  of  the  fact  that  the  State  of  Illinois 
by  its  canal  commissioners  had  declared  that  the  public  ground  east 
of  said  lots  should  forever  remain  open  and  vacant.' ' 

The  act  of  February  21,  1861,  provided  for  the  organization  in 
Chicago  of  an  executive  department  of  the  municipal  government 
to  be  known  as  "The  Board  of  Police  of  the  City  of  Chicago"  to 
consist  of  three  commissioners  to  be  chosen  from  the  three  princi- 
pal divisions  of  the  city  and  to  have  control  of  the  police  force  of 
the  city.  It  was  made  their  duty  to  preserve  the  public  peace,  to  pre- 
vent crime,  to  arrest  offenders,  to  protect  the  rights  of  persons  and 
property,  to  guard  the  public  health,  to  preserve  order,  to  remove 
nuisances,  to  provide  a  proper  police  force  at  every  fire,  to  protect 


296  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

strangers  and  travelers  at  stations  and  landings,  and  to  obey  and 
enforce  all  ordinances  of  the  Common  Council.  It  was  provided 
that  the  acts  of  the  police  department  should  be  under  the  control  of 
the  board  and  that  there  should  be  a  general  superintendent  of 
police,  three  captains,  one  deputy  superintendent,  six  sergeants  and 
sixty  police  patrol  and  as  many  more  of  the  latter  as  should  be 
ordered  by  the  Council  on  the  application  of  the  board  of  police.  It 
was  also  provided  that  the  city  could  be  divided  into  police  pre- 
cincts or  districts  without  regard  to  ward  boundaries  and  could  be 
governed  the  same  as  the  board  should  deem  best.  The  board 
could  appoint  captains  and  sergeants  to  certain  precincts  and  provide 
precinct  stations.  The  supervisors  of  Cook  County  were  empowered 
to  raise  by  tax  money  sufficient  to  carry  this  act  into  effect.  The 
Board  of  Police  was  given  all  the  powers  theretofore  conferred  by 
law  upon  the  Mayor  of  Chicago.  In  March,  1861,  Mayor  Went- 
worth,  acting  under  this  law,  discharged  the  entire  police  force  and 
appointed  three  police  commissioners — Tuttle,  Wayman  and  Cov- 
entry— under  whose  reorganization  the  force  was  as  follows :  Gen- 
eral superintendent  of  police  salary,  $1,500;  his  deputy,  $1,200; 
three  captains,  each,  $700;  six  sergeants,  each,  $650;  sixty  patrol- 
men, each,  $600. 

In  1861  the  Legislature  passed  a  joint  resolution  providing  that 
the  board  of  trustees  of  the  Illinois  and  Michigan  canal  should  cause 
a  prompt  and  thorough  survey,  examination  and  estimates  to  be 
made  of  the  Illinois  river,  the  Illinois  and  Michigan  canal  and  por- 
tions of  the  Des  Plaines  and  the  Chicago  rivers,  and  of  the  portage 
between  said  rivers  "for  the  purpose  of  accurately  ascertaining  the 
comparative  value,  cost,  efficiency,  benefits  and  advantages,  direct, 
prospective  and  incidental,  of  the  different  methods  proposed  or  de- 
sirable for  improving  the  navigation  of  the  Illinois  river."  The 
Chicago  Board  of  Underwriters  was  incorporated  February  22, 
1861,  by  T.  L.  Miller,  Julius  White,  H.  B.  Wilmarth,  C.  N.  Holden, 
S.  T.  Atwater,  B.  W.  Phillips,  S.  C.  Higginson  and  Alfred  James. 
Isaac  Cook,  postmaster,  resigned  in  March,  1861.  The  Skating 
Park  company,  formerly  the  South  Side  Skating  Pond  company, 
offered  their  park  at  Michigan  avenue  and  Twelfth  street  to  the 
volunteers  for  a  parade  ground  in  April,  1861.  Under  the  ordi- 
nance of  April  26,  all  the  indebtedness  of  Chicago  contracted  prior 
to  April  1,  was  liquidated  by  the  issuance  of  new  bonds  to  the  amount 
of  $343,114.74.  The  total  city  debt  at  this  time  was  $588,303.61. 
The  city  owed  the  cemetery  fund  $6,477.01 ;  the  school  tax  fund 
$3,472.05;  and  the  Reform  School  fund.  $15,654.05.  On  April 
27,  1861,  there  were  run  off  on  the  Tribune  double  cylinder  press 
27,000  copies  of  that  paper,  the  largest  edition  printed  here  up  to 
that  date.  The  New  Sherman  House  was  opened  in  the  spring  of 
1861. 

On  May  26,  1861,  the  large  main  pipe,  three  hundred  and  thirty 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  297 

feet  long,  of  the  Gas  Light  &  Coke  company,  was  laid  across  the 
river  at  Franklin  street.  About  June  1  the  Times  was  sold  in  part 
by  C.  H.  McCormick  to  Wilbur  F.  Storey  of  Detroit.  Owing  to 
the  war,  business  here  in  the  spring  of  1861  was  unsettled,  erratic 
and  more  or  less  hazardous. 

In  June,  1861,  the  city  had  eight  steam  fire  engines  as  follows: 
South  Side — "Long  John,"  with  eleven  men  and  four  horses  at 
La  Salle,  near  Washington;  "Enterprise,"  ten  men  and  five  horses, 
State,  near  Congress;  "Little  Giant,"  nine  men  and  two  horses, 
Dearborn,  near  Washington ;  "Economy,"  eight  men  and  two 
horses  on  Old  street.  North  Side — "Atlantic,"  ten  men  and  four 
horses,  Michigan,  near  Wolcott ;  "Liberty,"  nine  men  and  two 
horses,  Illinois,  near  Franklin.  West  Side — "Island  Queen,"  ten 
men  and  four  horses,  Lake,  near  Jefferson;  "U.  P.  Harris,"  ten  men 
and  four  horses,  Jackson,  corner  Clinton.  Attached  to  each  engine 
was  a  hose  cart,  drawn  by  a  single  horse.  In  addition  there  were 
five  independent  hose  carts  and  four  hand  engines.  U.  P.  Harris 
was  Chief  of  the  Fire  Department. 

It  was  at  this  time  (June,  1861),  that  the  city  lost  heavily  during 
the  financial  crisis  and  crash  of  the  banks — a  total  of  $295,733  in  the 
Marine,  Carver's  and  Tinkham's ;  also  Sylvester  Lind,  the  sewerage 
treasurer,  was  short  a  large  amount.  Thus  the  city  at  this  date 
faced  such  loss,  with  a  large  debt  already  on  its  hands,  and  with  the 
war  expenses  looming  up  in  the  foreground  like  a  pirate  ship.  A 
period  of  intense  heat  characterized  the  summer  of  1861.  The  mer- 
cury stood  as  follows:  July  30,  at  ninety-three  degrees;  31st., 
ninety-four;  August  1,  ninety-four;  2d.,  ninety-six;  3d,  eighty; 
4th,  ninety-nine;  5th,  eighty;  6th,  eighty-nine;  7th,  ninety-seven; 
8th,  ninety-five.  The  State  fair  at  Brighton  (stock-yards),  was  an 
important  event  in  September,  1861.  During  1860  and  1861  Chi- 
cago and  Cook  county  made  a  strong  effort  to  secure  the  proposed 
agricultural  college.  It  was  proposed  to  locate  it  at  Cottage  hill  on 
the  Galena  railroad,  fifteen  miles  from  the  city.  By  October  1,  1861, 
about  $17,000  had  been  subscribed  here  on  the  fund  with  which  to 
buy  the  land.  Prof.  J.  H.  McChesney  and  Thomas  B.  Bryan 
worked  for  the  location  there. 

"The  city  apparently  was  never  more  busy  than  at  the  present 
time.  The  streets  are  crowded  with  an  endless  caravan  of  buses, 
wagons  and  drays  laden  with  merchandis'e  of  every  description. 
The  constant  arrival  and  departure  of  trains  heavily  freighted,  the 
cartage  of  such  vast  quantities  of  goods,  the  hotels  swarming  with 
guests,  the  rapid  and  daily  increasing  influx  of  strangers,  the 
arrival  and  departure  of  regiments  for  the  war,  and  the  walks 
crowded  with  hurrying  pedestrians,  impart  a  genuine  metropolitan 
and  business  air  to  the  city,  which  it  has  not  worn  since  the  palmy 
days  of  1856."—  (Tribune,  October  15,  1861.) 

In  October  work  on  the  Union  Station  on  the  West  Side  was  in 


298  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

rapid  progress.  The  Board  of  Trade  corrected  grievous  wrongs  in 
the  inspection  of  grain.  The  State  Horticultural  Convention  met  at 
Bryan  hall  December  3.  In  December,  1861,  the  Tribune  began  to 
issue  three  editions  daily.  In  1860  building  operations  amounted 
to  $1,188,300;  in  1861  they  amounted  to  $797,800.  On  January  7, 
1862,  the  city  paid  the  following  interest :  On  water  bonds,  $34,855  ; 
on  sewerage  bonds,  $29,700;  on  municipal  bonds,  $29,142.88.  It 
also  paid  off  bonds  issued  in  1852  to  the  amount  of  $25,000.  The 
capital  invested  in  manufactories  in  1861  was  $6,537,000  and  the 
output  of  products  that  year  was  worth  $16,948,381.  In  a  terrible 
railroad  accident  at  Hyde  Park  Judge  W.  A.  Barron  of  this  city 
was  decapitated.  A  Board  of  Trade  committee  divided  on  the  sub- 
ject of  the  reciprocity  treaty  with  Great  Britain  in  February,  1862. 
The  first  golden  wedding  in  Chicago  was  that  of  D.  B.  Heartt  and 
wife  on  February  13,  1862,  at  122  Buffalo  street;  they  came  to 
Chicago  in  1836.  In  February,  1862,  an  examination  of  city  water 
disclosed  that  it  was  very  impure.  In  March,  1862,  the  paid  fire- 
men numbered  ninety-three  and  the  volunteer  firemen  two  hundred 
and  ten.  The  Mercantile  Association  in  March,  1862,  passed  a 
resolution  endorsing  the  Illinois  and  Michigan  ship  canal  bill  then 
before  Congress  and  recommended  its  passage.  There  was  great 
complaint  about  the  stench  of  the  river  in  the  spring  of  1862.  The 
contractors  who  in  1860  had  put  new  cells  in  the  courthouse  jail 
were  not  paid  until  March,  1862;  they  complained  at  the  injustice 
of  the  delay.  The  Tribune  for  some  years  had  made  fun  of  "Went- 
worth  and  his  Wines."  In  December,  1861,  small  fish  choked  the 
screen  at  the  pumping  well,  whereupon  the  screen  was  removed, 
letting  the  fish  be  drawn  into  the  water  mains,  where  they  died, 
polluting  all  the  water  of  the  city.  An  actual  experiment  in  March, 
1861,  had  shown  that  the  pumps  at  Bridgeport  could  cleanse  the 
river  of  sewage,  but  not  of  slaughter-house  refuse  and  the  stench. 
The  first  annual  report  of  the  Board  of  Public  Works  was  made  in 
May,  1862.  The  following  departments  had  been  in  operation  one 
year:  Water,  Sewerage,  Parks,  Streets,  River  and  Harbor,  Pub- 
lic Buildings,  Bridges,  Lamps  and  Lights,  and  Public  Improve- 
ments. The  muddy  streets  in  March,  1862,  were  in  places  almost 
impassable.  The  following  wheat  grades  were  established  in 
March :  Extra  club,  Northwest  club,  No.  1  Spring,  No.  2  Spring, 
Rejected  Spring. 

In  March,  1862,  the  impurity  in  the  hydrant  water  was  largely 
ascribed  to  the  slaughter  houses  on  the  two  branches,  therefore  the 
special  committee  of  the  Council  reported  that  the  following  steps 
should  be  taken:  1.  In  order  to  obtain  pure  water  the  intake 
should  be  farther  from  the  mouth  of  the  river  and  the  wash  of  the 
shore — built  out  at  least  one  mile,  at  a  cost  of  from  $60,000  to 
$125,000;  2.  A  brick  tunnel  six  feet  in  diameter,  costing  about 
$125,000  should  be  dug;  3.  The  pumping  works  should  be 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  299 

removed  to  Winnetka,  sixteen  miles  northward,  and  would  cost 
$1,689,600;  4.  Filter  beds,  costing  $107,500  should  be  used; 
5.  There  should  be  built  a  subsiding  reservoir,  costing  $107,775. 
The  water  of  the  lake  for  several  miles  out  was  thoroughly  exam- 
ined at  this  time. 

In  April,  1862,  George  Schneider  retired  from  the  Stoats  Zeitung, 
with  which  he  had  been  associated  as  editor  and  proprietor  since 
1851.  The  vote  for  mayor  in  1861  was  8,274  for  Rumsey  (Rep.) 
and  6,601  for  Bryan  (Dem.).  In  1862  the  vote  for  the  same  office 
stood  7,434  for  Sherman  (Dem.)  and  6,246  for  Holden  (Rep.). 
In  1861  only  the  Fourth  and  Tenth  wards  went  democratic,  but  in 
1862  the  First,  Third,  Fourth,  Seventh,  Eighth,  Ninth  and  Tenth 
polled  majorities  for  that  party.  In  May,  1862,  the  city  was  so 
short  of  buildings  of  all  kinds  that  the  newspapers  called  for  five 
hundred  more.  In  May  many  druggists  were  fined  for  selling  liquor 
without  a  license.  The  river  was  such  a  nuisance  at  this  time  that 
the  pumps  at  Bridgeport  were  set  going  to  empty  the  foul  water 
into  the  canal. 

"Glorious  News  from  Bridgeport. — The  River  Filth  Going  to  the 
Rebels. — We  learn  that  the  pumping  works  at  Bridgeport  were 
started  yesterday  to  pump  out  the  river.  All  those  who  are  desirous 
of  taking  a  parting  sniff  of  the  Chicago  river  perfume,  would  do 
well  to  visit  Bridgeport  today,  as  at  the  present  rate  of  progress,  all 
the  filth  in  the  river  will  in  a  few  days  be  on  its  way  to  the  rebels. 
If  the  latter  can  stand  it,  it  will  be  of  no  use  to  bombard  them  any 
longer." — (Tribune,  May  30,  1862.)  The  pumps  there  could  raise 
56,000  cubic  feet  of  water  per  minute  eight  feet  high. 

In  the  spring  of  1862  the  grain  warehousemen  roused  the  wrath 
of  the  grain  merchants  by  inserting  in  the  warehouse  receipts  a 
clause  branding  sound  grain  as  a  mixture;  a  war  settled  the  con- 
troversy. Teamsters  hauling  stone  with  which  to  macadamize 
North  Wells  street  struck  and  demanded  twenty  shillings  instead  of 
seventeen  shillings  per  day.  City  officials  of  Baltimore  and  Pitts- 
burg  were  formally  received  by  the  Council  and  Board  of  Trade  in 
June,  1862.  Despite  the  war  great  improvement  in  the  city  was 
made  in  1862.  The  Chicago  river  continued  to  be  the  receptacle 
of  every  variety  of  filth  and  a  "Smelling  Committee"  was  sent  up 
both  branches  in  August,  1862,  to  trace  the  rotten  sources  to  their 
owners.  As  soon  as  their  report  was  received  the  Council  ordered 
the  nuisances  abated.  In  August  J.  Y.  Scammon,  of  the  old  Marine 
bank,  in  which  the  city  had  had  a  large  deposit,  agreed  to  pay  by 
installments  $56,387.24  to  settle  the  account.  On  September  2, 
the  Pacific  railroad  convention  convened  here  with  seventy-three 
commissioners  appointed  by  act  of  Congress  in  attendance.  William 
B.  Ogden  presided.  The  resolutions  adopted  described  how  the 
project  should  be  carried  into  effect.  Also  in  September  the  World's 
Horse  fair  held  here,  near  Camp  Douglas,  attracted  great  attention. 


300  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

Also  the  State  Horticultural  fair  assembled  in  September.  Already 
the  city  was  famous  for  its  conventions.  In  September,  so  great 
had  become  the  rush  for  the  street  cars  during  the  evenings,  that 
arrangements  to  run  them  every  eight  minutes  were  made.  In 
October  a  coal  famine  forced  the  price  of  that  article  up  from  $5  to 
$7  per  ton. 

"Few  cities  probably  in  the  North  have  been  affected  by  the  war 
to  so  little  extent  as  Chicago.  Except  the  continual  appearance  of 
soldiers  in  our  streets  and  the  war  bulletins  there  are  no  indications 
that  a  fierce  strife  is  being  waged  upon  our  borders.  The  tide  of 
business  flows  on  unabated.  Our  streets  are  fairly  choked  up  with 
the  transportation  of  merchandise;  our  stores  are  thronged  from 
morning  till  night  with  customers  in  the  face  of  panic  prices. 
Amusements  are  patronized  to  an  unprecedented  extent  and  the 
present  season  will  be  as  brilliant  and  successful  as  any  of  its  prede- 
cessors. The  fashions  are  as  dominant  as  ever  and  the  promenades 
are  already  blooming  with  the  fall  habit.  Parties,  balls,  and  routs 
are  opening  with  a  rush." — (Tribune,  October  7,  1862.) 

In  October,  1862,  a  branch  postoffice  was  established  on  the 
northwest  corner  of  Randolph  and  Halsted  streets,  with  A.  C.  Stew- 
art in  charge.  James  W.  Sheahan  edited  the  Post  at  this  time.  By 
November  1  the  special  committee  appointed  for  the  purpose  had 
almost  wholly  abated  the  distillery  and  slaughter-house  nuisances 
on  the  North  Branch  and  were  hard  at  work  accomplishing  the 
same  good  on  the  South  branch.  The  South  Chicago  of  this  date 
was  Bridgeport.  For  a  long  time  there  had  been  an  urgent  demand 
for  a  bridge  at  State  street.  In  November  private  subscriptions 
raised  $10,000  for  such  a  bridge.  The  new  courthouse  bell,  weigh- 
ing 11,476  pounds  arrived  in  December.  The  newspapers  urged 
that  it  be  put  up  as  quickly  as  practicable,  as  it  was  needed  by  the 
fire  watchmen  and  to  keep  time  for  all.  On  December  10,  1862, 
Comptroller  Hayes  sold  to  C.  C.  Parks,  banker,  at  Dearborn  and 
Lake  streets,  to  be  paid  for  in  gold,  $75,000  par  value  of  the  city 
bonds  bearing  7  per  cent  interest  for  9  per  cent  premium  and  in- 
terest. As  gold  at  this  date  was  at  30  per  cent  premium,  the  sale 
was  not  as  good  as  seemed  at  first  glance. 

The  city  indebtedness  on  December  12,  1862,  was  as  follows: 
Municipal,  10  per  cent  bonds,  $2,000;  7  per  cent  bonds,  $973,500; 
6  per  cent  bonds,  $300,000;  7  per  cent  school  bonds,  $28,000; 
sewerage,  6  per  cent  bonds,  $87,500;  7  per  cent  bonds,  $875,000; 
water,  6  per  cent  bonds,  $1,030,000;  7  per  cent  bonds,  $113,000; 
grand  total,  $2,409.000.  The  assessed  valuation  of  property  at  this 
time  was— realty,  $31,587,545;  personalty,  $5,552,300.  The  total 
city  tax  for  general  purposes  was  $564,038.  The  levy  was  as  fol- 
lows: City,  2>y2  mills;  school,  2  mills;  interest,  2^4  mills;  sewerage, 
2l/2  mills;  war,  \y2  mills;  reform  school,  1  mill;  police,  \y2  mills; 
total,  14*4  mills.  In  the  lamp  district  there  was  an  additional  lamp 
levy  of  2  mills. 


DR.    NICHOLAS    SENN. 


JOHX   C.    PLAGGE. 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  303 

In  December,  1862,  an  astronomical  observatory  was  definitely 
located  here.  For  some  unaccountable  reason  there  was  a  great  deal 
of  sickness  in  December,  1862 — whether  justly  or  not,  the  inhab- 
itants ascribed  it  to  the  city  water.  A  special  committee  was 
appointed  to  ascertain  if  Calumet  river  water  could  be  used  to  flush 
the  South  branch.  The  big  bell  on  the  courthouse  was  rung  for 
the  first  time  at  noon  on  December  31.  When  the  proposition  to 
run  "horse  cars"  through  the  streets  was  first  proposed  in  1858  it 
encountered  emphatic  and  determined  opposition  not  only  from  the 
Council  but  from  the  inhabitants.  Messrs.  Gage,  Parmelee,  Fuller, 
Bigelow  and  Carver  were  compelled  to  make  a  protracted  and 
strenuous  fight  to  obtain  permission  to  use  the  streets  at  all,  much 
more  to  use  them  without  restriction.  The  Tribune  in  January, 
1863,  said,  "Three  years  have  now  elapsed  since  that  venture  was 
made  and  the  result  arrived  at  has  been  more  than  satisfactory  not 
only  to  the  stockholders  but  to  the  citizens.  When  the  question  is 
asked,  What  should  we  do  with  the  street  cars  ?  the  universal  reply 
is,  What  indeed  ?"  At  this  date  the  Chicago  City  Railway  company 
employed  about  two  hundred  men,  of  whom  about  one  hundred  were 
conductors  and  drivers  and  the  rest  helpers.  Thirty  cars  were  run — 
as  follows :  Eight  on  Randolph,  seven  on  Madison  and  fifteen  on 
State.  There  were  six  extra  cars  for  emergencies.  The  pay  roll 
was  about  $5,000  per  month,  and  the  street  expense  about  $1,000 
per  month.  The  total  receipts  from  the  three  lines  run  had  been  as 
follows:  In  1860,  $124,625;  1861,  136,079;  1862,  $141,783. 
William  H.  Waite  was  president  of  the  company.  This  was  the 
street  car  system  of  January,  1863. 

The  Board  of  Trade  and  the  Mercantile  Association,  in  February, 
1863,  reported  on  the  practicability  and  importance  of  a  ship  canal 
to  unite  Lake  Michigan  and  the  Illinois  river.  The  spring  of  1863 
saw  the  macadamizing  of  Milwaukee  avenue  from  Ellston  road  to 
the  old  city  limits.  The  old  Richmond  House  on  South  Water 
street,  at  which  the  Prince  of  Wales  had  stopped  in  1860,  had  so  run 
down  that  it  was  sold  under  a  mortgage  in  March,  1863.  The  big 
refractor  telescope  for  the  observatory  connected  with  Chicago  Uni- 
versity at  Cottage  Grove,  was  being  made  at  Cambridge,  Massachu- 
setts, by  Alvan  Clark  &  Sons.  In  March,  1863,  the  Council  was 
deadlocked  between  Democrats  and  Republicans — no  quorum  could 
be  obtained.  In  March  the  City  Railway  company  was  ordered  to 
keep  its  tracks  on  the  South  Side  cleaner  and  in  better  repair.  In 
April,  1863,  seventy  vessels  were  counted  at  one  time  outside  of  the 
harbor. 

The  second  annual  report  of  the  Board  of  Public  Works  made  on 
May  1,  1863,  gave  the  following  statistics:  Length  of  distributing 
water  main,  98  miles  and  2,643  feet;  all  pipes,  104  miles  and  4,890 
feet;  cost  of  the  Water  works,  $1,118,494.09,  of  which  all  except 
$67,700  had  been  paid  with  6  and  7  per  cent  bonds.  There 

Vol.  1—18. 


304  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

were  received  in  water  rents  from  January  1,  1862,  to  March  31, 
1863,  $188,448  and  in  profit  tapping  pipes,  $847.  The  total  expense 
for  repairs  during  the  same  period  was  $122,615.  It  was  estimated 
that  a  tunnel  two  miles  out  in  the  lake  would  cost  $307,552.  "Three 
miles  of  sewers  were  built  in  1862;  in  May,  1863,  the  total  length 
of  sewers  was  57^4  miles.  Two  pivot  bridges  were  built  in  1862— 
one  at  Wells  street,  costing  $6,000,  and  one  at  Clybourn  avenue, 
costing  $2,000,  one-half  of  which  was  borne  by  the  city.  The  Board 
recommended  that  the  park  (Lincoln)  at  the  north  of  the  ceme- 
tery, about  fifty  acres,  should  be  improved.  Prom  November  30, 
1855,  to  March  31,  1863,  the  Reform  school  had  received  711 
inmates.  At  the  latter  date  it  contained  250  inmates  and  was  in 
good  condition.  Fifty-six  men  who  had  been  inmates  were  in  the 
Union  army.  The  school  was  divided  into  three  divisions,  depend- 
ing on  educational  and  other  attainments.  J.  F.  Curtis  was 
instructor. 

In  1863  the  citizens  complained  that  the  city  did  not  have  one 
good  driveway  where  speeding  could  be  indulged  in.  The  Rosehill 
and  Evanston  Plank  road  was  the  best,  but  it  was  too  far  from  the 
city.  North  Clark  street  was  very  bad;  Wells  fair,  Michigan  ave- 
nue good  as  far  as  Twelfth,  South  State  and  South  Clark  were 
poor.  On  the  West  Side  was  not  one  good  street  of  considerable 
length.  "Never  before  have  out  merchants,  our  manufacturers  and 
our  produce  dealers  done  so  large  and  profitable  a  business  as  they 
have  during  the  past  year.  We  are  not  only  the  largest  grain  mar- 
ket, but  by  far  the  largest  primary  market  on  this  continent.  We 
have  the  satisfaction  of  knowing  that  we  have  done  much  to  furnish 
men  and  means  to  crush  out  the  rebellion.  The  noble  and  patriotic 
move  of  the  Board  of  Trade  to  raise  and  equip  men  for  the  service 
and  means  to  support  the  families  of  those  who  went  to  fight  the 
battles  of  their  country,  has  given  our  city  a  notoriety  and  a  name 
of  which  we  all  may  feel  proud." — (Tribune,  April  7,  1863). 

The  act  of  February  13,  1863,  reduced  the  various  acts  relative  to 
the  City  of  Chicago  to  one  act.  The  corporate  limits  were  declared 
to  "embrace  and  include  within  the  same  all  of  Township  39  north, 
Range  14  east,  and  all  of  Sections  31,  32,  33  and  fractional  Section 
34,  Township  40  north,  Range  14  east,  together  with  so  much  of 
the  waters  and  bed  of  Lake  Michigan  as  lies  within  one  mile  of  the 
shore  thereof  and  east  of  the  territory  aforesaid."  It  was  declared 
that  the  North  division  consisted  of  all  north  of  the  center  of  Chi- 
cago river,  and  east  of  the  center  of  the  North  branch  of  Chicago 
river ;  that  the  South  division  consisted  of  all  south  of  the  center  of 
the  main  Chicago  river,  and  south  and  east  of  the  center  of  the  South 
branch  and  of  the  Illinois  and  Michigan  Canal ;  and  that  the  West 
division  should  consist  of  all  lying  east  of  the  center  of  the  North 
and  South  branches  and  of  the  Illinois  and  Michigan  canal.  It  was 
further  provided  that  the  city  should  be  divided  into  sixteen  wards 
as  follows: 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  305 

First  Ward. — All  that  part  of  the  South  divison  which  lies  south 
of  the  center  of  the  main  Chicago  river  and  north  of  the  center  of 
Monroe  street. 

Second  Ward. — All  that  part  of  the  South  division  which  lies 
south  of  the  center  of  Monroe  and  north  of  the  center  of  Harrison 
street. 

Third  Ward. — All  that  part  of  the  South  division  which  lies 
south  of  the  center  of  Harrison  street  and  north  of  the  center  of 
Sixteenth  street. 

Fourth  Ward. — All  that  part  of  the  South  division  which  lies 
south  of  the  center  of  Sixteenth  street  and  east  of  the  center  of 
Clark  street  and  a  line  corresponding  with  the  center  of  the  last 
named  street,  projected  southerly  to  the  city  limits. 

Fifth  Ward. — All  that  part  south  of  the  center  of  Sixteenth  street 
and  west  of  the  center  of  Clark  street  and  a  line  corresponding  to 
the  center  of  the  last  named  street  projected  southerly  to  the  city 
limits. 

Sixth  Ward. — All  that  part  of  the  west  division  which  lies  south  of 
the  center  of  Van  Buren  street  and  east  of  the  center  of  Jefferson 
street  continued  to  the  south  Branch  of  the  Chicago  river. 

Seventh  Ward. — All  that  part  of  the  West  division  which  lies 
south  of  the  center  of  Van  Buren  street,  west  of  the  center  of  Jeffer- 
son street  continued  to  the  South  branch  and  east  of  the  center  of 
Morgan  street  continued  to  the  South  Branch. 

Eighth  Ward. — All  that  part  of  the  West  division  which  lies 
south  of  the  center  of  Van  Buren  street  and  west  of  the  center  of 
Morgan  street  continued  to  the  South  branch. 

Ninth  Ward. — All  that  part  of  the  West  division  which  lies  south 
of  the  center  of  Fourth  street  and  north  of  the  center  of  Van  Buren 
street. 

Tenth  Ward. — All  that  part  of  the  West  division  which  lies  south 
of  the  center  of  Randolph  street,  east  of  the  center  of  Curtis  street 
and  Aberdeen  street  and  north  of  the  center  of  Van  Buren  street. 

Eleventh  Ward. — All  that  part  of  the  West  division  which  lies 
south  of  the  center  of  Fourth  street,  east  of  the  center  of  Curtis 
street  and  north  of  the  center  of  Randolph  street. 

Twelfth  Ward. — All  that  part  of  the  West  division  which  lies 
north  of  the  center  of  Fourth  street  continued  to  the  North  branch. 

Thirteenth  Ward. — All  that  part  of  the  North  division  which  lies 
north  of  the  center  of  North  avenue. 

Fourteenth  Ward. — All  that  part  of  the  North  division  which  lies 
south  of  the  center  of  Division  street. 

Fifteenth  Ward. — All  that  part  of  North  division  which  lies  south 
of  the  center  of  Division  street  and  north  of  the  center  of  Huron 
street  continued  to  Lake  Michigan  to  the  North  branch  of  the  Chi- 
cago river. 

Sixteenth  Ward. — All  that  part  of  the  North  division  which  lies 


306  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

south  of  the  center  of  Huron  street  continued  to  Lake  Michigan  and 
to  the  North  branch  of  the  Chicago  river  and  north  of  the  center  of 
the  main  Chicago  river. 

It  was  provided  that  the  municipal  government  should  consist  of 
a  Common  Council  composed  of  the  mayor  and  two  aldermen  from 
each  ward  and  that  the  other  officers  should  be  a  clerk,  comptroller, 
board  of  public  works,  city  engineer,  board  of  police,  superintend- 
ent of  police,  school  agent,  board  of  education,  superintendent  of 
schools,  board  of  guardians  of  the  reform  school,  commissioner  of 
the  reform  school,  counsel  to  the  corporation,  city  attorney,  treas- 
urer, collector,  city  physician,  board  of  assessors,  two  or  more  police 
justices,  clerk  of  police  court,  one  chief  engineer  and  two  assistants 
of  the  fire  department,  one  or  more  harbor  masters,  one  inspector  of 
fish,  three  inspectors  of  elections  for  each  ward  or  election  precinct, 
and  others  to  be  decided  on  and  appointed  by  the  Common  Council. 

It  was  further  provided  that  municipal  elections  should  be  held 
on  the  third  Tuesday  of  April  in  each  year ;  that  the  Common  Coun- 
cil should  divide  the  wards  into  election  districts;  that  the  mayor, 
city  attorney,  treasurer,  collector,  clerk  of  the  police  court  and  chief 
engineer  and  first  and  second  assistants  of  the  fire  department  should 
be  elected  by  the  people ;  that  these  officers  should  hold  their  offices 
for  two  years;  that  the  boards  of  police  and  public  works  should 
each  consist  of  three  commissioners,  one  from  each  of  the  three  divi- 
sions; that  the  board  of  education  should  consist  of  fifteen  school 
inspectors,  to  be  elected  by  the  Common  Council.  Very  full  powers 
to  manage  the  affairs  of  the  city  were  given  the  Common  Council. 

Probably  the  most  important  event  of  1863  was  the  canal  conven- 
tion in  June.  The  object  was  to  plan,  herald  and  support  the  con- 
struction of  a  ship  canal  from  the  Mississippi  to  Lake  Michigan, 
with  the  still  further  object  of  continuing  the  canal  eastward  to  the 
Atlantic.  For  weeks  Chicago  prepared  for  this  convention.  There 
was  an  immense  attendance,  one  of  the  largest  ever  gathered  in  the 
city.  A  large  tent  seating  six  thousand  was  erected  on  the  lake 
front,  between  Harmon  and  Eldridge  courts.  Here  prominent  men 
from  nearly  all  the  States  met  to  deliberate.  Mayor  Chauncey  Fil- 
ley  of  St.  Louis  was  temporary  chairman,  and  Hannibal  Hamlin, 
Vice  President  of  the  United  States,  permanent  chairman.  The 
address  of  welcome  was  delivered  by  Dr.  Daniel  Brainard.  The 
convention  passed  resolutions  that  such  a  canal  large  enough  to 
admit  the  passage  of  gunboats  should  be  built  as  a  war  measure  if 
for  no  other  purpose.  The  importance  of  this  convention  to  Chicago 
and  the  West  has  ever  since  been  compared  to  that  of  the  River  and 
Harbor  convention  of  1848.  There  was  collected  from  all  sources 
to  pay  the  expenses  of  the  convention  $8,671,  but  only  $6,171  was 
expended  on  the  convention  itself.  Out  of  the  amount  there  was  paid 
to  the  Soldiers'  Home  $420,  leaving  on  hand  $2,080. 

The  canal  convention  had  scarcely  dispersed  before  the  manufac- 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  307 

turers  convention  assembled  to  consider  subjects  of  interest  to  that 
branch  of  industry.  The  national  Christian  Convention  also  met 
here  in  June.  The  surreptitious  and  corrupt  passage  through  the 
Legislature  in  June,  1863,  of  a  bill  to  construct  a  "horse  railway" 
on  Wabash  avenue  and  other  streets,  whereby  the  rights  of  the  city 
and  the  citizens  were  not  adequately  considered  and  protected,  kin- 
dled the  indignation  of  all  Chicago.  The  Council  promptly  passed 
resolutions  denouncing  the  bill  as  a  swindle  and  requesting  the 
Governor  to  kill  the  same  with  his  veto.  The  Legislature  was  asked 
to  reconsider  the  bill  and  to  pass  no  act  unless  consented  to  by  the 
Chicago  Council  and  the  property  owners  along  the  right  of  way. 
The  Tribune  of  June  10  said :  "No  bill  ever  passed  an  Illinois 
Legislature  more  corruptly,  and  none  contains  so  open  and  defiant 
a  contempt  of  the  city  government  and  of  the  people  of  Chicago. 
It  was  stolen  through  the  Senate  and  bribed  through  the  House. 

The  whole  current  of  talk  in  the  city  yesterday  turned  on  the 
enormous  gridiron  swindle  attempted  by  the  hungry  Chicago  law- 
yers who  are  engineering  the  Wabash  Horse  Railroad  project.  All 
classes  of  citizens  execrate  the  scheme  as  monstrous." 

In  June,  1863,  the  first  steps  to  build  a  water  tunnel  under  the  lake 
were  taken  by  the  Board  of  Public  Works.  The  tunnel  was  to  be 
five  feet  in  diameter.  The  bed  of  the  lake  out  two  miles  had  been 
fully  examined  before  these  steps  were  taken.  Dull  &  Gowan  of 
Harrisburg,  Pennsylvania,  secured  the  contract  to  dig  the  tunnel  at 
$315,139.  In  July,  1863.  Dearborn  street,  between  Madison  and 
Monroe,  was  again  ordered  opened  and  widened.  The  directory  of 
July,  1863,  gave  the  following  statistics : 

INDUSTRIES.  1857.        1863. 

Agricultural   implement   manufacturers 2  7 

Breweries    19  29 

Distilleries 7 

Grain    elevators " 

Packing  houses 13  52 

Iron    foundries 8  15 

Machine  shops 17 

Tanneries    

Carriage    builders 19 

Wagon  makers 24 

Hotels    77  94 

The  eighteen  grain  elevators  of  1863  had  a  storage  capacity  of 
8,615,000  bushels;  the  shipping  capacity  per  day  was  2,555,000 
bushels.  There  were  47  miles  and  4.520  feet  of  gas  pipe;  1,310 
public  lamp  posts;  4,467  private  consumers;  amount  of  water 
pumped  in  1862,  2,217,279,739  gallons.  There  were  sixty  miles  of 
sewers  with  1,264  catchbasins. 

In  July  twenty-four  squatters  were  dispossessed  on  the  south 
ninety  feet  of  Lot  4,  Block  6,  Old  Town,  by  the  verdict  of  a  jury ; 
Ebenezer  Andrews,  Joseph  E.  Otis  and  Hiram  Wheeler  owned  the 


308  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

land,  which  was  on  the  North  Side,  near  the  mouth  of  the  North 
branch.  This  settlement  was  a  revival  of  old  Kilgubbin.  Notwith- 
standing the  order  of  court,  a  dozen  or  so  of  Irish  families  would  not 
vacate  and  accordingly  a  squad  of  police  pulled  their  shanties  down 
over  their  heads.  Early  in  the  spring  of  1863  negotiations  for  the 
sale  of  the  West  Side  street  railway  were  begun  and  the  sale  was 
finally  effected  late  in  July.  The  property  sold  for  $300,000  and 
consisted  of  the  tracks  on  Madison  and  Randolph  streets — about  ten 
miles,  including  switches,  170  horses  and  mules  with  harness,  20 
cars,  snow  plows,  wagons,  etc.,  and  the  privilege  to  run  on  State 
street,  over  to  Lake  street.  The  transfer  was  to  take  effect  on 
August  1  and  $200,000  of  the  amount  was  paid  in  cash.  Among  the 
purchasers  were  J.  Russell  Jones,  John  C.  Haines,  E.  B.  Washburn, 
N.  Corwith,  Benjamin  Campbell  and  W.  H.  Covington.  In  Sep- 
tember, 1863,  Comptroller  Hayes  sold  $100,000  sewerage  bonds 
to  C.  C.  Parks  &  Company,  bankers,  for  $1.11  on  the  dollar  par 
value. 

Previous  to  1863  Chicago  had  no  public  adornment — no  parks, 
drives,  statuary,  etc.  The  open  places  called  parks  were  really  cow 
pastures  and  the  best  drives  were  rotten  plank  roads.  Even  Dear- 
born Park  on  the  city  front  was  characterized  by  tin  cans,  dead  ani- 
mals, cast  off  shoes  and  clothing,  a  few  shriveled  trees  and  not  a 
flower.  Union  Park,  on  the  West  Side,  was  the  pasture  ground  for 
horses  and  cattle,  the  broken-down  fences,  dead  and  stunted  trees 
and  rubbish,  rendering  it  anything  but  inviting.  Washington  Park 
in  North  Clark  street  was  the  dumping  ground  for  almost  every- 
thing. The  courthouse  square  was  "a  standing  disgrace  to  the  city." 
Refuse,  ashes,  old  hats,  dead  cats  and  filth  could  be  seen  there. 
Cows  and  horses  were  allowed  to  crop  the  grass  growing  among  the 
small  trees  trying  to  make  a  living  there.  There  was  plenty  of 
land  for  parks — why  not?  asked  the  Tribune  of  September  25.  An 
equestrian  fair  was  held  here  in  October  on  the  grounds  of  the 
Washington  Skating  Park.  Notwithstanding  the  war,  the  building 
operations  of  1863  were  enormous.  The  West  Division  Railway 
company  announced  that  after  October  17  cars  would  run  on  Ran- 
dolph street,  between  Wood  and  State,  every  six  minutes,  from 
6:58  to  7:58  A.  M.;  11 :30  to  2  p.  M.  and  4:18  to  7:54  p.  M.  daily. 

Late  in  October  no  vessel  drawing  eleven  feet  could  get  out  of 
the  harbor.  On  October  23  street  car  tracks  began  to  be  .laid  on 
Halsted,  between  Madison  and  Blue  Island  avenue,  leading  to 
Bridgeport.  Omnibus  lines  still  ran  where  the  street  cars  did  not. 
At  this  time  it  was  planned  soon  to  extend  the  tracks  to  Milwaukee 
avenue.  On  November  3,  1863,  Rush  street  bridge  broke  in  the 
middle  and  went  down  with  a  herd  of  cattle  and  a  few  persons ; 
this  was  regarded  as  a  singular  occurrence.  An  injunction  was 
granted,  to  stop  the  laying  of  tracks  on  Halsted  street,  but  the  street 
car  company  by  working  all  Sunday  completed  the  line  from  Madi- 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  309 

son  to  Twelfth.  Street  laborers  were  Irish  and  German,  instead  of 
Italian  as  now.  Late  in  1863,  with  Rush  street  bridge  ruined  and 
Clark  street  bridge  often  blockaded,  there  arose  a  great  cry  for  a 
bridge  at  State  street.  By  December  5  the  citizens  had  subscribed 
$14,000  toward  such  a  bridge.  The  city  added  as  much  more,  and 
the  bridge  was  commenced. 

The  Douglas  tract  at  Cottage  Grove  embraced  about  six  blocks, 
besides  the  three  divisions  of  Oakenwald  adjacent.  Cottage  Grove 
avenue  ran  through  the  middle  of  the  tract.  On  the  east  of  the  tract 
was  the  lake,  on  the  west  Douglas  avenue,  on  the  north  Cook  street 
and  on  the  south  Douglas  place.  Near  the  center  were  five  acres 
dedicated  to  Chicago  University.  In  1863  the  tract  sold  for  less  than 
the  mortgage  on  it — bringing  $1,386  per  acre. 

At  the  close  of  navigation  in  1863  the  canal  was  emptied  into 
Chicago  river,  the  filth  was  swept  into  the  lake,  the  wind  carried  it 
to  the  city  water  intake,  and  the  hydrants  told  the  story  of  contam- 
ination and  impurity.  However,  it  was  noted  that  two  miles  out 
where  the  crib  was  to  be  the  water  was  good.  In  December  the 
West  Division  Railway  company  began  to  lay  tracks  on  Milwaukee 
avenue,  designing  to  extend  the  line  to  the  city  limits  as  soon  as 
practicable.  On  December  24  cars  were  running  on  Halsted  street 
and  Blue  Island  avenue,  and  three-fourths  of  a  mile  of  track  had 
been  laid  on  Milwaukee  avenue.  The  street  car  companies  tried 
mules,  but  finding  them  unsatisfactory  returned  to  the  use  of  horses. 
In  1863  the  area  of  Chicago  was  twenty- four  square  miles — Bridge- 
port and  Holstein  had  been  added.  The  amount  of  business  done 
by  the  street  car  companies  in  1863  was  $340,500.  Originally  two 
companies  controlled  the  street  car  lines — one  on  the  North  side  and 
one  on  the  South  and  West  sides;  but  during  1863  a  new  company, 
as  before  stated  herein,  bought  the  West  Division  lines;  so  that  at 
the  close  of  1863  three  separate  companies  owned  the  lines  of  the 
three  divisions.  The  State  street  line  was  considered  the  most  im- 
portant and  ran  as  far  as  Camp  Douglas.  The  Randolph  line  was 
next  most  important,  with  its  Milwaukee  avenue  branch.  The  Hal- 
sted line  was  a  branch  of  the  Madison  line  and  the  Blue  Island  line 
was  a  branch  of  the  Halsted  line.  These  branches  had  reached  the 
Burlington  and  Quincy  tracks.  The  North  Side  line  was  doing  a 
big  business  and  was  to  be  extended  at  once  to  Lakeview  and  Grace- 
land  cemetery. 

A  blizzard  of  unusual  severity  swept  over  Cook  county  from 
December  30,  1863,  to  January  2,  1864.  On  January  1  the  mercury 
reached  eighteen  degrees  below  zero  in  the  morning  and  twenty-five 
degrees  below  at  night.  The  snow  was  so  deep  that  all  street  cars 
stopped  running.  Sixteen  thousand  tons  of  hay  were  handled  here 
in  1863.  In  January,  1864,  the  Pittsburg,  Fort  Wayne  &  Chicago 
Railroad  company  bought  a  tract  of  eighty  acres  just  south  of  the 
city  limits  and  began  to  fit  the  same  up  for  cattle  yards.  In  Janu- 


310  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

ary,  1864,  the  Board  of  Trade  had  a  membership  of  about  1,500 
and  demanded  larger  quarters.  It  was  proposed  to  lease  Metropol- 
itan hall  of  Mr.  Munger  and  enlarge  it.  In  February  West  Market 
hall  was  sold  to  Henry  Fuller  for  $2,500.  The  Chicago  and  Evans- 
ton  Street  Railway  was  definitely  projected  in  February,  1864 — to 
run  past  Calvary  and  Graceland  cemeteries;  fare  five  cents.  In 
February  the  Council  granted  the  street  railway  company  the  right 
to  lay  its  tracks  across  State  street  bridge  when  ready.  Late  in  the 
fall  of  1863  the  street  car  line  was  graded  along  the  Lake  View  road 
from  Doctor  Dyer's  to  Graceland  Cemetery — a  distance  of  about  two 
and  a  half  miles  and  the  track  was  laid  in  the  spring  of  1864.  It 
was  planned  to  pull  the  cars  in  trains  with  dummy  steam  engines, 
brought  from  Philadelphia.  A  new  and  better  Randolph  street 
bridge  was  built  in  1864. 

In  March,  1864,  the  railway  employes  struck  for  higher  wages 
and  better  conditions,  but  failed  to  secure  all  they  sought.  On 
March  17,  1864,  ground  was  formally  broken  by  the  Mayor  for  the 
lake  tunnel.  For  the  fiscal  year  ending  April  1,  1863,  there  were 
on  hand,  strange  to  record,  the  following  unexpended  balances: 
Water  fund,  $23,237;  sewerage  fund,  $109,904;  school  fund, 
$11,002;  reform  school,  $12,430;  interest,  $38,566;  war  fund, 
$68,276;  police  fund,  $23,532;  general  fund,  $50,791.  All  of  these 
balances  disappeared  during  the  next  year — 1863-64.  The  levy  had 
been  a  little  too  high.  The  journeymen  tailors,  trunkmakers,  bak- 
ers, tinsmiths,  confectioners,  gas  fitters,  harnessmakers,  bricklayers, 
shoemakers,  printers,  masons,  carpenters,  coopers,  hatters,  iron 
moulders  and  nearly  every  other  trade  organization  struck  for 
higher  wages  in  March  and  April,  1864.  The  war  had  caused 
everything  but  their  wages  to  advance  in  price ;  they  now  demanded 
their  rights,  which  employers  failed  to  see.  The  Tribune  of  April 
4  said,  "Strikes  among  workmen  are  of  daily,  almost  hourly  occur- 
rence." A  new  workingmen's  hall  on  Blue  Island  avenue  cost 
$16,000.  A  general  mass  meeting  of  all  the  trades  of  the  city  assem- 
bled at  Bryan  hall  on  April  26,  with  George  K.  Hazlitt  as  chairman. 
Ex-Gov.  E.  W.  McComas,  the  principal  speaker,  dwelt  upon  the 
dignity  of  labor  and  the  necessity  of  organization.  Steps  for  per- 
manent organization  of  the  city  unions  were  taken.  It  was  shown 
that  employers  were  combining  against  employes.  In  April,  1864, 
the  name  of  the  Board  of  Trade  was  changed  to  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce. The  second  Board  of  Trade  met  in  the  Tremont  House, 
also  in  the  Sherman  House. 

In  April,  1864,  the  "detective  corps"  was  broken  up  and  reorgan- 
ized by  the  Board  of  Police  Commissioners.  The  great  and  rapid 
advance  in  all  prices  alarmed  everybody.  In  May,  1864,  there  was 
hardly  a  good  bridge  on  the  river — the  Clark  street  bridge  was  out 
of  repair,  the  Randolph  bridge  broke  down  May  10,  the  Polk  bridge 
also  broke  in  two  about  this  time  and  the  Rush  bridge  was  often 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  311 

unmanageable.  "Rush  Street  Bridge  on  the  Rampage. — During  the 
severe  gale  on  Sunday  evening  Rush  street  bridge  became  for  some 
moments  perfectly  unmanageable  and  propelled  by  the  wind  it  spun 
round  on  its  axis  with  great  velocity.  Many  ladies  were  on  board 
at  the  time  and  were  considerably  alarmed  at  the  violent  action  of 
the  machine.  Even  the  bridge  tenders  showed  for  the  nonce  an 
unusual  desire  to  get  their  charge  landed  on  terra  firma." — (Trib- 
une, September  17,  1864). 

For  several  years  the  Firemen's  Benevolent  association  had  been 
in  existence  and  had  done  good  work.  Street  cars  reached  Lake 
View  about  the  middle  of  May,  1864.  The  cars  ran  a  little  over  an 
hour  apart.  Lake  Geneva  began  to  be  a  summer  resort  for  wealthy 
Chicagoans.  In  May,  1864,  right  to  lay  a  street  car  track  tempora- 
rily on  Clinton  street,  between  Madison  and  Randolph,  was  granted, 
but  was  made  permanent  upon  petition  of  the  property  owners 
there.  According  to  the  Tribune  of  July  16  no  improvement  wor- 
thy of  the  name  had  ever  been  made  to  the  twenty  acres  of  Union 
Park.  "Its  neglected  condition,  useless  walks,  yawning  holes,  dead 
trees  and  toppling  fence  are  disgraceful."  The  truth  was  that  excel- 
lent resorts  in  the  country  near  by  were  so  numerous  and  so  easily 
reached  that  the  need  of  parks  had  not  yet  been  felt  beyond  the  bear- 
able point.  About  this  time  No.  14  State  street  sold  for  $24,000 
and  No.  136  Clark  street  for  $26,000.  Nos.  155-159  West 
Madison  street  sold  for  $7,000.  The  new  State  street  bridge  was 
planned  to  cost  about  $35,000;  it  was  to  be  ready  in  October,  1864. 
The  Crosby  Opera  House,  a  famous  structure  in  its  time,  was  being 
erected  in  1864;  also  a  new  music  hall  at  Clark  and  Washington  by 
Smith  &  Nixon. 

A  tunnel  under  the  river,  which  subject  was  fully  considered  in 
1855-7,  was  again  brought  to  the  attention  of  the  inhabitants  in 
July.  1864.  The  Board  of  Public  Works,  whose  chairman  was  Mr. 
Gindele,  reported  on  a  La  Salle  street  tunnel  to  be  fourteen  feet  high 
and  twenty-eight  feet  wide.  In  1864  as  in  1863  the  distilleries  and 
packing-houses  on  the  river  branches  were  forced  to  abate  their  nui- 
sances. In  the  fall  of  1864  the  Government  advertised  to  sell  the 
Marine  hospital  at  auction ;  it  should  never  have  been  built,  but  the 
great  cry  raised  at  the  time  by  Chicago  caused  the  Congress  to  yield. 
On  September  5  it  was  sold  to  James  F.  Joy  for  $132,000.  For 
two  successive  days — July  29  and  30 — the  mercury  reached  one 
hundred  degrees.  On  July  30  nearly  all  men  here  interested  in  the 
packing  industry  met  at  the  Board  of  Trade  rooms  "to  take  into 
consideration  matters  pertaining  to  their  mutual  interests  and  par- 
ticularly the  matter  of  a  Union  Stock  Yards."  There  were  speeches 
and  communications  showing  the  necessity  of  such  a  step.  The  con- 
dition of  Chicago  harbor  was  so  bad  that  a  plan  to  extend  the  exist- 
ing piers  four  hundred  feet  farther  into  the  lake  was  considered  in 
August.  By  August  13  the  lake  tunnel  had  advanced  about  three 


312  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

hundred  and  ten  feet  from  the  shore  shaft.  In  August  the  Tribune 
put  in  use  an  eight-cylinder  Hoe  press.  An  effort  of  the  South  Side 
Railway  company  to  lay  its  tracks  on  Indiana  avenue  and  on  Clark, 
between  Polk  and  Twelfth,  encountered  strong  opposition  from 
property  owners  there. 

By  September  8  the  lake  tunnel  had  advanced  four  hundred  and 
sixty- four  feet  from  the  shore  shaft.  In  1852  New  York  put  in 
a  fire  alarm  and  police  telegraph ;  Philadelphia  did  the  same  in  1856. 
Now,  in  1864,  Chicago  was  doing  the  same.  By  September  8  about 
thirty  miles  of  this  wire  had  been  laid  here — all  on  the  South  side, 
in  three  circuits  and  fifty-two  signal  boxes.  Wires  were  to  be  laid  at 
once  on  the  North  and  West  divisions. 

The  mortality  of  Chicago  for  a  series  of  years  was  as  follows, 
which  table  should  be  compared  with  that  giving  the  population : 


Years. 
1853  

Deaths. 
1,206 

Years. 
1859     

Deaths. 
1,826 

1854  

3,829 

I860    

2,056 

1855  

1,970 

1861  

2,069 

1856  

1,895 

1862   

2,575 

1857 

2170 

1863 

3475 

1858.  . 

.    2.043 

1864.. 

.    4.032 

By  January,  1865,  about  125  miles  of  wires  had  been  laid — 45 
miles  in  the  South  division,  fifty  in  the  west,  and  thirty  in  the  north. 
"The  crowds  now  drawn  to  the  scene  of  a  fire  by  the  sound  of  the 
courthouse  bell  will  be  wanting;  the  alarm  will  be  silent  to  all  save 
those  who  are  wanted  to  assist.  It  will  also  be  invaluable  as  a  police 
telegraph,  by  which  information  of  losses,  robberies,  disturbances, 
etc.,  can  be  instantly  transmitted  to  and  from  the  central  station. 
The  laying  of  the  corner  stone  of  the  New  Chamber  of  Commerce 
building  at  La  Salle  and  Washington  streets  on  September  11  was 
attended  with  due  ceremony.  The  employment  of  women  compos- 
itors in  the  Times  office  encountered  the  indignant  remonstrance  of 
the  men  compositors ;  in  fact  indignation  meetings  were  held  but  to 
no  purpose.  A  firemen's  monument  designed  by  Volk  and  costing 
$10,000  was  erected  in  Rosehill  cemetery  in  September  by  the  Fire- 
men's Benevolent  Association.  By  October  3,  the  State  street  car 
line  ran  as  far  as  Raber's  block  on  Archer  road.  A  double  track  on 
Clinton  from  Randolph  to  Van  Buren  was  being  laid ;  from  it  one 
branch  ran  to  Jefferson  and  thence  up  Jefferson  to  Twelfth ;  also 
one  from  Clinton  on  Twelfth  to  the  junction  with  the  other  branch. 
A  horse  barn  for  the  street  railway  company  was  built  at  Clinton 
and  Van  Buren.  Fox  &  Howard,  on  their  contract  for  dredging  the 
harbor,  secured  a  judgment  against  the  city  for  a  balance  of  $15,000 
and  costs.  Early  in  October  a  mile  of  street  car  track  was  opened  on 
Larrabee  street.  Center  street  was  soon  to  have  a  double  track.  At 
this  date  there  were  in  operation  on  the  North  Side  twelve  miles  of 
track. 


BISTORT  OF  COOK  COUNTY  313 

By  October  13  the  crib  of  the  water  works  was  nearly  com- 
pleted. A  new  pest  house  24  by  48  feet,  two  stories,  twenty-four 
rooms,  and  costing  about  $12,000,  was  ordered  in  October.  Late 
in  September  a  dummy  engine  began  to  run  between  Camp  Fry 
and  Graceland  cemetery.  On  October  21  the  City  Council  in  a  train 
of  three  cars  drawn  by  a  dummy  engine  rode  to  Camp  Fry,  thence 
to  Graceland,  where  all  were  dined  at  the  residence  of  S.  H.  Ker- 
foot.  Though  the  dummy  was  reported  to  be  a  success,  its  use  was 
soon  discontinued.  On  October  30  the  Council  formally  named  the 
lake  front  "Lake  park."  By  November  17  over  1,000  feet  of  lake 
tunnel  had  been  excavated.  Ambrose  &  Jackson's  famous  res- 
taurant stood  on  Clark  opposite  the  courthouse ;  it  was  probably  the 
best  here  at  this  time.  A  big  jail  delivery  was  thwarted  in  Novem- 
ber. In  November  negotiations  to  transfer  to  the  Fort  Wayne 
Railroad  company  that  part  of  West  Adams  street  between  the 
river  and  Canal  street  were  under  way.  In  November  a  London 
fog  of  thirty  hours'  duration  settled  down  upon  Chicago. 

During  the  winter  of  1864-65  Randolph  street  cars  left  the 
Garrett  block  on  the  stroke  of  each  hour  and  every  ten  minutes 
thereafter  for  the  city  limits,  each  car  consuming  thirty-two 
minutes  on  the  trip.  Intermediate  cars  ran  half  as  far  as  the 
others.  This  arrangement  provided  a  car  every  five  minutes. 

Before  the  Civil  war  a  small  cemetery  on  Eighteenth  street  was 
used  for  a  few  years,  but  later  the  bodies  were  removed.  A  small 
graveyard  on  Chicago  avenue  was  used  for  about  ten  years  and 
was  then  vacated  before  the  advance  of  residences.  It-  was  sup- 
posed that  all  bodies  were  removed  to  the  city  cemetery,  but  such 
was  not  the  case,  because  on  December  3,  1864,  while  workmen 
were  excavating  a  sewer  on  Chicago  avenue  near  Wolcott  ten 
additional  coffins  were  exhumed;  they  were  reburied  in  the  city 
cemetery.  Washington,  Central  and  Ogden  skating  parks  were 
open  in  December.  At  this  time  the  artesian  well  on  the  West  Side 
was  sunk;  water  was  struck  at  a  depth  of  a  little  over  seven  hun- 
dred feet.  The  water  rose  a  few  feet  above  the  surface,  contained 
a  little  sulphur,  was  about  sixty-five  degrees  temperature,  and 
flowed  several  hundred  gallons  per  minute.  It  was  sunk  by  the 
Chicago  Oil  company,  the  hope  being  that  oil  would  be  struck.  It 
is  yet  flowing  at  Chicago  and  Western  avenues.  This  was  the 
period  of  greatest  oil  excitement. 

The  year  1864,  despite  the  drain  of  the  war,  was  one  of  almost 
unexampled  prosperity  to  this  city.  Among  the  important  build- 
ings erected  were  Chamber  of  Commerce,  Crosby's  opera  house, 
Chicago  University,  the  observatory  tower,  Smith  &  Nixon's  Music 
hall  at  Clark  and  Washington,  Lumbard  block  in  Monroe,  Custom- 
house block,  and  the  blocks  of  Cobb,  Magie,  Gellatry  &  Dimmick, 
Wicker,  Miller,  Hempstead  &  Armour,  Fullerton,  Justice  at  Clark 
and  Randolph,  Andrews,  Otis  &  Engle's  Adair  Allen  &  Parker, 


314  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

Honore  &  Waites,  Tyler's  bank,  Reed's  bank,  etc.  Metropolitan 
hall  had  been  raised  to  grade  and  improved  at  a  cost  of  $40,000. 
Four  of  the  buildings  of  1864  were  worth  over  $100,000  each.  In 
the  spring  of  1864  property  owners  waked  up  one  morning  (this 
is  almost  literally  true)  and  found  that  their  lots  had  doubled  in 
value  over  night.  Inside  improved  rental  property  had  about 
doubled  in  value  since  the  preceding  summer.  Among  the  other 
improvements  of  1864  were  the  following:  Four  and  a  half  miles 
of  sewers  were  laid;  Lake  street  from  the  river  to  Halsted  was 
paved  with  Nicholson  blocks;  the  old  West  Side  brick  two-story 
market  was  removed ;  nearly  thirteen  miles  of  water  pipe  were 
laid ;  the  lake  tunnel  was  completed  a  quarter  of  a  mile ;  the  crib  two 
miles  out  was  ready  to  be  sunk;  the  400  additional  feet  to  the 
North  pier  were  well  advanced ;  there  was  dredged  from  the  Chi- 
cago river  mouth  53,413  cubic  yards  of  sand;  the  State  street 
bridge  was  finished  and  was  continued  over  the  railway  tracks 
on  the  North  Side;  the  new  bridge  at  Randolph  street  was  well 
advanced,  and  so  was  the  fire  alarm  telegraph  system.  The  con- 
tract for  the  latter  was  let  to  John  F.  Kennard  &  Company  of 
Boston.  There  were  established  thirty-five  districts  of  postal  dis- 
tribution, all  city  mail  being  delivered  by  carriers. 

A  stock  exchange  was  established  in  January,  1865,  with  J.  C. 
Hilton  as  president,  and  a  membership  fee  of  $1.  A  proposed  new- 
city  charter  was  discussed  at  this  time.  The  following  were  the 
largest  private  incomes  here  December  31,  1863:  Potter  Palmer, 
$333,485;  J.  V.  Farwell,  $197,152;  P.  Schuttler,  $103,731;  Wil- 
liam B.  Ogden,  $87,509;  C.  H.  McCormick,  $67,449;  W.  Munger, 
$59,473 ;  A.  E.  Kent,  $47,050;  W.  L.  Newberry,  $34,558,  etc.  The 
Pittsburg,  Fort  Wayne  &  Chicago  company  agreed  to  pay  $100,000 
for  Adams  street  from  the  river  to  Canal  street,  but  the  city  re- 
served the  right  to  tunnel  the  river  there  and  to  build  a  bridge 
there  under  certain  conditions.  In  January,  1865,  the  Potter 
Palmer  estate,  the  largest  in  the  Northwest,  united  with  other  inter- 
ests and  became  the  Field,  Palmer  &  Leiter  company.  Field  & 
Leiter  had  begun  business  here  in  1856,  but  not  as  a  firm.  After 
several  changes  they  united  with  Palmer  as  above.  The  opening 
of  the  Clinton  bridge  over  the  Mississippi  in  January,  1865,  was  an 
event  of  importance  to  Chicago  commercial  circles.  The  inaugura- 
tion of  the  Railway  Postal  System  in  1864  was  also  of  great  im- 
portance to  this  city. 

The  charters  of  the  three  street  railway  companies  permitted 
them  to  use  the  streets  for  twenty-five  years,  of  which,  by  January, 
1865,  about  six  had  expired.  These  roads  now  asked  to  have  the 
time  limit  extended  to  ninety-nine  years.  It  was  a  plan  to  make 
a  good  thing  better.  Almost  everybody  except  those  interested  in 
the  railways  opposed  the  time  extension;  but  the  railways  pressed 
the  subject  until  finally  a  mass  meeting  of  the  citizens  to  disap- 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  315 

prove  the  bill  that  had  corruptly  passed  the  Legislature  was  held  on 
January  24  at  Metropolitan  hall.  The  following  resolutions  were 
passed :  "Resolved,  by  the  citizens  of  Chicago  in  mass  meeting 
assembled,  That  it  is  the  firm  and  deliberate  conviction  of  this 
meeting  that  ninety-nine  out  of  ever  one  hundred  of  the  residents 
and  property  holders  of  said  city  are  earnestly  and  unalterably 
opposed  to  any  extension  of  the  franchises  of  said  corporations 
and  to  any  further  legislation  on  the  subject;  Resolved,  That  we 
hereby  most  firmly  and  decidedly  censure  and  reprobate  the  conduct 
of  such  of  our  representatives  as  voted  for  this  most  obnoxious 
monopoly."  Of  the  Cook  county  delegation  in  the  Legislature, 
William  Jackson,  representative,  was  the  only  one  to  oppose  the 
measure  to  the  last.  He  was  publicly  thanked  by  this  meeting. 

The  act  of  February  13,  1865,  incorporated  the  Union  Stock 
Yards  and  Transit  company  with  the  following  men  named  as 
incorporators :  John  L.  Hancock,  Virginius  A.  Turpin,  Roselle 
M.  Hough,  Sidney  A.  Kent,  Charles  M.  Culberton,  Lyman  Blair, 
David  Kreigh,  Joseph  Sherwin,  Martin  L.  Sykes,  Jr.,  Joseph 
Sherwin,  George  W.  Cass,  James  F.  Jay,  John  F.  Tracy,  Timothy 
B.  Blackstone.  Joseph  H.  Moore,  John  S.  Barry,  Homer  E.  Sar- 
gent, Burton  C.  Cook,  John  B.  Drake  and  William  D.  Judson. 
They  were  authorized  to  locate,  construct  and  maintain  in  con- 
venient proximity  to  the  southerly  limits  of  Chicago  and  west  of 
Wallace  street  a  union  stock  yards,  together  with  the  necessary 
enclosures,  buildings,  barns,  pens,  sheds,  planking,  fences,  tanks, 
wells,  pumps,  streets,  cottages  for  employes,  railway  switches,  etc., 
for  the  care  and  safe  keeping  of  live  stock,  etc. ;  capital  stock, 
$1,000,000.  The  yards  were  begun  in  June,  1865,  in  a  marsh 
and  embraced  345  acres;  the  buildings  alone  cost  $350,000,  the 
Hough  house  there  costing  $125,000.  The  total  cost  was  over 
$1,000,000. 

Early  in  1865  a  committee  of  thirty  was  appointed  to  report  on 
the  best  method  of  discharging  the  filth  of  the  river  and  how  to 
obtain  pure  drinking  water.  One  plan  proposed  was  to  dig  a 
canal  100  feet  wide  and  ten  feet  deep  from  the  head  of  navigation 
on  the  South  branch  to  the  mouth  of  the  Calumet  river.  In  Janu- 
ary, 1865,  the  City  Limits  Dispatch  company  began  to  deliver 
parcels,  etc.,  to  every  part  of  the  city.  In  January,  1865,  there 
were  four  principal  stock  yards — Pittsburg  &  Fort  Wayne,  Michi- 
gan Southern,  Cottage  Grove  and  Sherman's.  There  was  no  con- 
nection between  the  yards,  and  it  was  the  rule  that  quotations  on 
the  same  article  varied  considerably.  It  was  customary  for  dealers 
to  get  together  each  night  and  compare  notes.  Early  in  1865  Isaac 
N.  Arnold,  congressman,  succeeded  in  getting  through  the  House 
a  bill  for  a  $5,000,000  ship  canal;  but  the  bill  died  of  inanition 
thereafter.  Buying  and  selling  stocks  on  commission  and  other- 
wise had  grown  to  enormous  proportions.  Early  in  1865  the  old 


316  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

fire  offices  of  chief  engineer  and  assistant  engineers  were  abolished 
and  marshal  and  assistant  marshals  substituted  therefor.  A  city 
ordinance  passed  in  the  fall  of  1864  provided  that  all  the  streets 
should  be  numbered;  this  was  done  during  the  winter  of  1864-65. 

By  January  27,  1865,  the  street  car  tracks  on  the  South  Side 
extended  south  on  State  to  Twenty-second,  thence  to  Cottage  Grove 
and  thence  to  the  city  limits,  and  a  branch  extended  from  State 
on  Archer  road  as  far  as  Raber's  residence.  The  West  Side  lines 
extended  on  Randolph  from  State  to  Union  park,  thence  to  Lake 
and  thence  to  the  city  limits;  on  Madison  from  State  to  the  city 
limits;  on  Halsted  from  Madison  to  Blue  Island  avenue,  thence 
to  Sixteenth  street;  on  Halsted  from  Randolph  to  Milwaukee 
avenue  and  thence  to  Chicago  avenue;  on  Market  from  Randolph 
to  Madison;  on  Clinton  from  Randolph  to  Van  Buren,  thence  on 
Van  Buren  to  Jefferson,  thence  on  Jefferson  to  Twelfth.  The 
North  Side  lines  were  as  follows:  On  Clark  from  Kinzie  to 
North,  thence  on  Green  Bay  road  to  the  city  limits;  on  Chicago 
avenue  from  Clark  to  the  river;  on  Division  street  from  Clark  to 
Clybourn  and  on  Clybourn  to  North;  on  Sedgwick  street  from 
Division  to  North. 

A  law  of  1864-65  provided  for  deepening  the  summit  of  the 
canal  so  that  the  water  thereof  could  be  used  to  cleanse  Chicago 
river.  Col.  R.  B.  Mason  and  William  Gooding  were  added  to  the 
Board  of  Public  Works  and  Chicago  was  authorized  to  issue 
$2,000,000  in  bonds  as  a  second  lien  upon  the  canal,  to  be  used  to 
lower  the  summit  so  that  lake  water  could  be  forced  through  to 
the  Illinois  river.  In  this  bill  was  a  fee  clause — put  in  at  the  last 
moment  and  forced  through — a  $25,000  steal,  it  was  claimed. 

The  street  car  companies  took  advantage  of  the  hard  times  to 
raise  their  fare  to  6  cents.  Two  new  bridges  were  proposed  for 
1865— at  North  avenue  for  $3,700  and  at  Fuller  street  for  $6,300. 
The  city  hospital  building  erected  later  in  the  fifties;  in  1865  it 
was  used  as  an  eye  and  ear  infirmary.  The  receipts  of  Chicago 
for  the  year  ending  April  1,  1865,  were  $2,034,610,  the  expenses 
$2,008,789,  balance  on  hand  $461,266.39.  The  Chicago  Stock 
Exchange  had  rooms  at  57  Dearborn  street.  It  was  said  of  Wabash 
avenue  that  "in  wet  seasons  it  was  a  sea  of  mud  and  in  dry  seasons 
a  desert  of  dust."  It  was  now  proposed  to  pave  it  with  Nicholson 
blocks.  Bids  for  building  the  Washington  street  tunnel  were  called 
for  in  June;  they  varied  from  $200,000  to  $314,000.  On  July  2 
the  water  works  crib  was  ready  for  sinking.  It  was  determined  to 
build  a  new  bridewell  in  1865.  In  August  the  400- foot  extension 
to  the  north  pier  was  completed ;  the  new  channel  was  150  feet  wide, 
600  feet  long  and  fourteen  feet  deep.  Dredging  the  channel  cost 
$60,000  and  building  the  new  pier  cost  $75,000.  During  the  year 
ending  April  1,  1865,  the  fire  department  cost  $119,028.72,  the 
health  department  $6,678.57,  the  police  department  $97,734.90,  the 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  317 

fire  alarm  telegraph  about  $75,000,  and  the  pesthouse  $15,000.  The 
Tribune  of  September  13,  1865,  said:  "Never  was  a  city  so  lav- 
ishly parked  as  ourselves  with  so  little  benefit.  We  have  had  our 
parks  laid  out  for  years,  and  almost  numberless  complimentary 
allusions  made  to  them  in  the  shape  of  Council  resolutions,  munici- 
pal ordinances,  newspaper  notices,  ward  meetings,  individual  sur- 
veys, etc.  Then,  too,  we  have  had  Park  Row  and  Park  avenue  and 
Park  street  and  parks  of  artillery.  We  have  talked  and  written 
park  for  years,  yet  we  have  not  a  park  in  our  city."  During  the 
summer  of  1865  the  park  on  the  north  was  named  Lincoln;  in 
September  plans  for  its  improvement  were  advertised  for ;  the  same 
of  Union  park.  A  real  wheat  corner  was  engineered  here  in  Sep- 
tember by  a  few  men  and  the  price  was  forced  up  about  20  cents 
a  bushel.  A  large  meeting  of  laboring  men  at  Witlowsky  hall  in 
September  demanded  the  eight-hour  system.  By  October  1  five 
different  railway  lines  running  west  from  Chicago  hauled  railway 
postal  cars.  Prior  to  this  date  the  West  and  South  Side  street 
railway  lines  formed  a  junction  at  State  and  Randolph  streets, 
but  the  North  Side  line  did  not.  Now  it  was  decided  to  permit  the 
North  Side  cars  to  cross  the  State  street  bridge  and  form  a  junction 
with  the  other  two  systems. 

In  June,  1865,  the  following  parks  were  in  existence:  Dear- 
born, Jefferson,  Union,  Lincoln,  Washington  and  Lake  Shore,  and 
yet,  according  to  the  newspapers,  the  city  did  not  have  a  park 
worthy  of  the  name.  At  this  time  $5,000  was  appropriated  for  the 
improvement  of  Union  park,  $10,000  for  Lincoln  park  and  $5.000 
for  the  Lake  Shore  park.  In  1865  the  following  salaries  were  paid : 
Mayor,  $3,500;  city  treasurer,  $2,500;  comptroller,  $3,500;  cor- 
poration counsel,  $3,000;  city  attorney,  $3,000;  city  recorder, 
$3,000.  The  old  postoffice  building  had  been  at  84-88  Dearborn 
street,  and  the  new  one  was  located  at  Monroe  and  Dearborn.  Pos- 
tal money  orders  were  first  issued  here  in  October,  1864.  It  was 
customary  for  the  cattle  dealers  to  meet  on  Sundays  at  Douglas 
grove  and  compare  and  square  accounts.  The  State  Fair  of  1865 
was  held  at  Chicago  Driving  park,  near  Cottage  Grove,  between 
Indiana  and  State. 

"Within  the  year  now  elapsed  (1865)  and  the  one  preceding, 
two  great  changes  have  been  instituted — the  distribution  of  letters 
in  the  railroad  cars  while  in  transit,  instead  of  delaying  their  jour- 
ney to  sort  them  in  the  office,  and  the  delivery  and  collection  of 
mail  matter  in  the  city.  Chicago  is  divided  into  about  fifty, districts, 
which  are  regularly  visited  by  the  letter  carrier  from  two  to  five 
times  daily,  obviating  the  loss  of  time  heretofore  experienced  in 
visiting  the  postoffice  for  letters.  The  full  benefit  of  the  system  will 
only  be  felt  when  the  number  of  the  buildings  on  the  streets  is 
completed — a  consummation  far  in  the  future  as  yet." — (Tribune, 
January,  1866.) 


318  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

On  December  31,  1865,  the  debt  of  Chicago  wasas  follows: 

Water    debt $1,464,000 

Sewerage  debt 1,184,000 

Funded  debt,  old  issue 371,000 

Funded  debt,  new  issue 956,500 

School  construction   bonds 25,000 

Police    bonds 6,000 

Certificate  of  independent  sanitary 20,000 

Floating  and  bills  payable 205,245 


$4,231,745 
Debt  of  Chicago   December  31,   1864,   was 3,836,795 


Increase $  394,950 


POLITICS  OF  COOK  COUNTY 
1823—1866 

AS  early  as  September  2,  1823,  the  Fulton  County  Commis- 
sioners' court  issued  an  order  for  the  election  of  one  major 
and  the  necessary  company  officers  at  Chicago,  the  polls  to 
be  opened  at  the  house  of  John  Kinzie.  One  of  the  first 
official  recognitions  of  Chicago  was  in  1825  when  what  is  now 
Cook  county  was  attached  to  Peoria  county.  On  September  6  of 
that  year  the  authorities  of  Peoria  county  constituted  the  following 
precinct:  "Ordered,  that  the  first  precinct  contain  all  that  part 
of  the  county  east  of  the  mouth  of  the  Du  Page  river  where  it 
empties  its  waters  in  the  Aux  Plaines  river,  and  that  the  election 
be  held  at  the  agent's  house  or  Cobweb  hall."  The  latter  was  the 
Cobweb  Castle  at  Chicago  occupied  by  Dr.  Alexander  Wolcott, 
Indian  agent.  Soon  after  this,  Doctor  Wolcott  was  commissioned 
justice  of  the  peace  here.  Connected  with  the  above  order  was 
another  appointing  Archibald  Clybourn  constable  in  this  precinct. 
As  early  as  1826,  it  is  claimed,  Billy  Caldwell,  or  Sauganash,  the 
Pottawatomie  chief,  was  a  justice  of  the  peace  for  Peoria  county  at 
Chicago.  As  early  as  1825,  also,  Mr.  Kinzie  was  a  justice  of  the 
peace  here.  On  December  8,  1829,  John  B.  Beaubien,  Archibald 
Clybourn  and  Samuel  Miller  were  appointed  first  trustees  of  the 
school  section  at  Chicago.  Clybourn  in  1831  became  one  of  the 
first  justices  of  the  peace  of  Cook  county.  His  big  brick  house, 
erected  in  1836  on  the  North  branch,  was  long  a  familiar  landmark. 
At  an  election  for  a  justice  of  the  peace  held  at  the  house  of  John 
Kinzie  on  July  24,  1830,  fifty-six  names  were  enrolled;  at  another 
election  for  a  justice  of  the  peace  held  on  November  25,  1830, 
twenty-six  names  were  enrolled.  At  the  latter  election  Stephen 
Forbes  received  eighteen  votes  and  Rev.  William  See  eight  votes. 
Mr.  Forbes  had  taught  school  in  the  Dean  house  the  previous  spring. 
Later  he  opened  a  private  school. 

As  early  as  1825,  Governor  Edwards  in  a  letter  to  Henry  Clay 
said :  "A  favorite  object  and,  indeed,  a  political  hobby  that  super- 
sedes all  others  in  this  state  and  Missouri,  is  a  canal  to  connect 
Lake  Michigan  and  the  Illinois  river.  Nothing  could  sustain  the 
administration  or  its  friends  in  these  states  so  effectually  as  to  coun- 
tenance this  measure.  Nor  do  I  venture  too  far  that  it  might  be 
very  advantageous  to  the  President  to  introduce  in  his  measure  to 
Congress  some  sentiment  favorable  to  the  connection  of  our  Great 
Lakes  with  the  Atlantic  and  Western  waters."  Daniel  P.  Cook, 

Vol.  1—19.  321 


322  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

for  whom  the  county  was  named,  in  an  address  delivered  October 
28,  1825,  also  stated  that  the  canal  question  was  a  political  one  and 
the  most  important  affecting  the  future  of  Chicago.  At  the  elec- 
tion of  the  first  five  trustees  for  the  town  of  Chicago,  held  on 
August  10,  1833,  at  the  hour  of  11  A.  M.,  at  the  house  of  Mark 
Beaubien,  the  following  vote  was  polled :  T.  J.  V.  Owen,  twenty- 
six  votes;  George  W.  Dole,  twenty -six  votes;  Madore  Beaubien, 
twenty-three;  John  Miller,  twenty;  E.  S.  Kimberly,  twenty.  The 
voters  were  as  follows:  E.  S.  Kimberly,  J.  B.  Beaubien,  Mark 
Beaubien,  T.  J.  V.  Owen,  William  Ninson,  Hiram  Pearsons,  Philo 
Carpenter,  George  Chapman,  John  Wright,  John  T.  Temple,  Mat- 
thias Smith,  David  Carver,  James  Kinzie,  Charles  Taylor,  John. 
S.  C.  Hogan,  Elia  A.  Rider,  Dexter  J.  Hapgood,  George  W.  Snow, 
Madore  Beaubien,  Gholson  Kercheval,  George  W.  Dole,  R.  J. 
Hamilton,  Stephen  F.  Gale,  Enoch  Darling,  W.  H.  Adams,  C.  A. 
Ballard,  John  Watkins,  James  Gilbert — 28. 

The  trustees  of  the  town  of  Chicago  held  their  first  meeting  at  the 
clerk's  office  on  August  12,  1833.  The  limits  of  the  corporation  were 
fixed  as  follows :  "Beginning  at  the  intersection  of  Jackson  and 
Jefferson  streets,  thence  north  to  Cook  street  and  through  that 
street  to  its  eastern  extremity  in  Wabansia,  thence  on  a  direct  line 
to  Ohio  street  in  Kinzie's  addition ;  thence  eastwardly  to  the  lake 
shore;  thence  south  with  the  line  of  beach  to  the  northern  United 
States  pier,  thence  northwardly  along  said  pier  to  its  termination ; 
thence  to  the  channel  of  the  Chicago  river ;  thence  along  said  chan- 
nel until  it  intersects  the  eastern  boundary  line  of  the  town  of  Chi- 
cago as  laid  out  by  the  canal  commissioners;  thence  southwardly 
with  said  line  until  it  meets  Jackson  street;  thence  westwardly 
along  Jackson  street  until  it  reaches  the  place  of  beginning." 

There  was  great  diversity  of  opinion  as  to  the  comparative  ad- 
vantages to  be  derived  from  a  railroad  or  a  canal.  The  people 
demanded  one  or  the  other  and  public  opinon  was  pronounced  in 
favor  of  the  canal.  However,  a  considerable  number  preferred  the 
railroad  at  a  public  meeting  held  here  in  1833,  of  which  Colonel 
Owen  was  chairman  and  Doctor  Kimberly  secretary.  Resolutions 
asking  the  governor  to  convene  the  Legislature  to  secure  the  passage 
of  a  law  providing  for  the  construction  of  a  railroad  were  passed. 
Governor  Reynolds  said :  "I  am  much  pleased  to  know  that  you 
are  ardently  interested  in  accomplishing  the  greatest  improvement 
in  all  the  West.  There  is  no  improvement  which  would  be  of  such 
advantage  to  the  whole  valley  of  the  Mississippi  as  that  connecting 
the  lakes  with  the  navigable  water  of  the  Missouri  valley  and  which 
would  at  the  same  time  cost  us  little."  However,  he  did  not  call 
a  special  session  of  the  Legislature  for  that  purpose,  nor  did  he  favor 
the  railroad.  The  Chicago  American  of  December  24,  1833,  asked: 
"What  has  become  of  the  host  of  noisy  politicians  that  have  in  by- 
gone days  been  riding  as  a  hobby,  and  many  of  them  successfully, 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  323 

too,  the  Illinois  and  Michigan  canal  or  railroad?.  They  have  all 
gone  into  retiracy  or  they  have  effected  their  purpose  and  have  no 
further  use  for  their  hobby."  At  an  adjourned  meeting  held  at  the 
Eagle  hotel  on  February  15,  1834,  when  Col.  R.  J.  Hamilton  pre- 
sided and  P.  F.  W.  Peck  served  as  secretary,  it  was  "Resolved, 
That  the  delegate  from  Chicago  to  the  convention  to  be  held  at 
Ottawa  be  instructed  to  vote  for  no  individual  to  represent  this 
district  in  the  next  General  Assembly,  who  is  not  known  to  be  in 
favor  of  the  immediate  construction  of  a  communication,  either  by 
canal  or  railroad,  between  Lake  Michigan  and  the  Illinois  river." 
This  was  the  position  taken  by  all  citizens  of  Cook  county  at  this 
time.  The  canal  question  was  the  most  important  and  was  made 
the  hobby  by  the  representatives  of  all  parties.  But  the  representa- 
tives sent  to  the  Ottawa  convention  did  not  do  in  all  respects  as 
they  were  instructed. 

At  the  Ottawa  convention  Cook  county  was  represented  by  John 
D.  Caton,  Reason  Zarley  and  Theron  Parsons.  Maj.  James  B. 
Campbell  was  chosen  as  candidate  for  senator  and  Dr.  Edmund  S. 
Kimberly  as  candidate  for  representative  for  the  Northwestern 
Senatorial  district  for  the  General  Assembly.  On  motion  of  Mr. 
Caton  a  committee  of  five  was  appointed  to  draft  resolutions  and 
an  address  to  the  electors  of  this  Senatorial  district.  George  B. 
Willis,  John  D.  Caton,  Thomas  Hartsill,  A.  H.  Rowland  and 
Theron  Parsons  were  appointed  such  committee.  David  Walker 
was  chairman  of  the  convention.  John  D.  Caton  and  Theron  Par- 
sons were  leaders  of  this  convention. 

Besides  the  canal  question,  other  important  ones  in  the  spring 
of  1834  were:  Improvement  of  the  judicial  system  and  reconstruc- 
tion of  the  road  law.  In  the  spring  of  1834  John  W.  Reed  was  a 
candidate  for  sheriff;  so  also  was  Russell  E.  Heacock.  Nehemiah 
King  was  a  candidate  for  county  commissioner  from  the  Chicago 
precinct.  George  W.  Snow  was  also  a  candidate  for  sheriff. 

At  the  election  of  July  12,  1834,  for  a  justice  of  the  peace  in 
Chicago,  John  D.  Caton  received  182  votes  and  Dr.  Josiah  C.  Good- 
hue  forty-seven  votes.  The  candidates  for  county  commissioners 
in  1834  were  Isaac  Scarrett  of  Fountaindale,  Cook  county,  James 
Kinzie  and  Hiram  Fowler  of  Naper  Settlement.  Ashbel  Steele  was 
a  candidate  for  coroner.  In  July,  1834,  Mr.  Hamlin  of  Peoria, 
candidate  for  representative,  came  here  on  an  electioneering  tour. 
Silas  W.  Sherman  was  also  a  candidate  for  sheriff.  At  this  date, 
viz.,  July,  1834,  there  were  only  four  election  precincts  in  Cook 
county,  as  follows:  Chicago,  Naper's  Settlement,  Walker's  Grove 
and  Hickory  Creek.  Naper's  Settlement  was  the  present  Naper- 
ville  and  vicinity,  Walker's  Grove  was  near  Joliet,  and  Hickory 
Creek  was  the  present  Joliet  and  vicinity.  Nearly  all  of  the  present 
Cook  county  was  in  the  Chicago  precinct. 

The  Democrat  of  August,  1834,  said  concerning  the  August  elec- 


324:  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

tion :  "The  candidates  for  senator  and  representative  to  the  Gen- 
eral Assembly  were  not  run  with  reference  to  their  political  princi- 
ples, but  were  supported  entirely  with  respect  to  their  known  views 
in  favor  of  the  Illinois  and  Michigan  canal,  although  both  are 
Jackson  men.  The  other  officers  below  were  supported  without 
respect  to  party.  The  following  is  the  vote  in  Cook  county.  Those 
marked  thus  *  are  Jackson  men : 

FOR  GOVERNOR.  Whole  Vote.     Chicago's  Precinct. 

Joseph  Duncan 309  199 

*William   Kinney 201  148 

*R.  K.  McLaughlin 10  9 

James    Adams 8  1 

FOR  LIEUTENANT  GOVERNOR. 

*James  Evans 190  158 

*Alexander  M.  Jenkins 190  150 

William  B.  Archer 105  23 

FOR  REPRESENTATIVE  TO  CONGRESS, 
THIRD  DISTRICT. 

*William  L.  May 325  242 

Benjamin    Mills 195  115 

FOR  STATE  SENATOR. 

*James  W.  Stephenson 472  327 

Augustus   Longworthy 12 

FOR   STATE  REPRESENTATIVE. 

Edmund  S.  Kimberly 432  310 

John  Hamlin 44  24 

Nehemiah  King 32  12 

FOR  SHERIFF. 

Silas  W.  Sherman 241  180 

James  W.  Reed 208  152 

George  W.  Snow 62  17 

Russell  E.  Heacock 2  1 

The  following  is  the  district  vote  at  the  same  election : 

STATE  SENATOR — STATE  REPRESENTATIVE — 

Stephenson.    Langworthy.  Kimberly.  Hamlin.  Ring. 

Peoria  county...     156  49  34  171  8 

Jo  Daviess  county     336  41  73  314  0 

Cook   county....     472  12  432  44  32 

La    Salle    county    271  0  136  134  4 

Putnam  county..     334  0  117  195  62 

Rock  Island  county    69  10  1  73  0 

Totals 1,638  112  793  931          106 

Thus  already  in  Cook  county  there  were  two  political  parties. 
The  Democratic-Republican  ticket  was  triumphant  at  the  election 
in  1834.  The  opposition  was  called  by  the  Chicago  Democrat  the 
Malcontent  party.  That  paper  on  August  6,  1834,  said :  "We  do 
not  intend  to  exult  over  a  fallen  enemy.  The  rebuke  which  those 
opposed  to  the  nomination  of  Doctor  Kimberly  received  from  the 
people  is  sufficiently  severe."  The  Democrat  of  July  16  said :  "In 
spite  of  all  their  secret  intrigue  and  management,  their  despicable 
and  underhanded  attempt  to  make  a  stolen  march  upon  the  yeomen 
of  the  district,  they  have  met  with  a  signal  defeat — a  total  rout. 
All  the  foul  aspersions,  the  vile  insinuations  and  the  selfish  and 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  325 

degrading  tricks  which  the  malcontents  may  manufacture  or  devise 
cannot  prevent  the  people's  candidate,  Doctor  Kimberly,  from  re- 
ceiving the  people's  suffrages  for  their  representative."  "We 
are  struck  with  the  inconsistency  displayed  in  the  votes  as  given 
for  governor  and  those  for  member  of  Congress.  The  majority  of 
General  Duncan  over  both  the  Democratic  candidates  is  2,939;  the 
majority  of  the  Democratic  members  of  Congress  over  the  opposi- 
tion is  4,003."  The  opposition  here  referred  to  embraced  all  who 
opposed  the  Jackson  administration.  "...  What  political  incon- 
sistency is  here  displayed  by  the  people  in  electing  a  governor  whose 
known  opposition  to  most  of  the  leading  measures  of  the  present 
administration  (Jackson's)  has  characterized  his  course  during 
the  recent  session  of  Congress." — (Democrat,  September  17,  1834.) 

Duncan  had  supported  the  United  States  bank  and  had  voted  to 
omit  Jackson's  protest  from  the  Congressional  journals.  "If  we 
are  to  take  the  voice  as  expressed  in  their  (the  electors')  vote  for 
governor,  we  must  conclude  that  the  state  is  willing  to  be  harnessed 
to  this  monied  aristocracy  (the  United  State  bank  and  its  friends). 
If,  on  the  other  hand,  their  voice  is  expressed  through  the  mem- 
bers of  Congress,  we  here  find  an  emphatic  expression  recorded 
against  that  institution.  That  the  election  for  governor  was  the  result 
of  personal  and  private  consideration  is  admitted  by  all  For  members 
of  Congress  their  election  was  claimed  on  the  broad  ground  of 
political  honesty — for  the  President  and  his  leading  measures.  As 
such,  the  democracy  of  Illinois  have  sustained  them,  and  in  an 
emphatic  manner  proclaimed  their  sovereign  will  in  opposition  to 
the  monied  aristocracy  and  the  supporters  of  this  great  monied 
power." — (Democrat,  September  17,  1834.) 

At  a  mass  meeting  held  in  Chicago  in  April,  1834,  a  resolution 
adopted  declared  that  the  county  had  been  misrepresented  at  the 
Ottawa  convention.  On  May  16  a  mass  meeting  of  the  citizens 
opposed  to  the  Ottawa  convention  assembled  at  the  Eagle  tavern, 
Chicago.  At  this  time  the  Circuit  court  was  in  session  and  residents 
from  all  parts  of  the  county  were  in  town.  Dr.  J.  Temple  was 
chairman  and  H.  S.  Handy  secretary.  It  was  concluded  to  adjourn 
the  2  o'clock  meeting  until  7 :30  in  the  evening,  when  all  gathered 
in  the  court  room  in  Haddock's  hotel.  Colonel  Owen  demanded 
to  know  if  it  was  in  order  for  the  citizens  who  favored  the  Ottawa 
convention  to  participate  in  the  proceedings  of  the  meeting.  The 
chairman  stated  not,  as  the  meeting  was  called  in  opposition  to  the 
Ottawa  convention.  Among  those  who  took  active  part  were  John 
Blackstone  of  Hickory  Creek,  Capt.  David  Carver,  P.  F.  Peck  and 
Mr.  Van  Horn  of  Hickory  Creek.  There  were  passed  resolutions 
declaring  that  the  Ottawa  convention  did  not  express  the  voice  of 
the  electors  of  this  district  and  that  only  a  part  of  the  counties  of 
the  district  were  represented  at  that  convention.  H.  S.  Handy, 
P.  F.  Peck,  Nehemiah  King,  R.  Davidson  and  Dr.  W.  B.  Egan 


326  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

were  appointed  a  committee  of  correspondence.  Mr.  Van  Horn 
moved  that  a  committee  of  nine  persons  be  appointed  to  name  can- 
didates for  the  positions  of  senator  and  representative — three  from 
Hickory  Creek,  three  from  Naper's  Settlement  and  Walker's  Grove, 
and  three  from  Chicago.  The  following  candidates  were  reported 
by  this  committee:  Maj.  James  W.  Stephenson  of  Jo  Davies 
county  and  Maj.  James  B.  Campbell  of  La  Salle  county  for  senator; 
Judge  Nehemiah  King,  John  Miller  and  Harry  Boardman  for  rep- 
resentative. At  the  election  Stephenson  and  Miller  were  duly 
chosen. 

In  October,  1834,  among  the  leading  Democratic-Republicans  of 
Cook  county  were  the  following: 

T.  J.  V.  Owen,  John  Calhoun,  E.  B.  Williams,  J.  K.  Boyer,  David  Carver, 
G.  H.  Kercheval,  N.  Parsons,  Peter  Pruyne,  E.  E.  Hunter,  J.  C.  Goodhue,  O. 
Morrison,  H.  B.  Clark,  E.  S.  Kimberly,  Alexander  Lloyd,  William  Adams, 
John  Davis,  Harlow  Kimball,  Samuel  Resigne,  Hiram  Hugunin,  Otis  Hubbard, 
John  Barry,  Solomon  Lincoln,  Walter  Kimball,  William  Worthington,  Thomas 
Hoyt,  James  Harrington,  Jr.,  Samuel  Jackson,  Benjamin  Jones,  John  Bates,  Jr., 
Francis  C.  Sherman,  James  W.  Reed,  Henry  W.  Cleveland,  H.  S.  Handy, 
Clement  Stone,  Thomas  Reed,  Paul  J.  Carlier,  J.  Huelet,  John  Noble,  John 
Murphy,  Silas  B.  Cobb,  Mathias  Mason,  Amos  Bailey,  A.  McGregor,  Frederick 
Pennoyer,  William  Hogue,  John  Foote,  John  Sewell,  S.  E.  Downer,  E.  T.  Rider, 
Charles  Taylor,  Samuel  Ellis,  C.  Burkenbile,  James  Kinzie,  William  Forsyth, 
S.  Wilcox,  E.  L.  Thrall,  James  C.  Spencer,  D.  C.  Robinson,  Sciota  Evans, 
A.  T.  Fullerton,  P.  L.  Updike,  John  Mann,  Willard  Jones,  A.  O.  T.  Breed, 
Truman  G.  Wright,  Benjamin  Briggs,  G.  F.  Blanchard,  O.  Lozier,  William 
Stevens,  William  Cpoley,  John  Lloyd,  Ebenezer  Goodrich,  S.  Rand,  Ford  Free- 
man, Gilbert  Loomis,  Henry  Paige,  L.  H.  Everts,  H.  Barnes,  David  Stiles,  S. 
Marsh,  D.  Weaver.  Washington  Morrow,  William  Bennett,  Thomas  Forester, 
J.  Dean  Caton,  T.  King. 

"We  hope  that  every  citizen  of  Cook  county  who  takes  an  inter- 
est in  the  improvement  of  the  whole  state,  whether  he  be  for  a 
canal  or  a  railroad  will  be  present  and  make  up  his  judgment  from 
the  facts  and  arguments  that  will  be  placed  before  him.  For  our 
part  we  have  had  no  difficulty  in  making  up  our  minds  as  to  the 
superiority  of  a  canal  or  railroad — the  experiment  of  a  few  years 
has  left  little  doubt  upon  the  subject." — (Democrat,  October  15, 
1834.) 

On  October  30  a  political  meeting  more  strongly  to  advocate 
the  construction  of  the  canal  assembled  here  at  the  Methodist 
chapel.  The  Democrat  of  November  5  said :  "It  was  the  largest 
meeting  ever  held  in  this  town;  the  church  was  crowded  and  the 
lively  feeling  manifested  by  the  people  on  this  subject  shows  the 
deep  interest  with  which  they  looked  forward  to  the  session  of  the 
General  Assembly  in  this  state.  The  time  has  arrived  when  all 
agree  that  a  communication  between  the  Illinois  river  and  Lake 
Michigan  should  be  speedily  commenced  and  prosecuted  to  its  final 
completion."  This  meeting  was  really  an  adjourned  one  from  a 
former  meeting  which  had  been  presided  over  by  E.  B.  Williams, 
chairman,  and  John  Calhoun,  editor  of  the  Chicago  Democrat,  sec- 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  327 

retary.  A  memorial  to  the  Legislature  declaring  a  preference  for  a 
canal  instead  of  a  railroad  was  prepared.  However,  it  should 
be  stated  that  a  considerable  number  of  prominent  men  in  this  por- 
tion of  the  state  preferred  a  railroad  to  a  canal.  Late  in  1834  they 
held  a  meeting  to  take  steps  to  secure  from  the  next  Legislature 
a  charter  for  a  railroad  to  extend  from  Chicago  to  the  Illinois  river. 
As  a  matter  of  fact,  in  the  light  of  history,  it  perhaps  would  have 
been  far  better  for  Chicago  had  such  a  step  prevailed.  As  it  was, 
the  majority  demanded  a  canal  instead  of  a  railroad  and  in  the  end 
secured  it.  The  railroad  scheme  was  declared  to  have  emanated 
from  Wall  street,  New  York,  but  it  is  probable  that  its  advocates 
were  in  earnest  and  really  believed  a  railroad  preferable  to  a  canal. 
The  political  proceedings  of  1834  were  somewhat  crude  and  dis- 
organized. On  April  13,  1835,  a  mass  meeting  of  the  Democracy 
of  Cook  county  convened  in  the  Exchange  coffee  house,  Chicago. 
Col.  T.  J.  V.  Owen  called  the  meeting  to  order.  Hiram  Hugunin 
was  chosen  chairman  and  J.  W.  Eldridge  and  J.  C.  Goodhue  were 
chosen  secretaries.  There  were  also  present,  among  others,  James 
Curtiss,  E.  B.  Williams,  John  D.  Caton,  David  Carver,  S.  W. 
Sherman,  A.  Lloyd,  S.  Lincoln,  J.  Woodbury,  A.  Bailey,  John 
Calhoun  and  J.  H.  Woodworth.  The  object  was  to  organize 
thoroughly  the  Democracy  of  Cook  county.  On  June  6,  1835,  the 
Democracy  nominated  a  full  ticket  for  town  officers  at  Chicago. 
The  Democrat  of  June  10  said :  "The  nominations  were  regularly 
and  fairly  made  and  those  made  should  receive  the  hearty  and  cor- 
dial support  of  every  man  who  claims  to  belong  to  the  Democratic 
party.  It  is  a  struggle  between  the  aristocracy  and  the  Democracy." 
In  June,  1835,  Lewis  Cass  visited  Chicago,  but  did  not  remain  long 
enough  to  partake  of  a  dinner  tendered  him  by  T.  J.  V.  Owen, 
L.  C.  Kercheval,  G.  S.  Hubbard,  J.  R.  Boyer,  Alanson  Sweet, 
James  Kinzie,  Giles  Spring,  R.  J.  Hamilton,  J.  B.  Beaubien,  J.  H. 
Kinzie,  W.  L.  Newberry,  E.  S.  Kimberly  and  Gholson  Kercheval. 
The  Democratic-Republican  county  convention  held  at  Vail's  tavern 
on  Flag  Creek,  July  4,  1835,  nominated  Peter  Pruyne  of  Chicago 
for  county  recorder,  Addison  Collins  of  Hickory  Creek  for  sur- 
veyor, and  James  M.  Strode  for  senator.  R.  J.  Hamilton  became 
an  independent  candidate  for  county  recorder.  Alanson  Sweet 
moved  out  of  the  county  before  the  election.  The  Chicago  charter 
election  of  July  10,  1835,  resulted  as  follows: 

DEMOCRATIC.  OPPOSITION. 

Hiram    Hugunin 124  George  W.  Dole 122 

Alexander   Lloyd 203  Charles  McClure 115 

Samuel  Jackson 204  H.  C.  West 101 

Byram  King 181  Gh.  Kercheval 87 

Walter  Kimball 142  R.  A.   Kinzie 83 

E.  B.  Williams 123  E.  K.  Hubbard 78 

F.  C.  Sherman 123 

James   Kinzie 110 

John  Davis 75 


328  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

The  Democrat  said :  "Last  year  we  had  an  opposition  board  of 
trustees  in  Chicago.  This  year  it  will  be  Democratic  eight  to  one. 
So  much  for  the  beginning  of  the  convention  system."  .  .  .  "The 
election  of  county  officers  and  a  senator  takes  place  on  Monday 
next.  We  trust  that  every  Democrat  will  do  his  duty  on  that  day. 
The  question  is  whether  the  Democracy  of  Cook  county  will  con- 
tinue to  be  ruled  by  a  'self-constituted  junto'  of  aristocracy,  who 
have  no  fixed  political  principles  which  they  dare  to  avow,  or 
whether  they  will  convince  these  men  that  they  are  capable  of  solicit- 
ing their  own  candidates."  At  this  time  there  were  four  precincts 
in  the  county — Chicago,  Naper's,  Walker's  and  Hickory  Creek. 
The  following  vote  explains  itself: 

Whole  County  Chicago 

FOR  CORONER.  Vote.  Precinct. 

Ashbel  Steele 360  238 

John  Shrigley 84  84 

M.  R.  Brownson 23 

FOR  COUNTY  COMMISSIONERS. 

Mr.    Scisson 294  152 

Alanson  Sweet 251  143 

Edward  E.  Hunter 154  143 

Hiram  Fowler 151  117 

James  Kinzie 143  64 

Isaac  Scarrett 121  52 

Stephen  M.  Salisbury  43  42 

At  the  August  election  of  1835  James  M.  Strode  was  chosen 
almost  unanimously  for  senator,  there  being  polled  against  him  only 
five  votes  out  of  1,059.  R.  J.  Hamilton  was  elected  county  re- 
corder, receiving  a  total  of  602  votes  and  a  majority  of  116  over 
his  competitor.  For  surveyor  Mr.  Collins  received  670  votes,  or  309 
majority  over  Nehemiah  King.  In  November,  1835,  the  following 
Whigs  opposed  Mr.  Van  Buren  and  favored  William  Henry  Harri- 
son: George  W.  Dole,  Henry  Moore,  John  L.  Wilson,  John  Hoi- 
brook,  E.  W.  Casey,  G.  S.  Hubbard,  A.  Steele,  John  W.  Kinzie, 
Henry  King,  T.  O.  Davis,  B.  S.  Morris,  H.  G.  Loomis,  C.  L.  Har- 
mon, Giles  Spring  and  Mr.  Wright.  The  Democrat  of  August, 
1835,  said :  "The  election  which  has  just  closed  has  been  warmly 
contested  and  has  resulted  in  the  success  of  the  opposition  candidate 
for  county  recorder  (the  principal  place  contested)  by  a  majority 
in  the  whole  county  of  107  votes.  We  believe  all  the  officers  elected, 
with  one  or  two  exceptions,  are  Democrats.  The  defeat  of  the 
county  recorder  was  partly  the  result  of  the  most  untiring  efforts 
of  hired  runners  who  stooped  to  every  species  of  misrepresenta- 
tion." 

The  Democrat  of  September  16,  1835,  said:  "Three  hundred 
and  forty-eight  canal  lots  in  Chicago  are  worth  one  with  another 
and  will  sell  any  day  in  the  market  for  a  sum  equal  to  $1,500  each, 
making  a  total  of  $521,500.  Add  to  this  fractional  Section  15  and 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

Sections  5,  7,  17,  18  and  27  in  this  township,  which  are  worth  $360,- 
000,  and  the  result  is  a  sum  all  told  that  would  be  sufficient  to 
complete  the  whole  canal."  Late  in  1835,  Chicago  murmured 
because  the  canal  had  not  been  commenced.  The  Democrat  of  Sep- 
tember 9  said :  "It  is  now  admitted  on  all  hands  that  the  last  win- 
ter's canal  law  is  defective  and  has  proven  a  total  failure.  Very 
soon  it  will  be  too  late  to  do  anything  with  effect,  and  it  is  very 
possible  that  our  canal  may  yet  be  a  company  stock  jobbing  affair, 
or  we  may  even  yet  have  a  railroad.  What  is  everybody's  busi- 
ness is  nobody's  business.  Something  should  be  done." 

To  the  Democratic  state  convention  at  Vandalia  late  in  1835 
Hiram  Hugunin,  Peter  Pruyne,  John  D.  Caton,  James  Grant  and 
Ebenezer  Peck  were  delegates.  The  delegates  to  this  convention 
were  instructed  to  do  everything  in  their  power  in  support  of  the 
canal.  In  December,  1835,  the  county  of  Cook  had  four  election 
precincts  as  follows:  Chicago,  Hickory  Creek,  Scott's  settlement 
and  Lake.  On  January  20,  1836,  at  the  Democratic  convention 
for  county  commissioner,  held  at  the  tavern  of  Elijah  Wentworth, 
on  Flag  creek,  Alfred  Churchill  was  nominated  for  county  com- 
missioner. The  Democrat,  in  January,  1836,  declared  that  Gur- 
don  S.  Hubbard  was  opposed  to  the  canal  and  in  favor  of  the 
railroad.  It  also  stated  that  Mr.  Kinzie  favored  the  railroad.  At 
this  time  there  was  talk  of  a  canal  westward  from  Milwaukee  or 
Green  Bay  in  opposition  to  the  one  proposed  at  Chicago.  At  the 
Democratic  convention  held  February  20,  1836,  at  O.  Grant's  resi- 
dence, Brush  Hill,  Stephen  N.  Salisbury  was  nominated  for  county 
commissioner  and  Amos  Bailey  for  county  surveyor. 

In  January,  1836,  steps  to  secure  an  enlargement  of  the  town 
charter  were  taken.  The  Democrat  charged  Commissioners  Kin- 
zie and  Hubbard  with  being  improperly  influenced  in  securing 
certain  changes  which  would  benefit  them.  In  April,  1836,  a 
large  meeting  of  Democrats  and  others  was  held  at  the  Exchange 
Coffee  house  for  the  purpose  of  recommending  a  suitable  person 
for  postmaster  and  collector  of  customs.  Among  those  present' 
were  Ebenezer  Peck,  Hiram  Hugunin,  John  Calhoun,  H.  B. 
Clarke,  B.  F.  Knapp,  J.  R.  Livingston,  C.  A.  Brooks,  H.  Porter, 
C.  Taylor,  R.  M.  P.  Abel,  A.  Vincent,  William  Jones,  S.  G. 
Trobridge,  William  Hogue,  L.  Nichols,  N.  J.  Brown,  W.  B. 
French,  H.  Pennoyer,  S.  F.  Spaulding,  A.  Lloyd  and  C.  V.  Dyer. 
The  proceedings  of  this  meeting  were  denounced  by  another  meet- 
ing which  in  resolutions  declared  that  it  was  an  underhanded  at- 
tempt to  oust  the  old  postmaster  when  he  was  not  present  to  de- 
fend himself.  At  the  second  meeting  G.  S.  Hubbard  presided 
and  John  Bates  served  as  secretary.  R.  J.  Hamilton  and  Grant 
Goodrich  were  the  principal  speakers.  Mr.  Hamilton  moved  that 
a  committee  of  nine  be  appointed  to  draft  resolutions  against  any 
change  in  the  postmaster. 


330  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

The  Democrat  of  March  16,  1836,  declared  that  G.  S.  Hub- 
bard,  R.  J.  Hamilton,  J.  H.  Kinzie  "and  their  suite,"  by  going  to 
Vandalia  and  using  their  efforts  with  the  Legislature,  had  de- 
feated the  provision  of  the  canal  bill  requiring  the  election  of  the 
canal  commissioners  by  a  joint  ballot  of  the  two  houses  and  had 
secured  the  insertion  of  a  clause  giving  the  Governor  the  power 
to  appoint  such  commissioners.  The  paper  declared  that  the  ob- 
ject of  this  change  was  to  make  sure  of  the  appointment  of  Mr. 
Hubbard  as  one  of  the  commissioners.  Doctor  Fithian,  a  mem- 
ber of  the  House,  was  a  brother-in-law  of  Mr.  Hubbard ;  he  had 
voted  against  the  bill  giving  the  appointment  of  the  commissioners 
to  the  two  houses.  Said  a  correspondent  of  the  Democrat  con- 
cerning the  pressure  brought  to  bear  upon  the  Legislature.  "It 
was  unquestionably  the  same  powerful  influence  which  obtained 
the  passage  of  the  Chicago  Hydraulic  bill  and  other  obnoxious 
measures." 

In  June,  1836,  the  Democrats  of  Cook  and  Will  counties  met  at 
Vail's  residence,  on  Flag  creek,  to  nominate  joint  candidates  for 
the  Legislature.  Peter  Pruyne  was  nominated  for  the  Senate; 
Joseph  Naper,  James  Walker  and  A.  G.  Leary  for  the  House. 
For  county  offices  they  nominated  Orsemus  Morrison  for  coroner 
and  Edward  E.  Hunter,  Stephen  M.  Salisbury  and  Nathan  Allen, 
Jr.,  for  county  commissioners.  The  Republicans  nominated 
Giles  Spring  for  the  Senate  and  Edward  W.  Casey  and  Harry 
Boardman  for  the  House.  The  election  of  August,  1836,  was  a 
Democratic  victory.  The  American  said :  "We  have  met  the 
enemy  and  we  are  theirs."  That  paper  declared  that  from  150  to 
200  illegal  votes  were  polled  at  Chicago.  The  Republican  candi- 
dates for  county  commissioners  were  R.  M.  Sweet  and  G.  W. 
Laird.  Pruyne,  Democratic  candidate  for  the  Senate,  received 
648  votes,  and  Spring,  the  Whig  candidate,  received  328  votes. 
That  was  about  the  majority  throughout  this  county.  For  sheriff, 
S.  W.  Sherman,  Democrat,  received  912  votes,  and  J.  W.  Tur- 
tle, Whig,  received  173.  At  the  Congressional  election  in  1836, 
Cook  county  polled  the  following  vote: 

PRECINCTS.  May  (Dem.).  Stuart  (Whig). 

Chicago    562  105 

Lake   75  12 

Elk    Grove 29  9 

Brush   Hill 21  17 

Naper's    83  58 

Saganaskee    7  18 

777  ~219 

In  October,  1836,  an  immense  Whig  meeting  was  held  at  the 
Presbyterian  church.  Royal  Stewart  called  the  assemblage  to  or- 
der and  John  Holbrook  was  made  chairman  and  J.  Y.  Scammon 
secretary.  The  committee  on  resolutions  were  J.  N.  Balestier,  Gur- 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  331 

don  S.  Hubbard  and  William  Stuart.  The  resolutions  adopted  by 
this  meeting  denounced  the  course  pursued  by  Van  Buren  and 
declared  in  favor  of  a  western  man  for  the  Presidency.  William 
Henry  Harrison  was  declared  to  be  that  man.  The  meeting  declared 
in  favor  of  Francis  Granger  for  the  Vice-Presidency.  William 
Stuart,  J.  N.  Balestier,  Henry  Moore,  Ashbel  Steele  and  Thomas  R. 
Hubbard  were  appointed  to  prepare  an  address  to  the  people.  The 
meeting  appointed  the  following  committee  of  vigilants:  Ashbel 
Steele,  Charles  McClure,  John  Holbrook,  Tuthill  King,  George 
Shadding,  Augustus  Garrett,  H.  G.  Loomis,  John  L.  Wilson,  George 
W.  Merrill,  Benjamin  Church,  Star  Foote  and  David  Foote.  On 
November  12,  the  American  triumphantly  said,  "We  have  met  the 
enemy  and  they  are  ours."  Prominent  speakers  at  this  meeting  were 
Henry  Moore,  William  Stuart,  J.  N.  Balestier  and  Edward  W. 
Casey.  The  Presidential  election  of  1836  in  Cook  county  resulted 
as  follows : 

Harrison,    Van  Buren, 
PRECINCTS.  Majority.     Majority. 

Chicago   j 6  0 

Naperville   8  0 

Des  Plaines   5  0 

Lake 0  10 

Du  Page  ; 0  2 

Elk    5  0 

Saganaskee     3  0 

Thornton    0  1 

Brush   Hill 5  0 

Elgin    (tie) 0  0 

Totals 32  13 

In  the  spring  of  1837  John  H.  Kinzie  was  the  Whig  candidate  for 
mayor.  Dr.  W.  B.  Egan  refused  to  run  for  that  position.  In  1838 
the  vote  in  Cook  county  for  Governor  was  as  follows :  Edwards, 
Whig,  832;  Carlin,  Democrat,  1664.  Thus  the  county  was  strongly 
Democratic.  In  1839  the  following  precincts  were  set  off  to  Du 
Page  county:  Cass,  Salt  Creek,  Naperville,  Du  Page  and  Brush 
Hill. 

In  1838  the  regular  Democratic  candidate  for  sheriff  was  beaten 
by  Isaac  R.  Gavin,  an  Independent  Democratic  candidate.  In  1840 
the  regular  Democratic  candidate  was  beaten  by  Ashbel  Steele,  the 
regular  Whig  candidate.  In  1842  the  regular  Democratic  candidate 
was  elected,  but  there  was  a  majority  against  him.  In  1844  the  reg- 
ular Democratic  candidate,  S-  J.  Lowe,  won.  In  1846  the  regular 
Democratic  candidate,  Isaac  Cook,  won.  In  1850  the  regular  Dem- 
ocratic candidate  was  beaten  by  W.  L.  Church,  the  Independent 
Democratic  candidate. 

An  important  question  in  1839  was  whether  unnaturalized  citizens 
should  be  permitted  to  vote  for  state  and  county  officers.  Naturally 
the  party  in  power  favored  that  view.  In  August,  1839,  the  Demo- 
crats had  three  candidates  for  recorder.  Eli  B.  Williams  was  the 


332  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

regular  Democratic  candidate.  Their  candidate  for  commissioner 
was  John  McCord ;  for  treasurer,  Isaac  Cook ;  county  clerk,  George 
Davis;  probate  judge,  G.  O.  A.  Beaumont;  county  treasurer,  Seth 
Wells;  and  county  surveyor,  Asa  F.  Bradley.  The  Whig  county 
committee  at  this  time  was  A.  Clybourn,  Theodorus  Doty,  Socrates 
Rand,  William  Young,  Justin  Butterfield,  E.  H.  Haddock  and  John 
Gage.  Concerning  the  election  of  August,  1839,  the  American 
in  June,  said :  "Recorder  of  Deeds — This  office  is  a  bone  of  conten- 
tion among  the  faithful — this  is  the  rock  on  which  they  split.  The 
secret  of  the  matter  lies  in  a  nutshell.  The  office  is  one  of  emolu- 
ment. It  is  the  part  of  the  spoils  best  worth  preserving."  On 
August  3  that  paper  also  said :  "American  citizens !  Stop !  Think ! 
Reflect!  To  what  pass  are  we  fast  approaching?  Already  an  Irish 
representative  and  an  Irish  sheriff,  with  entire  foreign  deputies;  two 
Irish  candidates  for  recorder  and  five  Irish  candidates  for  the  offices 
of  county  clerk,  county  surveyor  and  constables.  In  the  name  of  all 
we  love  most,  our  country  and  our  liberty,  shall  we  submit  to  such 
dictation?"  The  campaign  of  1840  was  the  most  exciting  and  the 
most  intensely  pressed  of  any  up  to  that  time  ever  in  Cook  county. 
The  Whigs  were  determined  to  defeat  the  Democrats.  They  began 
early  and  it  was  afterwards  claimed  won  the  campaign  by  their 
songs.  It  was  declared  that  they  literally  sung  their  candidate  to 
success.  At  the  Whig  county  convention  at  the  Illinois  exchange 
on  July  26,  1840,  Eben  Conant  of  Des  Plaines  was  chairman  and 
J.  M.  Underwood  secretary.  This  convention  passed  the  following 
resolutions :  "Resolved,  That  the  Whigs  of  Cook  county  feel  entire 
confidence  in  the  honesty  and  capability  of  John  Stuart  and  will  give 
him  their  undivided  support  for  the  office  of  Representative  in  Con- 
gress." The  following  candidates  were  nominated :  County  com- 
missioner of  Chicago  precinct,  Socrates  Rand ;  school  commissioner, 
Louis  B.  Goodsell ;  sheriff,  Ashbel  Steele ;  coroner,  Eri  Reynolds. 
John  M.  Wilson  of  Will  county  was  nominated  for  representative; 
also  William  B.  Ogden  and  G.  A.  O.  Beaumont,  both  of  Cook  county, 
for  representatives.  Gen.  James  Turney  was  nominated  for  senator. 
Buckner  S.  Morris  of  Cook  county  was  a  Harrison  and  Tyler  elector 
in  1840.  Members  of  the  Democratic  and  Whig  parties  who  favored 
that  work  on  the  canal  should  be  at  once  commenced  and  pushed  to 
completion  called  a  canal  convention  to  be  held  at  Spencer's  tavern 
on  the  Des  Plaines  river  early  in  the  fall  of  1840.  The  movement 
was  too  weak  to  amount  to  much.  During  the  campaign  of  1840 
John  Wentworth,  who  had  become  prominent  as  editor  of  the 
Democrat  and  as  a  Democratic  partisan,  was  unstintedly  abused  and 
caricatured.  He  was  represented  as  a  crane  and  was  called  "Daddy 
long  legs."  The  American  of  August,  1840,  said  concerning  the 
August  election  that  the  Democratic  or  Locofoco  triumphs  were 
confined  to  the  neighborhood  of  the  canal — that  the  party  was  sup- 
ported not  by  the  farming  community  of  the  state,  but  by  the  tran- 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  333 

sient  laborers  and  scalawags  who  congregated  along  the  canal. 
The  paper  asked  why  the  Whigs  should  feel  downcast  because  they 
had  not  carried  the  Legislature  and  asked  "Did  we  ever  carry  it? 
Never !  Nor  can  we  reasonably  expect  to  do  it  until  there  is  another 
apportionment  of  representation.  The  Whig's  stronghold  is  lost 
by  the  present  system.  The  new  counties  away  from  the  canal  line 
are  all  Whig.  .  .  We  all  know  that  Jackson  had  6,000  major- 
ity and  Van  Buren  between  3,000  and  4,000  majority;  while  Carlin 
had  about  1,000  majority  in  1838.  Already  has  Carlin's  majority 
been  neutralized.  As  far  as  heard  from  there  is  a  Whig  gain  of 
1,200  since  Carlin's  election.  Depend  upon  it,  Illinois  is  safe  for  old 
Tippecanoe.  He  has  strength  of  his  own  and  the  "Old  Hero"  can- 
not be  beat  in  his  old  territory."  The  American  of  August  14,  also 
said: 

"The  Hon.  Ebenezer  Peck,  with  that  characteristic  meanness 
which  ever  marks  the  character  of  a  skulking  demagogue,  has  come 
out  with  a  brutal  tirade  of  indecent  ribaldry,  attacking  the  character 
of  Mr.  William  B.  Ogden.  If  Peck  had  published  this  obscene  effu- 
sion before  the  election,  some  apology  might  have  been  made  for 
him,  for  never  was  a  political  mountebank  so  galled  and  flayed  and 
cut  to  the  raw,  as  Peck  was  by  Mr.  Ogden  in  his  scathing  letter. 
We  do  not  intend  to  take  up  the  cudgel  in  defense  of  Mr.  Ogden ;  he 
is  fully  competent  to  fight  his  own  battles.  It  is  out  of  the  power  of 
Peck  to  injure  the  fair  fame  of  William  B.  Ogden  in  this  commu- 
nity, and  no  one  is  better  aware  of  the  fact  than  Mr.  Ogden  him- 
self." 

A  large  proportion  of  this  community  in  September,  1840,  were 
unnaturalized  Irish  who  had  in  a  measure  controlled  the  election  of 
August,  1840.  Said  the  American  of  August  5,  1840:  "It  is 
well  known  that  a  large  portion,  perhaps  a  majority,  of  the 
voters  in  this  district  were  unnaturalized  foreigners.  It  is  also 
known  that  this  foreign  influence  is  perverted  to  the  election  of  men 
unfit  for  office,  and  that  the  foreign  population  of  Cook  and  Will 
counties  have  asserted  the  right,  as  they  hold  the  power,  to  elect 
officers  for  the  sole  reason  that  they  are  Irishmen." 

In  1840,  over  two  hundred  and  fifty  Whigs  of  this  vicinity  signed 
a  petition  to  Congress  to  prohibit  men  of  foreign  birth  from  becom- 
ing citizens. 

Although  the  Canal  ticket  of  1840  was  comparatively  small  yet 
it  served  to  split  up  both  the  Whigs  and  the  Democrats  in  such  a 
way  that  the  Whigs  really  triumphed  throughout  the  county.  The 
vote  for  coroner  in  the  county  later  served  as  an  illustration  of  this 
fact  and  was  as  follows :  Eri  Reynolds,  Whig  canal  candidate  for 
coroner,  received  427  votes;  Lyman  Butterfield,  Democratic  candi- 
date for  coroner,  242;  Edward  Murphy,  Irish  candidate  for  coro- 
ner, 239;  John  K.  Boyer,  German  candidate  for  coroner,  209. 
Reynolds  received  the  Whig  vote;  Butterfield  the  native  Democratic 


334  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

vote;  Murphy  the  entire  Irish  vote,  and  Boyer  the  whole  foreign 
vote  that  was  not  Irish.  The  August  election  of  1840  was  really  a 
test  of  the  foreigners  against  the  native  Americans  on  the  question 
of  naturalization. 

At  a  big  meeting  of  the  Whigs  held  at  the  City  Saloon  on  August 
14,  1840,  a  Tippecanoe  club  was  organized.  At  this  meeting  J.  N. 
Balestier  served  as  chairman.  Grant  Goodrich  spoke  to  the  assem- 
blage. The  principal  speech,  however,  was  made  by  George  C. 
Bates  of  Detroit.  It  was  a  splendid  defense  of  the  American  credit 
system  which  had  been  destroyed  by  the  Jacksonian  Democracy. 
The  American  said :  "Mr.  Bates  made  one  of  the  ablest  and  most 
eloquent  addresses  it  has  ever  been  our  good  fortune  to  hear."  The 
paper  ended  by  asking:  "What  has  reared  these  live  streets  and 
these  magnificent  warehouses?  What  has  peopled  this  beautiful 
city  with  an  enlightened  and  enterprising  population  in  so  short  a 
period?  It  was  that  great  bugbear  of  the  Locofocos,  the  Credit 
System."  The  officers  of  the  Chicago  Tippecanoe  club  were  as 
follows :  John  Gage,  president ;  A.  N.  Fullerton  of  the  First  Ward, 
J.  O.  Humphrey  of  the  Second  Ward,  Charles  Cleaver  of  the  Third 
Ward,  George  Montgomery  of  the  Fourth  Ward,  S-  Gilbert  of  the 
Fifth  Ward,  and  John  Lang  of  the  Sixth  Ward,  vice-presidents; 
William  Larrabee,  secretary;  L,.  B.  Goodsell,  treasurer;  L.  D. 
Boone,  J.  N.  Balestier  and  Grant  Goodrich,  correspondence  com- 
mittee. 

During  the  fall  of  1840,  Whig  and  Democratic  clubs  were  organ- 
ized in  almost  every  precinct  of  the  county.  The  Whig  clubs  were 
usually  called  Tippecanoe  clubs  and  the  campaign  was  characterized 
by  torchlight  processions  and  songs.  In  1840  Judge  John  Pearson 
was  a  candidate  for  the  United  States  Senate  to  supersede  John  M. 
Robinson,  whose  term  would  expire  in  March,  1841.  On  Septem- 
ber 24,  an  immense  Harrison  meeting  was  held  in  Chicago,  on  which 
occasion  Hon.  John  T.  Stuart,  congressman,  was  the  principal 
speaker.  Salmon  P.  Chase,  who  happened  to  be  present  in  the  city, 
spoke  at  this  meeting.  The  American  of  September  25,  said :  Mr. 
Chase,  we  learn,  is  a  talented  young  lawyer  of  Cincinnati,  from 
near  the  residence  of  the  Old  Hero.  His  happy  and  practical 
remarks,  his  interesting  anecdotes  of  the  Old  Hero,  drew  forth 
frequent  bursts  of  applause.  We  regret  that  we  have  not  time  to 
give  a  report  of  his  speech.  His  figure,  manner  and  voice  are  very 
commanding  and  mark  him  for  an  interesting  and  impressive  stump 
speaker." 

The  American  of  September  8,  said :  "We  recently  visited  the 
good  Whig  precincts  of  Salt  Creek  and  Barrington,  which  did  so 
nobly  in  August  last — Hanover  also.  The  western  precincts  of  the 
county  are  enthusiastic  in  favor  of  Harrison,  and  they  promise  a 
large  majority  in  November  next." 

During  the  fall  of  1840  the  Democrats  of  Chicago  assembled  in 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  335 

the  City  Saloon  rooms  at  the  City  hotel,  while  the  Whigs  met  in 
their  club  room,  Tippecanoe  hall  on  the  North  Side.  The  election 
of  November,  1840,  was  one  of  the  most  exciting  ever  held  here. 
Captain  Hunter,  Col.  James  M.  Strode,  register  of  the  land  office, 
and  John  C.  Wilson,  ex-alderman,  were  put  in  jail  on  election  day 
for  resisting  the  sheriff.  Judge  Smith  of  the  Supreme  Court,  armed 
with  a  pistol  headed  a  mob  that  threatened  to  tear  down  the  jail 
if  these  men  were  not  released,  but  Ashbel  Steele,  the  sheriff,  pre- 
vented any  serious  trouble.  The  American  of  November  6  said : 

"Atrocious  Outrage. — Attack  of  a  Supreme  Court  Judge  on  the 
Jail. — On  the  afternoon  of  Monday,  the  election  day,  a  few  persons 
were  imprisoned  by  the  sheriff  in  the  jail  of  this  city  for  breaches 
of  the  peace,  Judge  Smith  of  the  Supreme  Court  placed  himself  at 
the  head  of  a  mob,  went  up  to  the  jail  and  demanded  of  the  sheriff 
that  the  prisoners  should  be  released — that  he  would  have  them  out 
or  tear  down  the  jail.  He  went  up  within  a  few  feet  of  the  door  of 
the  jail  and  said  that  he  be  damned  if  he  would  not  have  the 
prisoners  out.  The  sheriff  and  some  of  the  citizens  resisted  his 
attempts,  and  after  the  judge  had  flourished  his  pistols  and  a  resort 
to  some  farce  was  had,  the  judge  seeing  that  he  could  not  compass 
his  peaceful  and  lawful  object  went  away  with  his  mob." 

The  American  of  November  4,  said:  "At  Dutchman's  Point, 
Lake  precinct,  all  the  Harrison  votes  sent  out  from  the  city  to  this 
precinct  were  smuggled  the  fore  part  of  the  day  and  toward  night 
were  thrown  out  of  the  window.  Had  it  not  been  for  the  vigilance 
of  George  Chacksfield  and  W.  H.  Davis,  of  this  city,  the  Locos  by 
fraud  and  trickery  would  have  had  the  precinct  all  their  own  way." 

Both  Chacksfield  and  Davis  corrected  the  American.  By  mistake 
no  tickets  were  sent  to  Dutchman's  Point,  Lake  precinct.  It  was  not 
until  the  arrival  of  S.  W.  Sherman,  one  of  the  judges,  that  the  names 
of  the  electors  were  learned.  All  tickets  were  then  written  out  by 
hand  and  no  others  were  issued  during  the  day.  The  presidential 
vote  by  precincts,  Cook  county,  in  1840,  was  as  follows: 

Harrison.  Van  Buren. 

PRECINCTS.                                    (Whig.)  (Dem.) 

Gross  Point  14  54 

Thornton  46  69 

Monroe  49  47 

Saganaskee  35  12 

Bridgeport   5  27 

Salt  Creek  67  50 

Des  Plaines  54  63 

Lake   33  56 

Athens   57  500 

Lyons    25  19 

Summit  27  285 

Chicago    622  807 

Hanover    No  vote 

Barrington   No  vote 

1,034  1,989 


336  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

The  American  of  November,  several  issues,  said :  "Never  in  the 
history  of  elections  has  there  been  such  an  excitement  as  the  present 
for  election  news.  .  .  .  Whose  Fault  Is  It?  Owing  to  the 
culpable  negligence  of  somebody  there  were  no  election  notices  put 
up  in  Hanover  and  Harrington  precincts  in  this  county  and  the 
polls  were  not  opened.  Is  there  no  penalty  for  such  neglect?  .  . 
.  Not  to  Be  Cheated. — The  staunch  and  indomitable  Whigs  of 
Hanover  and  Barrington  precincts  in  this  county  were  determined 
not  to  be  disfranchised  because  through  Locofoco  negligence  or 
fraudulent  design  no  polls  were  opened.  They  went  to  Dundee, 
Lake  precinct,  and  the  result  is  declared.  Those  two  precincts 
would  have  given  us  a  handsome  Whig  majority,  which  would  have 
still  more  reduced  the  Locofoco  majority  in  this  county." 

In  the  spring  of  1841  the  Democrats  elected  Francis  C.  Sherman, 
proprietor  of  the  Sherman  house,  Mayor  of  Chicago.  Henry  G. 
Hubbard  was  appointed  clerk  of  the  circuit  court  in  March,  1841, 
by  Judge  Smith,  vice  R.  J.  Hamilton.  The  death  of  President 
Harrison  in  1841  was  duly  observed  in  Chicago.  The  Whigs  of 
1841  demanded:  1.  A  solvent  specie  paying  national  bank;  2. 
The  passage  of  a  land  bill ;  3.  A  general  bankrupt  law ;  4.  Pro- 
tection to  American  industry;  5.  Fair  prices  for  home  products; 
6.  Better  times;  7.  Higher  prices  for  wheat,  etc.  From  1837  to 
1848  the  Democrats  of  this  county  were  intensely  bitter  against  any 
national  banking  law.  In  fact  the  teachings  of  the  Jacksonian  ad- 
ministration had  rendered  odious  any  banking  law  whatever.  Par- 
ticularly was  John  Wentworth,  editor  of  the  Democrat,  the  enemy 
of  all  banking  institutions ;  a  national  bank  in  his  estimation  was 
the  basest  crime  against  commercial  and  material  prosperity.  In 
those  days  people  were  not  so  well  posted  as  at  present;  thousands 
of  farmers  did  not  take  a  newspaper  and  what  they  learned  of  public 
affairs  was  hazy  and  more  or  less  erroneous.  Many  of  those  who 
did  take  a  county  paper  were  unduly  influenced  in  favor  of  their 
own  party  and  against  the  opposition.  They  were  taught  to  believe 
that  the  opposition  were  rascals  of  the  deepest  dye. 

"The  Chicago  Democrat  was  the  first  paper  I  ever  remember 
seeing  and  my  first  political  impressions  were  received  from  it.  It 
was  customary  in  those  days  as  now  to  berate  the  Whigs  in  the 
Democrat,  and  I  verily  believed  they  were  a  set  of  banditti  seeking 
the  country's  ruin.  I  had  no  more  idea  a  Whig  could  be  an  honest 
man  than  I  had  that  a  robber  could  be  honest." — (Lang  Syne  in 
Democratic  Press,  April  17,  1854.) 

Thus  during  the  period  from  1837  to  1848  the  bankers  had  a 
sorry  time  of  it. 

At  a  Whig  meeting  held  September  30,  1841,  at  Tippecanoe  hall, 
the  Republican  headquarters  on  the  North  Side,  John  Gage  served 
as  chairman  and  W.  M.  Larrabee  as  secretary.  J.  N.  Balestier,  J.  H. 
Kinzie  and  A.  M.  Fullerton  were  appointed  a  committee  on  resolu- 


CHARLES    \V.    PETERS. 
WILL   T.    DAV1ES. 


CHRISTOPHER    STRASSHEIM. 


HENRY    SPEARS. 


L.    A.    BRUNDAGE. 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  339 

tions.  The  principal  speakers  were  Grant  Goodrich  and  Buckner  S. 
Morris.  James  H.  Ralston  was  the  Democratic  candidate  for  Con- 
gress and  John  M.  Stuart  the  Whig  candidate;  Ralston  was  elected. 
The  latter  received  about  810  votes  in  Cook  county  and  Stuart  about 
500.  For  school  commissioner,  Church,  Democrat,  received  823 
votes  and  Goodsell,  Whig,  456 — these  figures  showing  the  majority 
throughout  the  county.  At  the  August  election  of  1841  Frederick 
Collins,  Abolition  candidate  for  Congress,  received  in  Cook  county 
a  total  of  35  votes. 

In  November,  1841,  Governor  Carlin  visited  Chicago.  He  was 
met  at  the  Summit  by  a  delegation  among  whom  were  John  Went- 
worth,  Benjamin  W.  Raymond  and  R.  J.  Hamilton  and  escorted 
to  the  city  by  a  cavalcade  of  about  sixty  citizens.  Upon  his  arrival 
here  he  held  a  public  reception  at  the  City  Hall.  He  was  tendered 
a  bountiful  dinner  at  which  numerous  patriotic  and  business  toasts 
were  drunk.  At  this  time  the  canal  began  again  to  interest  Chica- 
goans.  It  had  lain  dormant  for  some  time  and  was  destined  to  lay 
dormant  still  longer.  Chicago,  of  course,  was  anxious  for  its  com- 
pletion and  here  the  canal  question  was  probably  the  most  important 
from  a  political  standpoint. 

In  February,  1842,  the  Whigs  nominated  Benjamin  W.  Raymond 
for  mayor  and  William  H.  Davis  for  city  marshal.  Augustus  Gar- 
rett  was  the  Democratic  candidate  for  mayor  and  Henry  Smith  the 
Abolition  candidate.  The  following  was  the  vote  polled : 

B.  W.  Raymond.    A.  Garrett.  Henry  Smith. 

PRECINCTS.                                    (Whig)  (Dem.)  (Abol.) 

First   ward 162  96  21 

Second   ward 110  168  21 

Third  ward 26  18  1 

Fourth  ward 13  16  0 

Fifth   ward 52  35  0 

Sixth    ward 127  99  10 

Totals    490  432  53 

During  the  municipal  campaign  of  1842  Seth  Johnson,  who  was 
nominated  for  alderman  on  the  Abolition  ticket,  declined  the  honor, 
saying  that  he  was  not  a  political  Abolitionist,  but  one  from  prin- 
ciple. The  Temperance  party  at  this  time  began  to  make  a  strong 
showing  in  local  politics.  Col.  Lewis  C.  Kercheval  was  elected  by 
the  Temperance  people,  a  justice  of  the  peace,  to  fill  a  vacancy. 
Cook  county  in  the  fall  of  1842  gave  John  Ford  a  majority  of  about 
700  votes  over  his  opponent,  Mr.  Duncan,  for  the  governorship. 
The  Abolition  candidate  for  Governor  received  in  Cook  county  a 
total  of  thirty-seven  votes.  In  August,  1842,  the  American  accused 
Dr.  Murphy,  Democratic  representative,  with  having  forced  through 
the  Legislature  the  bill  which  reduced  the  school  fund  of  Cook- 
county  in  favor  of  the  counties  which  had  been  carved  from  Cook. 
At  this  time  Samuel  Hoard  represented  Cook  and  Lake  counties 

Vol.   I — 20. 


340  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

in. the  Senate  and  H.  L.  Stewart,  Lot  Whitcomb  and  I.  N.  Arnold 
were  representatives.  The  actual  vote  for  Governor  in  1842  in 
Cook  county  was:  Ford,  Democrat,  1,328;  Duncan,  Whig,  625. 
At  previous  elections  the  result  for  Governor  and  President  was  as 
follows:  In  1838  Carlin,  Democrat,  received  1,664  votes  and  Ed- 
wards, Whig,  832.  Thus  the  county  still  maintained  its  accustomed 
Democratic  majority  during  those  years. 

In  June,  1842,  ex-President  Martin  Van  Buren  visited  Chicago. 
He  was  formally  received  by  the  city.  On  July  19,  the  Whig 
county  convention  assembled  at  the  City  Saloon;  F.  T.  Miner  was 
chairman  and  S.  F.  Gale  and  E.  K.  Rogers  were  secretaries.  John 
Blackstone  of  Blue  Island  and  B.  W.  Raymond  and  John  Gage  of 
Chicago  were  nominated  for  representatives.  James  A.  Smith  was 
nominated  for  sheriff.  At  this  time  the  tariff  bill  of  1842  was  elab- 
orately discussed  here. 

The  act  of  March  1,  1843,  authorized  the  county  commissioners 
to  increase  the  number  of  places  for  holding  elections  in  the  Chicago 
precinct  in  said  county  to  any  number  not  exceeding  five  as  would 
be  most  convenient  for  the  voters. 

In  June,  1843,  George  W.  Dole  was  chairman  of  the  Whig 
county  committee  and  S.  Lisle  Smith  secretary.  The  Whig  county 
convention  this  year  was  held  at  Spencer's  hall,  Cazenovia,  on  July 
8.  John  Wentworth  was  the  Democratic  candidate  for  Congress 
and  was  elected  by  a  majority  of  1,610  in  the  whole  district.  Cook 
county  gave  him  a  majority  of  281.  Giles  Spring  was  the  Whig 
candidate  for  Congress  and  received  891 ;  Henderson,  the  Abolition 
candidate,  received  132  votes;  scattering  votes  were  three;  total 
2,198. 

In  February,  1844,  Augustus  Garrett  received  the  unanimous 
nomination  of  the  Democrats  to  succeed  himself  as  mayor.  George 
W.  Dole  was  the  Whig  candidate  for  mayor;  Garrett  received  805 
votes;  Dole  798  votes  and  H.  Smith,  Abolitionist,  193  votes;  for  city 
marshal,  Henry  Rhines,  Democrat,  received  386  votes ;  Orson  Smith 
also  Democrat,  779  votes;  P.  Dean,  Abolitionist,  405  votes  and 
M.  S.  Wood,  Independent,  72  votes.  This  election  showed  a  con- 
siderable increase  in  the  number  of  Abolitionists  in  the  city. 

In  January,  1844,  citizens  of  Chicago  petitioned  Congress  not 
to  admit  Texas  into  the  Union.  This  petition  was  presented  to  the 
House  by  Mr.  Wentworth.  In  1844  Wentworth  received  1,736 
votes  for  Congress,  and  B.  S.  Morris,  his  Whig  opponent,  received 
792  votes.  Thus  the  district  was  strongly  Democratic  as  was  also 
Cook  county.  John  Wentworth  favored  the  repeal  of  the  protective 
tariff  law  of  1842.  His  opponent,  B.  S.  Morris,  like  all  Whigs,  fa- 
vored the  law  and  therefore  favored  a  protective  tariff.  Morris  op- 
posed the  annexation  of  Texas  and  Wentworth  favored  the  same ;  in 
that  respect  the  latter  sided  with  his  party,  although  at  a  later  date  he 
opposed  any  extension  of  slave  territory.  The  Whig  candidates 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  341 

for  county  offices  were  G.  A.  O.  Beaumont  for  Senator;  William 
Devol  for  county  commissioner  at  Chicago,  and  A.  Clybourn  for 
sheriff. 

In  the  spring  of  1844  D.  Walker,  J.  Kelly,  R.  J.  Hamilton,  D.  L. 
Roberts,  Ira  Miltimore,  J.  Robinson,  T.  B.  Bridges,  S.  R.  Ball, 
V.  H.  Freeman,  J.  Row,  C.  Sweet  and  J.  A.  Oliver  were  Abolition 
candidates  for  aldermen.  Ira  Miltimofe  was  elected  and  the  Demo- 
crats accused  him  of  having  voted  for  Rhines  for  the  office  of  mar- 
shal and  declared  that  Rhines  was  "a  notorious  negro  catcher." 
The  Abolition  ticket  was  called  the  Liberty  ticket  and  Miltimore 
became  the  Liberty  alderman.  In  1843  the  Abolition  vote  of  Cook 
county  for  Henderson,  congressman  was  132.  In  1844  the  Abolition 
vote  of  Cook  county  was  317.  The  following  is  the  vote  at  the  presi- 
dential election  of  November,  1844 : 

Polk  (Dem.).     Clay  (Whig).     Birney  (Abol.). 

North  Chicago 270  127  36 

South   Chicago 388  203  100 

East  Chicago 550  431  66 

West   Chicago 168  80  20 

Athens    80  11  6 

Harrington   21  28  7 

Blue  Island 23  19  1 

Des    Plaines 80  42  15 

Gross   Point 74  12  0 

Hanover  23  12  9 

Lyons    33  25  8 

Lake    98  41  12 

Monroe    51  28  15 

Summit    33  7  1 

Salt  Creek 71  30  4 

Thornton    28  12  10 

York   33  11  7 


Totals 2,074  1,119  317 

The  result  of  the  municipal  election  in  the  spring  of  1844  was  the 
complete  success  of  the  Democratic  party.  Augustus  Garrett  was 
reflected  by  a  small  majority  and  the  Democrats  also  elected  eight 
of  the  twelve  aldermen.  The  Democrat  said :  "We  claim  this 
under  all  the  circumstances  as  one  of  the  most  decisive  and  glorious 
victories  ever  achieved  in  our  city.  We  have  accomplished  what  the 
Democratic  party  in  this  city  when  in  the  least  divided  or  rent  in 
twain  was  never  able  to  do,  viz. :  The  election  of  two-thirds  of  the 
aldermen,  together  with  the  mayor  and  a  Democratic  marshal." 
The  popularity  of  Mr.  Dole  enabled  him  to  come  within  seven  votes 
of  as  many  as  were  received  by  Augustus  Garrett.  Had  he  received 
eight  votes  more  he  would  have  been  elected  mayor. 

Mayor  Garrett  in  his  inaugural  address  in  March,  1844,  referring 
to  the  past  year,  said  that  expenses  had  been  swelled  during  1843 
by  the  purchase  of  hydrants  and  hose,  building  the  cemetery  fence, 
constructing  the  Clark  street  sewer  and  making  crossways — all 
costing  about  $2,500.  But  notwithstanding  this  extraordinary 


342  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

expense  there  was  enough  balance  left  to  pay  arrearages  of  interest 
on  the  city  debt  and  to  pay  $1,000  of  the  principal  due  Stracham  & 
Scott.  During  the  whole  year  city  orders  had  been  kept  at  par,  thus 
enabling  the  city  to  do  business  on  a  cash  basis.  For  1844  the  Fort 
Dearborn  addition  and  the  canal  lots  sold  in  October,  1843,  would 
become  taxable,  thus  insuring  an  increase  in  revenue.  The  enhanced 
value  of  real  estate  would  also  add  to  the  revenue.  But  rigid  econ- 
omy should  be  practiced,  and  the  debt  of  the  city  would  be  wiped 
out  within  two  years,  thus  presenting  "the  spectacle  of  the  city  of 
9,000  inhabitants  free  from  debt,  with  credit  restored  and  equal  to 
any  city  in  the  world."  The  Mayor  said :  "The  thanks  of  the  citi- 
zens are  due  to  the  whole  fire  department  for  the  untiring  exertion 
used  in  cases  of  fire  and  their  vigilance  in  guarding  against  it. 
During  the  past  year  considerable  improvements  have  been  made 
in  this  department,  especially  in  the  purchase  of  hydrants  and  hose. 
It  however  becomes  imperatively  necessary  that  the  city  should  pur- 
chase a  new  engine  of  the  most  approved  plan.  We  have  not  now 
a  perfect  engine  in  the  city,  and  the  cost  is  nothing  in  comparison 
with  the  property  at  stake.  I  regret  to  say  that  depredations  have 
been  committed  from  time  to  time  by  the  disinterment  of  bodies  from 
the  cemetery,  in  the  grossest  violation  of  private  feeling  as  well  as 
public  decency.  I  would  urge  the  most  constant  vigilance  to  pre- 
vent such  occurrences  in  the  future,  and  the  offering  of  large 
rewards  for  the  detection  of  the  offenders."  During  1843  the  ex- 
penses of  the  bridges  were  about  $1,500.  It  was  suggested  that  as 
soon  as  the  canal  was  opened  and  stone  could  thus  be  easily  and 
cheaply  procured,  the  streets  should  be  macadamized  as  an  experi- 
ment. Packers  who  had  been  fined  for  maintaining  nuisances  asked 
to  have  a  free  tract  designated  where  slaughtering  would  not  be  a 
nuisance.  Trouble  having  arisen  over  the  street  lines  of  lots,  it  was 
advised  that  the  Legislature  be  asked  to  pass  an  act  for  a  new  sur- 
vey to  define  lot  boundaries,  etc.  Complaint  was  also  made  that 
the  poor  man  was  required  to  pay  as  much  road  tax  as  the  rich 
man  and  this  was  declared  not  fair — three  days'  labor  were  required. 
In  regard  to  the  public  schools,  the  Mayor  said :  "Under  an  able 
board  of  inspectors  and  a  skillful  agent  the  schools  have  continued 
to  flourish  and  the  number  of  scholars  to  increase  during  the  past 
year.  Such  has  been  the  addition  of  scholars  that  it  becomes  neces- 
sary to  increase  the  number  of  schools  and  form  new  districts.  A 
plan  has  also  been  proposed  to  establish  a  high  school  in  addition 
to  the  district  schools.  I  recommend  that  an  immediate  examina- 
tion should  be  made  upon  the  subject,  with  a  view  to  the  improve- 
ment of  their  organization,  the  system  of  instruction,  and  the  num- 
ber of  districts  and  district  schools,  and  the  school  tax  for  the  pres- 
ent year  be  raised  to  the  former  rate  of  one  mill,  for  the  purpose  of 
effecting  the  improvements  now  needed,  and  that  should  it  be  neces- 
sary a  temporary  loan  for  a  few  months  in  anticipation  of  the  pay- 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  343 

ment  of  school  tax  should  be  made.  .  .  .  Within  a  single  year, 
our  citizens  from  poverty  and  bankruptcy  have  again  become  pros- 
perous and  are  again  rising  in  affluence." — -(Chicago  Democrat, 
March  13,  1844.) 

The  Democrat  of  April  4  had  the  following  spicy  paragraph : 
"Matrimony. — The  Abolitionists  and  Whigs  have  been  hugging, 
kissing  and  courting  long  enough  and  we  think  they  had  now  better 
marry.  The  public  are  anxious  to  see  the-  children  of  the  two  col- 
ored parties." 

The  Journal  of  August  14,  1844,  said:  "We  hope  that  those  of 
our  Whig  friends  who  are  Abolitionists  will  learn  wisdom  from  the 
recent  election.  The  Loco  Abolitionists  talk  Liberty  partyism  but 
they  do  not  vote  it.  Before  the  election  many  Locofocos  pretend 
to  be  in  favor  of  political  Abolitionism,  but  when  the  day  of  elec- 
tion comes,  they  vote  for  the  whole  Locofoco  ticket — John  Went- 
worth  and  all." 

The  most  important  political  questions  before  the  people  of  Cook 
County  early  in  1845  were  the  following:  1.  War  on  the  national 
bank.  2.  A  sub-treasury  system.  3.  Canal  ticket  excitement. 
4.  A  state  bank.  5.  County  and  state  taxation.  6.  The  tariff  of 
1842. 

In  the  spring  of  1846  the  Democrats  nominated  Mr.  Follansbee 
for  mayor,  the  Whigs  nominated  Mr.  Chapin,  and  the  Abolitionists 
nominated  Mr.  Carpenter.  Mr.  Follansbee  received  677  votes,  Mr. 
Chapin  1,104  and  Mr.  Carpenter  229.  This  result  was  caused  by  a 
split  in  the  ranks  of  the  Democracy.  The  vote  for  interest  on  the 
school  fund  was  as  follows :  For  12  per  cent  interest,  443  votes ; 
for  10  per  cent,  seven  votes;  for  8  per  cent,  four  votes.  The  Cook 
county  vote  for  congressmen  in  1846  was  as  follows:  For  Went- 
worth,<  Democrat,  2,412;  for  Kerr,  Whig,  776;  for  Lovejoy,  Aboli- 
tionist, 481.  It  should  be  added  here  that  Mr.  Wentworth  was  the 
only  Illinois  representative  in  Congress  who  in  1846  voted  for  the 
Wilmot  Proviso. 

Of  course  the  most  important  question  before  Cook  county  in 
1847  was  the  River  and  Harbor  convention  held  here  that  year. 
In  importance  to  Chicago  then  and  ever  since  it  overshadowed  every 
other  consideration  at  that  time.  However,  the  question  of  a  new 
constitution  was  also  considered  at  this  date. 

It  was  in  1847  at  the  time  the  Wilmot  Proviso  was  considered  by 
Congress  that  many  leading  men  connected  with  the  Democratic 
party  left  the  same,  owing  to  the  manifest  determination  of  the 
South  to  use  that  party  in  extending  slavery  to  new  territory.  Mr. 
Wentworth,  although  a  Democrat,  came  out  in  April,  1847,  in  favor 
of  putting  the  words  of  the  Wilmot  Proviso  in  the  proposed  new 
State  Constitution.  For  his  course  he  received  the  abuse  of  the 
slavery  wing  of  his  own  party. 

In  July,  1847,  the  Liberty  party  nominations  in  Cook  county  were 


344  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

as  follows :  For  county  clerk,  James  Kelly ;  recorder,  James  B. 
Doggett;  probate  justice,  W.  P.  Caton;  assessor  and  treasurer, 
T.  P.  Hamilton;  surveyor,  Robert  White.  The  convention  which 
nominated  these  candidates  was  held  at  the  City  Saloon,  Chicago. 
The  Democrat  said  in  regard  to  this  ticket :  "It  is  no  use,  gentle- 
men, there  were  by  far  too  many  intelligent  men  at  the  Elgin  con- 
vention who  clearly  saw  the  lamentable  corruption  of  your  party 
and  your  party  leaders,  to  allow  the  faintest  hope  of  your  casting  a 
respectable  vote  in  any  future  election.  .  .  .  The  scheme  con- 
templates no  less  than  filling  the  recorder's  office  with  a  most  unprin- 
cipled 'bolter'  and  also  filling  the  county  clerk's  office  with  a  most 
unscrupulous  and  reckless  Whig  partisan.  We  urge  and  beseech 
our  friends  to  veto  this  nefarious  design."  All  parties  appointed 
vigilance  committees  to  attend  the  polls,  and  a  fund  to  prosecute 
any  man  who  should  vote  twice  was  raised.  James  A.  Rees  was 
the  Whig  candidate  for  recorder  and  Dr.  E.  S.  Kimberly  the  Demo- 
cratic candidate  for  the  same  office.  Kimberly  received  1,852  votes; 
Rees  419  votes  and  Egan,  Whig,  746.  For  county  clerk  Davis, 
Democrat,  received  1,842  votes  and  Wilson,  Whig,  1,068  votes; 
for  school  commissioner  Manierre  received  2,580  votes  and  Gushing 
his  opponent  four  votes. 

The  Democrat  on  December  21,  1847,  said  of  the  Peace  conven- 
tion here,  held  at  the  Tabernacle  Baptist  Church :  "It  has  been 
called  by  a  few  foreigners  (not  citizens)  and  Abolitionists  who 
under  the  pretext  of  being  the  friends  of  peace,  have  taken  this 
course  to  give  vent  to  their  hostility  to  the  government.  Chicago 
has  done  nobly  in  raising  troops  for  the  war,  and  it  is  really  too  bad 
that  she  should  be  disgraced  with  such  a  meeting." 

On  March  11,  1848,  an  immense  assemblage  of  the  citizens  gath- 
ered at  the  City  Saloon  to  celebrate  the  non-partisan  triumph  of 
the  municipal  election.  One  of  the  ten  resolutions  adopted  was  as 
follows : 

"Resolved,  That  we  have  met  together  as  free  men  and  as  free 
men  we  will  hereafter  act;  and  that  in  our  municipal  elections 
neither  the  chains  of  party  caucuses  nor  the  mandates  of  tyrannous 
demagogues  shall  bind  us ;  but  we  will  make  our  selections  and  cast 
our  votes  irrespective  of  party  politics — owing  no  allegiance  but  to 
the  right — no  fealty  but  to  conscience." 

This  meeting  was  an  attempt  to  break  away  from  the  chains  of 
the  old  parties.  Among  those  who  took  part  were  Charles  Walker, 
Thomas  Church,  Alexander  Lloyd,  William  Jones,  John  Finnerty, 
James  H.  Rees,  Henry  Smith,  Eldin  Granger,  P.  J.  Denker  and 
W.  E.  Jones;  also  were  present  the  following  men,  who  served  as 
committee  on  resolutions :  J.  Y.  Scammon,  Ebenezer  Peck,  B.  W. 
Raymond,  Thomas  A.  Stewart,  Hiram  Hugunin.  Asabel  Pierce, 
E.  Granger,  John  S.  Wright  and  William  B.  Ogden.  Charles 
V.  Dyer,  Philip  Maxwell,  James  H.  Woodworth,  L.  D.  Boone, 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  345 

Stephen  F.  Gale,  Elisha  Woodsworth  and  E.  W.  Tracy  likewise 
took  part  in  the  proceedings.  The  Whigs  in  the  spring  of  1848 
succeeded  in  electing  their  candidate,  James  H.  Woodworth,  for 
mayor.  The  Democratic  candidate  was  James  Curtiss.  Wood- 
worth  received  1,971  votes  and  Curtiss  1,361.  Ambrose  Burham, 
the  Whig  candidate  for  city  marshal,  was  elected  over  Richard  C. 
Ross,  Democrat,  by  a  vote  of  1,973  to  1,265.  Giles  Spring,  Whig 
candidate  for  city  attorney,  was  elected  over  Patrick  Ballingall, 
Democrat,  by  1,912  to  1,312.  The  winning  ticket  in  the  spring 
of  1848  was  called  Independent. 

The  colored  •  article  in  the  proposed  new  constitution  was  de- 
signed to  exclude  free  negroes  from  settling  in  the  state.  In  the 
spring  of  1848  the  majority  for  the  new  constitution  was  324 ;  major- 
ity against  the  negro  clause,  886;  majority  for  the  2-mill  tax,  423. 
'The  Democrat  of  April  5,  1848,  edited  by  John  Wentworth, 
said :  "The  Whigs  of  this  city  are  at  last  exhibiting  signs  of  sanity. 
At  their  late  convention  they  passed  a  vote  of  thanks  to  Hon.  John 
Wentworth  for  his  opposition  to  the  extension  of  slavery,  the  tea 
and  coffee  taxation  and  his  advocacy  of  harbor  and  river  improve- 
ments." 

At  an  immense  independent  meeting  held  in  1848,  on  which 
occasion  J.  H.  Woodworth,  mayor,  presided,  the  assemblage 
adopted  resolutions  declaring  that  the  Cook  county  citizens 
were  opposed  to  any  extension  of  slave  territory ;  that  slavery  was  a 
disgrace  and  a  blot  upon  the  good  name  of  the  country ;  that  slav- 
ery should  be  excluded  from  Oregon,  New  Mexico,  etc. ;  that 
Congress  alone  had  executive  authority  to  organize  new  territories 
and  prohibit  slavery  therein ;  and  that  the  pro-slavery  attitude  of 
the  South  meant  the  separation  therefrom  of  the  Northern  wing 
of  the  Democracy.  At  this  meeting  the  principal  speakers  were 
Henry  Brown,  Isaac  N.  Arnold,  Thomas  Hoyne,  Dr.  Daniel  Brain- 
ard  and  George  Manierre.  This  meeting  was  held  on  April  1,  at 
the  City  saloon.  The  resolutions  adopted  favored  river  and  har- 
bor improvements.  As  showing  the  importance  attached  to  the 
proceedings  of  this  meeting,  it  should  be  stated  that  752  names 
were  signed  to  the  call  for  the  meeting.  The  cry  at  this  time,  not 
only  in  Cook  county  but  throughout  the  whole  North,  was  "Free 
territory.  Free  soil,  Free  speech  and  Free  men." 

An  important  political  event  in  April,  1848,  was  an  extended 
debate  between  J.  Y.  Scammon  and  J.  Lisle  Smith,  both  Whigs, 
as  to  what  attitude  the  Whig  party  should  assume  at  the  Baltimore 
convention.  Scammon  represented  the  Northern  or  McLean  wing 
of  the  Whigs  and  Smith  represented  the  Southern  or  Clay  wing. 
Several  speeches  were  made  by  each  and  much  interest  was  elicited 
in  the  discussion. 

In  1848  the  Abolition  vote  in  Cook  county  for  congressman  was 
472.  That  number  was  polled  in  this  county  for  Owen  Lovejoy 


346  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

for  Congress.  In  the  whole  district  Love  joy  received  a  total  of 
3,430  votes.  The  congressional  campaign  of  1848  was  rendered 
noteworthy  by  the  sharp  contest  between  Wentworth  and  Scam- 
mon.  In  Cook  county  Wentworth  received  2,183  votes  and  Scam- 
mon  1,921.  The  Democrat  of  September  12,  1848,  said: 
"Preaching. — We  have  regular  preaching  every  Sabbath  after- 
noon— some  of  an  apparently  organized  corps  taking  it  upon  them 
in  turn  to  exhort  the  faithful  and  warn  the  unbelieving.  The 
speeches  are  temperance,  land  reform,  abolition,  free  trade  and 
sailors'  rights,  just  as  the  humor  of  the  speaker  leads  him." 

On  July  30  the  Whigs  held  an  immense  meeting  to  ratify  the 
nomination  of  General  Taylor  for  the  presidency.  Just  returned 
from  the  Philadelphia  convention  were  J.  W.  Norris,  John  J. 
Brown  and  Lisle  Smith.  This  was  an  important  meeting,  as  the 
Whigs  practically  adopted  the  national  platform.  Soon  after  the 
presidential  nominations  in  1848  the  Whigs  generally  deserted 
Van  Buren  for  Taylor  and  the  Democrats  deserted  Van  Buren 
for  Cass.  The  Whigs  took  this  course  notwithstanding  the  fact 
that  General  Taylor  was  a  heavy  slave  holder.  Although  the 
Whigs  favored  the  Wilmot  Proviso,  yet  they  supported  Taylor, 
who  owned  slaves.  As  a  matter  of  fact  the  Whigs  of  this  county 
in  mass  meeting  assembled  voted  to  lay  the  Wilmot  Proviso  on 
the  table.  John  Wentworth  declared  that  it  was  not  right  to  bring 
slave  labor  in  competition  with  white  labor.  Accordingly  he  fa- 
vored the  free  homestead  law  and  advocated  giving  to  each  man 
a  farm  in  usufruct  so  long  as  he  continued  unable  to  purchase. 
This  amounted  to  continued  or  extended  preemption  rights,  of 
which  he  must  avail  himself  as  soon  as  he  was  able.  Wentworth 
also  favored  making  all  the  offices  of  the  general  government  elect- 
ive by  the  will  of  the  whole  people.  The  preemption  right  then 
existing  was  for  one  year. 

The  Rockford  Free  Press  of  April,  1849,  contained  the  follow- 
ing notice:  "It  is  a  simple  act  of  justice  to  Mr.  Wentworth  to  say 
that  his  services  to  the  cause  of  freedom,  especially  on  the  last 
night  of  the  late  session  of  Congress,  are  not  and  cannot  be  over- 
rated. To  him  more  than  to  any  other  man  are  California  and 
New  Mexico  indebted  for  the  defeat  of  a  proposition  made  a  few 
hours  before  adjournment,  which,  if  successful,  would  have  bur- 
dened them  with  the  curse  of  slavery.  Who  that  loves  freedom 
does  not  thank  John  Wentworth  for  this?" 

The  Democratic  nominations  in  this  county  were  as  follows: 
Coroner,  Patrick  Kelly;  county  commissioner,  Charles  Santer; 
sheriff,  Isaac  Cook;  representatives,  Francis  C.  Sherman  and  J.  B. 
Witt.  At  this  time  Norman  B.  Judd  was  state  senator  for  Cook 
and  Lake  counties.  In  1848  Gerrett  Smith  was  nominated  for 
president  by  the  Abolitionists.  At  first  they  were  called  Abolition- 
ists, but  later  National  Reformers.  Of  this  party  the  presidential 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  347 

electors  included  the  following  from  Cook  county:  Nathan  H. 

Bolles,  Mr.  Nugent,  Chauncy  T.  Gaston,  Francis  H.  Taylor  and 
Elias  Smalley.  At  the  convention  which  named  these  electors 
Nathan  Bolles  was  chairman  and  F.  H.  Taylor  secretary.  The  vote 

of  the  county  by  precincts  at  the  November  election  of  1848  was  as 
follows : 

PRECINCTS.                              Cass.          Taylor.  Van  Buren    . 

Chicago    1,016           1,283  1,543 

Athens   69               33  4 

Bridgeport    26               11  26 

Lyons    13               43  31 

Des   Plaines 107               64  41 

Blue  Island 42               54  12 

York    18                 6  24 

Monroe 62               27  50 

Thornton    57               17  40 

Barrington  7               43  64 

Salt  Creek 55               40  125 

Summit    3                 9  25 

Hanover 39               18  34 

Chicago    precinct 1               11  12 

Lake   25               20  60 

Gross  Point 47               12  13 


Totals 1,587          1,691          2,104 

Thus  it  will  be  seen  that  the  Free  Soilers'  ticket  represented  by 
Van  Buren  had  grown  immensely  at  the  expense  of  all  other  par- 
ties. It  had  swallowed  up  the  Abolitionists  completely  and  had 
drawn  largely  from  the  ranks  of  the  Whigs  and  the  Democrats. 

The  Whigs  of  this  portion  of  the  state  no  sooner  came  into 
power  than,  as  might  have  been  expected,  they  began  to  make 
many  changes  in  government  offices,  particularly  in  the  postoffice 
department.  After  a  time  the  Democrat,  no  longer  able  to  control 
its  wrath,  made  the  following  outcry  on  June  5,  1849:  "With 
lying  promises  on  their  lips,  the  Whigs  have  come  into  power  to 
perpetrate  the  worst  kind  of  outrages  on  the  people.  Look  out  for 
them  on  the  mail  routes  and  in  the  postoffices.  Let  our  friends 
proclaim  their  abuses  and  keep  up  their  fire  for  reform.  Let  every 
mail  irregularity  be  published  and  every  missing  letter  or  paper  be 
proclaimed  to  the  world." 

A  spirited  election  for  judge  and  prosecuting  attorney  occurred 
in  April,  1849.  For  judge,  George  Manierre  received  849  votes, 
J.  B.  Thomas  1,228,  and  Giles  Spring  1,525.  For  prosecuting  at- 
torney, Daniel  McElroy  received  1,890,  C.  Bentley  543,  G.  W. 
Gardiner  192,  scattering  271.  This  was  a  Whig  victory.  So  many 
postmasters  were  turned  out  of  office  in  1848  that  Wentworth  and 
other  Democrats  raised  the  cry  of  proscription.  Thus  in  Chicago 
George  W.  Dole  was  appointed  postmaster  to  supersede  Mr.  Wil- 
son of  the  Journal,  but  the  friends  of  the  latter  for  the  time  suc- 
ceeded in  having  the  change  revoked.  In  1849  the  Democrat 
favored  the  nomination  of  Thomas  H.  Benton,  or  "Old  Bullion," 


348  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

for  the  presidency  in  1850.  At  this  time  the  Whigs,  who  sup- 
ported Taylor,  and  the  Free  Soilers,  who  supported  Van  Buren, 
were  at  war  with  each  other. 

"Only  Man  Certain. — The  only  man  certain  of  election  in  Cook 
county  is  Mr.  Township  Organization.  He  is  upon  every  ticket." 
—(Democrat,  November  1,  1849.) 

In  1849,  upon  the  question  of  adopting  a  new  constitution,  Cook 
county  voted  as  follows:  For  the  constitution,  1,067  votes;  against 
the  constitution,  384  votes.  For  the  negro  article  of  the  constitu- 
tion, 400  votes;  against  the  negro  article,  1,084  votes.  For  a  2-mill 
state  tax,  1,019  votes;  against  the  2-mill  tax,  489  votes.  Although 
Cook  county  voted  overwhelmingly  against  the  negro  article  in  the 
new  constitution,  it  was  adopted  by  a  majority  of  nearly  30,000 
votes  in  the  state.  The  2-mill  tax  carried  by  about  10,000  majority 
and  the  new  constitution  carried  by  nearly  40,000  majority. 

Four  years  prior  to  1849  John  Wentworth,  alone  of  the  Illinois 
delegation  in  Congress,  stood  in  favor  of  the  abolition  of  slavery 
in  the  District  of  Columbia,  in  favor  of  the  Wilmot  Proviso  and 
of  the  internal  improvements.  In  1849  he  was  sustained  in  these 
views  by  half  the  Illinois  delegation  in  Congress  and  by  a  large 
portion  of  the  Legislature. 

The  municipal  election  of  March,  1849,  was  remarkable  owing 
to  its  lack  of  political  excitement — not  a  convention  to  nominate 
candidates  was  held,  the  candidates  announcing  themselves  inde- 
pendently and  the  people  voted  for  whom  they  pleased  without 
being  influenced  by  public  meetings  or  conventions.  For  mayor, 
James  H.  Woodworth  received  2,668  votes,  Mr  Wait  399,  Mr. 
Kercheval  245,  and  Mr.  Childs  22.  It  was  noted  at  the  time  that 
it  was  a  singular  election  and  the  question  of  slavery  was  held  to 
be  responsible.  The  old  parties  were  breaking  up  on  that  question 
and  already  were  laying  the  foundation  of  the  new  Republican 
party.  Under  the  law  of  1849-50  it  was  provided  that  every  voter 
must  reside  in  the  town  where  he  voted  and  must  have  been  one 
year  in  the  state. 

A  large  meeting  of  citizens  opposed  to  slavery  was  held  on 
February  21,  1850.  Mayor  James  H.  Woodworth  presided.  The 
committee  on  resolutions  were  Thomas  Hoyne,  J.  Y.  Scammon, 
Mark  Skinner,  C.  DeWolf,  A.  G.  Throop,  Thomas  Richmond, 
E.  B.  Williams,  James  Breck,  Jr.,  and  George  Manierre.  The 
secretaries  of  the  meeting  were  J.  L.  Scripps,  D.  M.  Bradley, 
H.  Krieze,  Joseph  Pollock  and  W.  H.  Bushnell.  The  vice-presi- 
dents were  Henry  L.  Rucker,  Daniel  Brainard,  J.  Y.  Scammon, 
Owen  McCarthy,  F.  C.  Sherman,  James  Curtiss,  Andrew  Smith, 
Peter  Cure,  E.  C.  Lamed,  A.  Lloyd,  Mark  Skinner,  I.  N.  Arnold, 
W.  B.  Snowhook,  Grant  Goodrich,  P.  L.  Updike,  Sylvester  Marsh, 
Dr.  Helmuth,  C.  Stoce,  Dr.  C.  V.  Dyer  and  N.  B.  Judd.  The 
resolutions  adopted  opposed  any  concessions  in  Congress  to  the 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  349 

slave  power.  They  opposed  the  act  of  Senator  Douglas,  who  advo- 
cated leaving  the  question  of  slavery  to  be  decided  by  the  territories 
themselves,  and  favored  the  suppression  of  slavery  in  the  District 
of  Columbia.  Very  strong  speeches  were  delivered  by  J.  Y.  Scam- 
mon,  Thomas  Hoyne,  Doctor  Maxwell,  I.  N.  Arnold,  Thomas 
Richmond,  C.  DeWolf  and  Dr.  C.  V.  Dyer.  Two  of  the  resolu- 
tions adopted  were  as  follows: 

"Resolved,  That  we  regard  this  question  (slavery)  as  the  ques- 
tion of  paramount  importance — one  in  which  we  forget  all  minor 
differences  of  party  and  opinion  and  hereby  uniting  as  one  man 
express  our  utter  abhorrence  of  all  compromises  whereby  the  future 
extension  of  human  slavery  may  be  allowed  or  secured. 

"Resolved,  That  there  can  be  no  compromises  upon  this  question 
which  do  not  involve  crime  upon  the  part  of  the  North ;  and  every 
Northern  representative  who  hesitates  to  give  his  vote  and  influ- 
ence at  this  crisis  in  favor  of  freedom's  proviso  or  deserts  his  post 
knowingly  misrepresents  his  constituents  and  betrays  his  trust." 

In  the  spring  of  1850  the  Whigs  nominated  James  Curtiss  for 
mayor.  The  Democrats  nominated  L.  D.  Boone,  and  the  Aboli- 
tionists or  Free  Soilers  nominated  L.  C.  Kercheval.  At  this  time 
there  were  nine  wards.  Curtiss  received  1,697  votes,  Boone  1,227, 
and  Kercheval  805.  Thus  the  city  was  strongly  Whig. 

The  Democrat  of  April  6,  1850,  said :  "We  never  knew  such 
excitement  in  this  region  upon  the  slavery  question,  and  this  ex- 
citement is  not  confined  to  the  districts  of  Congressmen  Baker  and 
Wentworth,  but  reliable  men  from  other  parts  of  the  state  assure 
us  that  the  spell  by  which  the  politicians  of  the  center  and  southern 
parts  have  held  the  noses  of  the  people  to  the  grindstone  of  slavery 
propagandism  is  broken.  One  of  the  causes  of  this  excitement  is 
the  deception  which  has  been  practiced  upon  the  people  of  the 
North  by  Northern  men  of  Southern  sympathies  and  principles." 
The  people  of  Cook  county  were  intensely  interested  in  the  proceed- 
ings of  Congress  on  the  slavery  question.  A  Peace  convention  was 
held  here  in  April,  1850.  Mr.  Wentworth  refused  longer  to  be  a 
candidate  for  Congress.  The  Journal  said :  "The  Wentworth 
dynasty  is  at  an  end."  Dr.  Richard  S.  Moloney  was  nominated 
by  the  Democracy  for  Congress  to  take  the  place  of  Mr.  Went- 
worth. The  latter  in  Congress  voted  against  the  fugitive  slave 
law,  while  Daniel  Webster  stood  alone  of  all  the  New  England 
senators  against  the  Wilmot  Proviso.  This  act  of  Mr.  Webster 
was  declared  to  be  his  bid  for  the  presidency.  Churchill  C.  Coffing 
was  the  Whig  candidate  for  Congress.  W.  B.  Ogden  was  first 
nominated  but  withdrew  before  election.  The  Whigs  were  so 
broken  up  late  in  1850  that  they  ran  no  regular  ticket  except  for 
congressman  and  sheriff.  In  Cook  county,  Moloney,  Democrat, 
received  2,863  votes;  Coffing,  Whig,  1,880,  and  Collins,  Abolition- 
ist, 110.  The  reason  for  the  withdrawal  of  Mr.  Ogden  from  the 


350  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

contest  for  Congress  was  owing,  as  he  stated,  to  the  little  differ- 
ence between  himself  and  his  opponent.  The  real  question  at  issue 
was  the  slavery  question,  and  the  Democrats  and  Whigs  at  this 
time  were  nearly  united.  The  consequence  was  that  Moloney,  him- 
self a  Free  Soiler,  was  supported  by  many  Whigs  as  well  as  by 
the  Democrats. 

The  object  of  Clay's  dromedary  bill  was  thought  here  to  be  in- 
tended to  extend  slavery  to  New  Mexico,  Utah,  etc.  It  was  con- 
sidered that  all  who  favored  it  would  repudiate  the  Wilmot  Pro- 
viso, the  Nicholson  letter  and  the  long-established  doctrine  that  all 
countries  are  free  until  slavery  should  be  established  by  positive 
law.  People  here  believed  that  it  meant  the  extension  of  slavery 
to  all  parts  of  the  Union.  Hence  it  was  bitterly  opposed.  The 
Legislature  of  Illinois  in  1850  instructed  its  delegation  in  Congress 
to  vote  for  the  Wilmot  Proviso.  They  did  so  in  a  test  vote  on 
Clay's  dromedary  bill.  When  it  was  moved  to  insert  in  that  bill 
the  following  amendment  Douglas  and  Shields  voted  for  it: 
"Neither  slavery  nor  involuntary  servitude  otherwise  than  as  a 
punishment  for  crime  shall  be  allowed  in  either  of  the  territories 
of  Utah  and  New  Mexico."  All  the  South  voted  against  this 
amendment  and  Cass,  Clay  and  Webster  voted  with  the  South. 
Had  six  free  state  senators  voted  for  it,  it  would  have  carried  by 
twenty-nine  to  twenty-seven.  On  the  same  day  the  Senate  passed 
the  following  as  a  part  of  the  dromedary  bill :  "But  no  law  shall 
be  passed  interfering  with  the  primary  disposition  of  the  soil  nor 
establishing  or  prohibiting  African  slavery."  Both  Douglas  and 
Shields  voted  against  the  amendment.  They  also  voted  against 
slavery  in  California  and  against  the  peon  servitude  clause.  It 
was  now  clear  to  the  people  of  Cook  county  that  the  South  was 
so  far  wedded  to  the  institution  of  slavery  that  they  were  willing  to 
enslave  poor  white  debtors. 

In  the  spring  of  1851  the  Whigs  decided  not  to  nominate  a  regu- 
lar ticket  for  the  municipal  election.  At  the  spring  election  of 
1851  for  the  first  time  at  Chicago  many  voters  were  refused  tickets; 
the  voters  had  not  fully  complied  with  the  new  law.  At  this  time 
Mr.  Judd  was  senator  and  Messrs.  Maxwell  and  Dyer  were  repre- 
sentatives. Walter  S.  Gurnee  was  elected  mayor  by  the  popular 
vote  of  all  parties.  Probably  as  many  Whigs  as  Democrats  voted 
for  him.  It  amounted  to  a  Whig  victory  and  was  so  regarded. 
W.  S.  Gurnee  received  3,032,  James  Curtiss  1,001,  E.  B.  Williams 
1,092,  and  J.  Rogers  226.  It  was  stated  that  150  votes  were 
refused  in  the  First  ward  alone  owing  to  irregularity.  At  this 
time  the  Journal  was  in  favor  of  the  nomination  of  Seward  or 
Scott  for  the  presidency  in  1852.  The  people  of  this  county  at 
this  time  also  were  greatly  interested  in  the  fight  in  Congress  on 
the  Harbor  bill.  It  was  passed  by  the  Senate  and  Fillmore  prom- 
ised to  sign  it  if  it  passed  the  House.  The  real  fight  occurred  in 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  351 

the  latter.  In  1851  the  country  began  to  look  to  Senator  Douglas 
as  a  probable  Democratic  nominee  for  the  presidency.  Douglas 
himself  took  an  active  interest  in  local  politics  because  he  realized 
that  if  he  desired  the  nomination  for  the  presidency  he  should 
have  the  backing  of  his  own  community.  In  June,  1851,  Mr. 
Skinner,  Whig  candidate  for  county  judge,  received  1,413  votes 
and  Mr.  Wilson,  Democrat,  1,224  votes.  The  Democrat  in  1848 
and  1849  favored  the  nomination  of  Senator  Benton  for  the  presi- 
dency by  the  Democracy,  but  in  1851  came  out  for  Senator 
Douglas. 

The  Temperance  party  in  1851-52  was  strong  in  this  vicinity, 
many  in  the  old  parties  temporarily  deserting  the  same  to  assist 
the  new  movement.  At  a  convention  of  members  of  all  parties 
held  to  nominate  a  Temperance  ticket  the  following  preamble  and 
resolutions  were  passed : 

"WHEREAS,  The  city  of  Chicago  is  now  suffering  deeply  from 
pauperism,  misery,  crime,  and  enormous  taxation,  the  direct,  inevita- 
ble and  legitimate  result  of  retailing  intoxicating  drinks,  therefore, 

"Resolved,  That  the  traffic  in  spirituous  liquors  as  a  beverage 
is  dishonorable  and  immoral  and  should  be  treated  as  such. 

"Resolved,  That  the  citizens  of  Chicago  now  assembled  in  mass 
convention  recommend  the  nomination  and  election  of  such  men 
to  fill  the  city  offices  for  the  ensuing  year  as  will  refuse  to  grant 
a  license  to  any  man  to  directly  or  indirectly  injure  his  neighbor 
by  selling  him  intoxicating  liquors." 

The  Democrat  of  February  2,  1852,  said:  "The  latter  gentle- 
man (Dr.  Davis)  gave  instances  of  poverty,  starvation  and  death 
which  canie  under  his  observation  the  past  season,  all  of  which 
might  be  traced  to  the  practice  of  candidates  for  offices  freely  pay- 
ing out  large  sums  of  money  for  liquors  with  which  to  treat  inde- 
pendent voters." 

The  Temperance  people  nominated  A.  G.  Throop  for  mayor. 
B.  W.  Raymond  had  first  been  nominated  by  the  Temperance  party, 
but  for  reasons  unknown  withdrew  in  favor  of  Mr.  Throop.  The 
contest  was  an  exciting  one  owing  to  the  fight  made  by  the  liquor 
interests.  At  the  nominating  convention  of  the  Temperance  party 
the  principal  speakers  were  C.  J.  Hull  and  Thomas  Dyer.  The 
latter  explained  how  the  license  clause  had  been  clandestinely 
inserted  in  the  law.  He  denied  that  the  charter  had  contained 
such  clause  at  the  time  he  voted  for  it.  Doctor  Davis,  William 
Bross  and  Doctor  Palmer  were  appointed  a  committee  to  prepare 
an  address  to  the  people  of  Chicago.  The  Democrats  nominated 
for  mayor  Peter  Page.  James  Curtiss  was  an  Independent  candi- 
date for  mayor.  The  local  issues  in  the  spring  of  1852  were  as 
follows:  1.  Temperance;  2.  Reduction  of  taxes;  3.  No  increase 
of  city  debt;  4.  No  gratuities  to  lawyers;  5.  No  connection  of  the 
city  government  with  private  corporations;  6.  All  elections  by  the 


352  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

people.  A.  Burnam  was  the  Temperance  candidate  for  marshal, 
E.  C.  Stowell  for  treasurer,  Grant  Goodrich  for  city  attorney, 
James  Fitzsimmons  for  collector,  and  J.  E.  Thompson  for  sur- 
veyor. The  license  clause  in  the  new  charter  was  declared  to  have 
been  surreptitiously  inserted  by  Ebenezer  Peck,  although  the  latter 
denied  the  charge.  At  this  time  the  practice  of  devoting  money  to 
buy  liquor  for  voters  was  roundly  denounced  by  the  Temperance 
people.  It  was  said  during  the  campaign  that  one  candidate  for 
mayor  in  1851  had  given  $3,000  for  the  purpose  of  buying  liquor 
for  voters. 

The  Democrat  of  February  4,  1852,  said:  "Candidates  are 
abandoning  the  practice  of  buying  men  to  go  about  for  signers  to 
call  them  to  come  out  for  office.  This  practice  did  very  well  for 
a  respectable  humbug  when  new.  It  is  now  old  and  is  the  meanest 
kind  of  humbug.  It  is  to  get  men  pledged  on  paper  so  that  they 
cannot  back  out  if  a  man  that  would  suit  them  better  should  come 
out."  The  Democrat  of  February  5  said:  "Since  the  friends  of 
Temperance  have  resolved  to  support  an  independent  ticket  for 
city  officers  all  the  candidates  are  taking  the  pledge  and  you  cannot 
get  one  of  them  within  the  smell  of  ardent  spirits."  The  Democrat 
of  February  9  said :  "The  Temperance  ratification  meeting  was 
the  largest  and  most  enthusiastic  ever  held  in  our  city.  The  meet- 
ing was  the  more  crowded  because  it  was  understood  that  the  high 
taxation  and  endless  debt  party  in  our  city  found  Mr.  Raymond's 
nomination  in  the  way  of  their  future  financial  schemes.  Mr. 
Raymond  accepts  the  nomination — not  that  he  wants  the  office,  but 
for  the  sake  of  carrying  out  important  principles.  This  announce- 
ment was  made  amid  immense  applause."  The  Democrat  of  Feb- 
ruary 10  said :  "Everyone  knows  that  when  the  new  charter  was 
obtained  it  was  obtained  in  order  to  allow  a  new  increase  of  taxa- 
tion so  as  to  get  us  out  of  debt.  No  one  suspected  that  our  ex- 
penses were  to  be  increased.  It  is  not  the  new  charter  but 
extravagance  that  is  to  be  censured."  The  Democrat  of  Feb- 
ruary 10  also  said :  "Heretofore  candidates  have  been  known  by 
their  drinking — now  they  are  known  by  their  refusing  to  drink. 
We  declined  to  drink  with  a  man  yesterday  and  it  was  noised  all 
over  town  that  we  were  out  for  mayor."  The  Democrat  of  Feb- 
ruary 1 1  said :  "City  Retrenchment. — This  is  the  question.  There 
can  be  no  other.  Shall  the  people  be  taxed  for  gratuities  to 
broken  down  politicians,  for  money  to  lay  idle  as  deposits  in  bank- 
ing institutions,  or  for  anything  else  but  an  economical  administra- 
tion of  the  city  government?"  The  Democrat  of  February  12  said: 
"Got  Him  Off  at  Last. — Those  who  wished  to  speculate  on  our 
city  finances,  those  who  never  opposed  taxation  and  endless  debts, 
have  proven  too  strong  for  the  Sons  of  Temperance.  Mr.  Raymond 
has  been  frightened  off  the  track.  He  is  no  longer  a  candidate 
for  mayor."  The  Democrat  of  February  26  said:  "It  is  proposed 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  353 

to  add  to  our  city  debt  $350,000  for  hydraulic  purposes  and  quite 
a  large  sum  in  addition  for  sewerage.  This  infant  city  of  ours 
will  soon  be  in  debt  $500,000.  This  before  we  have  50,000  popu- 
lation, making  $10  to  every  man,  woman  and  child  within  the  city. 
Our  debt  is  increasing  every  year  and  we  see  nothing  in  the  future 
but  insolvency  and  repudiation."  The  Democrat  of  February  27 
said :  "The  City  hall  was  crowded  last  night.  The  speaking  was 
alternately  eloquent  and  sarcastic.  The  dancing  and  drinking  can- 
didates were  cut  all  to  pieces.  Rich  stories  of  how  certain  bankers 
had  tried  to  get  the  Temperance  candidates  to  withdraw  were  told 
and  also  of  how  brandy  drank  in  the  room  of  Alderman  Dodge 
was  charged  to  lake  shore  protection."  "Never  before  has  such  a 
delay  (to  publish  statement  of  city  finances)  been  made,  and  never 
before  were  there  so  many  reasons  for  promptness.  But  it  has 
been  kept  back.  A  lot  of  bankers  are  struggling  to  get  a  loan  of 
$350,000  in  order  to  get  the  deposits.  They  dare  not  have  the  true 
condition  of  our  city  finances  known  lest  it  might  defeat  their 
plans.  Peck  &  Company  ordered  it  kept  back.  There  is  but  one 
great  game  on  foot  and  that  is  to  blind  the  eyes  of  the  capitalists 
and  our  citizens  to  the  awful  condition  of  our  city  finances  until  a 
loan  of  $350,000  is  obtained  and  divided  up  as  deposits  among  the 
bankers  and  their  attorneys,  who  have  already  silenced  most  of 
the  presses  in  this  city  and  are  daily  at  work  with  money  and  liquor 
to  carry  our  elections."  .  .  .  "Our  city  bonds  have  been  sold 
within  a  short  time  for  82  cents  on  the  dollar.  If  they  are  82 
cents  now,  what  will  they  be  when  $350,000  more  is  added  to  our 
debt?" 

The  vote  for  mayor  in  the  spring  of  1852  was  as  follows: 
Gurnee,  Democrat,  1,741;  Throop,  Temperance,  1,153;  Curtiss, 
Independent,  1,295 ;  Page,  Mechanics'  candidate,  271.  Concern- 
ing this  election  the  Democrat  of  March  4  said :  "It  is  due  to  Mr. 
Gurnee  to  state  that  he  is  the  only  man  in  the  whole  state  that  could 
have  been  elected  under  the  same  circumstances."  At  this  election 
the  citizens  of  Chicago  were  called  upon  to  vote  on  the  first  water 
works  bonds — 520  votes  were  polled  against  such  an  issue  and 
2,769  were  for  it. 

The  Democrat  of  March  3,  1852,  said  concerning  the  municipal 
election :  "None  of  the  defeated  candidates  should  have  any  un- 
pleasant feelings.  There  was  nothing  like  personalities  involved  in 
the  whole  contest.  There  was  a  general  cross-firing  and  confusing 
of  opposition  measures.  ...  In  times  like  these  when  candidates 
have  to  expend  large  sums  of  money  a  defeat  leaves  often  very 
great  embarrassment,  and  we  regret  to  say  that  the  time  seems  fast 
approaching  when  no  poor  man  need  run  for  office,  as  he  cannot 
obtain  it.  ...  Some  people  say  that  there  should  be  a  law  against 
expending  money  at  elections." 

The  year  1852  is  noted  for  the  relentless  and  bitter  attacks  of 


354  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

the  Democrat  upon  Ebenezer  Peck.  The  nomination  of  General 
Scott  for  the  presidency  in  June,  1852,  was  ratified  by  an  immense 
meeting  of  the  Whigs  in  June.  A  feature  of  the  campaign  of 
1852  was  the  activity  of  the  Democratic  Invincible  club  of  Chicago. 
In  after  years  this  organization  became  very  prominent. 

In  1852  John  Wentworth  was  again  a  candidate  for  Congress. 
A  mass  convention  of  Democrats  held  at  the  City  hall  in  September 
was  addressed  by  Joshua  R.  Giddings  and  Samuel  Lewis.  In 
September  the  Whig  convention  nominated  John  Sears,  Jr.,  and 
Samuel  Marrs  for  representatives,  A.  A.  Dexter  for  sheriff,  John 
Filkins  for  Circuit  court  clerk  and  A.  B.  Wheeler  for  coroner.  The 
Democratic  county  convention  nominated  Homer  Wilmarth  and 
William  B.  Egan  for  representatives,  Cyrus  C.  Bradley  for  sheriff, 
Louis  D.  Hoard  for  clerk  of  the  Circuit  court,  Austin  Hines  for 
coroner,  and  Norman  B.  Judd  for  senator.  At  this  election  the 
Whigs  were  divided.  There  was  a  Dutch  wing  and  a  Wilson 
wing.  It  was  declared  that  Richard  L.  Wilson  of  the  Journal 
made  Whig  principles  secondary  to  his  private  interests.  In  Sep- 
tember Senator  Douglas  spoke  in  Chicago  on  national  issues  and 
was  listened  to  with  intense  interest  by  an  immense  assemblage. 
The  motto  of  the  Democrats  in  1852  was  as  follows :  "Our  cause 
is  just,  so  win  we  must,  and  this  we  mean  to  do;  the  Whigs  we 
Polked  in  '44  we'll  Pierce  in  '52." 

Concerning  the  election  of  November,  1852,  the  Democrat  said: 
"Chicago  City  Election. — We  have  been  at  many  elections  in  our 
own  city  and  we  never  knew  one  characterized  by  such  bitter  and 
vindictive  personalities  as  that  of  Tuesday  last." 

At  the  presidential  election  in  1852  the  Democrats  polled  in 
Cook  county  3,767  votes,  the  Whigs  2,089,  the  Abolitionists  793, 
and  the  Dover  Whigs  1,712.  In  1852  the  vote  in  this  county  on 
the  constitutional  amendments  was  as  follows.  For  the  amend- 
ments, 710  votes;  against  the  amendments,  213  votes.  The  vote 
for  congressman  in  1852  was :  Aldrich,  Whig,  2,493 ;  Went- 
worth, Democrat,  3,423 ;  Collins,  Abolitionist,  585.  It  should  be 
noted  that  at  all  elections  in  Chicago  and,  indeed,  in  the  county  as 
a  whole  the  foreign  element  cut  a  very  important  figure.  Very 
often  they  held  the  balance  of  power  and  thus  managed  to  secure 
what  spoils  they  desired.  In  1852  the  question  of  a  sewerage  com- 
mission was  taken  into  politics  and  was  important. 

The  vote  for  mayor  in  the  spring  of  1853  was  as  follows: 
Charles  M.  Gray,  3,270;  Josiah  L.  James,  991.  For  judge,  George 
Manierre  received  1,224  votes,  R.  S.  Wilson  1,867,  P.  Ballingall 
619,  Alonzo  Huntington  348.  For  treasurer,  Edward  Manierre 
received  2,526  votes  and  Mr.  Gilbert  1,575.  The  municipal  election 
of  1853  was  quiet  and  uneventful.  At  the  November  election  in  1853, 
for  judge,  H.  L.  Rucker  received  2,647  votes  and  W.  H.  Davis  1,863. 
For  clerk,  C.  B.  Farwell  received  3,272  and  E.  S.  Kimberly  1,206. 


GROUP    OF   COUXTY   COMMISSIONERS. 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  357 

For  school  commissioner,  J.  W.  Waughop  received  2,622  and  T.  O. 
Wilson  1,818.  For  surveyor,  J.  Van  Horn  received  2,394  votes 
and  J.  E.  Thompson  2,102  votes.  For  treasurer,  H.  N.  Heald 
received  4,549  votes.  The  parties  had  united  on  the  latter  candi- 
date. The  fall  elections  of  1853  were  likewise  uneventful. 

In  February,  1854,  the  following  call,  signed  by  nearly  four 
hundred  citizens  of  Chicago,  was  issued :  "The  undersigned  citi- 
zens of  Chicago,  opposed  to  the  abrogation  and  restriction  and 
prohibition  of  the  Missouri  Compromise  Act,  with  a  view  to  favor 
the  introduction  of  slavery  into  Nebraska  territory,  would  respect- 
fully call  a  meeting  to  consider  and  protest  against  any  action  of 
Congress  for  the  repeal  or  modification  of  an  act  which  time  and  the 
public  both  have  made  sacred."  This  meeting  was  held  on  February 
8  at  South  Market  hall.  Of  this  meeting  ex-Mayor  James  Curtiss 
was  chairman  and  H.  T.  Dickey,  R.  S.  Blackwell,  C.  L.  Wilson, 
George  Manierre  and  Thomas  Lonergan  served  as  committee  on 
resolutions.  Strong  measures  against  the  repeal  of  the  Missouri 
Compromise  were  adopted. 

Early  in  1854  the  great  speech  of  Senator  Douglas  on  the  Ne- 
braska bill  in  Congress  kindled  immediate  and  emphatic  opposi- 
tion at  Chicago.  The  Whigs  and  Abolitionists  unitedly  and  many 
of  the  Democrats  denounced  his  course  and  declared  that  the  repeal 
of  the  Missouri  Compromise  was  an  unbearable  outrage.  When 
John  Wentworth  was  asked  how  he  was  going  to  vote  on  the 
Nebraska  bill  he  humorously  answered,  in  imitation  of  some  other 
members  of  Congress :  "I  will  take  an  open,  bold  and  manly 
course.  I  ,will  either  vote  for  the  bill,  or  against  it,  or  dodge  it." 
In  February,  1854,  the  Illinois  Legislature  adopted  a  resolution 
in  opposition  to  the  Douglas  Nebraska  bill.  Meetings  all  over  the 
state  were  held  for  the  same  purpose.  The  united  ministers  of  Chi- 
cago in  a  stirring  meeting  protested  against  the  passage  of  the 
bill.  Douglas  answered  them  in  his  usual  able,  artful  and  adroit 
fashion.  Later  a  total  of  504  ministers  throughout  the  country 
protested  against  the  passage  of  the  bill.  There  was  intense  excite- 
ment here  in  April  during  the  debate  in  Congress  on  the  provisions 
of  the  bill.  Everywhere  throughout  the  West,  including  Cook 
county,  people  began  to  prepare  to  invade  Kansas  with  the  de- 
termination to  make  it  a  free  state. 

In  the  spring  of  1854  the  Maine  or  Prohibition  law  came  promi- 
nently before  the  people  of  Chicago.  The  Temperance  people 
organized  and  nominated  A.  G.  Throop  for  mayor.  At  this  time 
there  were  but  two  important  questions,  viz.,  the  Nebraska  bill  and 
the  Temperance  cause.  Opposed  to  the  Temperance  candidate 
was  Isaac  L.  Milliken.  At  the  election  Mr.  Throop  received  2,432 
votes  and  Mr.  Milliken  3,517  votes.  Thus  in  Chicago  the  liquor 
element  was  stronger  than  the  Temperance  element. 

A  large  meeting  of  the  Nebraska  men  was  held  in  the  spring. 

Vol.  1—21. 


358  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

Among  the  speakers  were  Isaac  Cook,  Dr.  McVicker,  E.  H.  Had- 
dock, W.  H.  King,  C.  Nye,  Andrew  Harvey  and  others.  The 
opponents  of  the  Nebraska  bill  attempted  to  control  the  proceedings 
of  this  meeting  and  partially  succeeded.  Against  the  bill  speeches 
were  delivered  by  R.  S.  Blackwell,  S.  S.  Hayes,  Peter  Page,  E.  C. 
Larned,  Hugh  T.  Dickey,  and  Mark  Skinner.  Notwithstanding 
their  efforts,  however,  resolutions  favoring  the  passage  of  the  bill 
were  duly  passed.  Those  in  favor  of  the  bill  argued  that  the 
people  of  a  territory  should  decide  for  themselves  whether  or  not 
they  wanted  slavery.  They  thought  it  right  to  give  back  to  the 
people  the  privilege  which  the  Missouri  Compromise  took  away  in 
1820.  It  should  be  stated,  however,  that  the  Democratic  party 
here  generally  opposed  the  repeal  of  the  Missouri  Compromise. 

On  March  16,  1854,  the  German  citizens  held  a  large  meeting 
and  passed  resolutions,  two  of  which  were  as  follows :  "Resolved, 
That  we  especially  consider  Stephen  A.  Douglas  as  an  ambitious 
and  dangerous  demagogue;  that  we  consider  him  a  blemish  upon 
the  honor  of  the  state  of  Illinois  and  deem  it  our  duty  to  do  our 
best  in  ridding  ourselves  of  him  as  quickly  as  possible.  Resolved, 
That  we  express  our  deepest  condemnation  of  the  servile  manner 
in  which  our  Legislature  has  hurried  itself  into  an  endorsement 
of  the  Nebraska  bill."  Of  this  meeting  G.  Leverenz  was  chairman. 
It  was  held  at  North  Market  hall  and  at  its  close  Senator  Douglas 
was  burned  in  effigy.  Among  the  speakers  were  Messrs.  Hoffman, 
Breck  and  Schlaegel.  The  people  of  the  city  generally  condemned 
the  burning  of  Senator  Douglas  in  effigy.  The  Democrat  said: 
"We  have  yet  to  hear  the  first  word  of  approval  of  the  burning 
of  Judge  Douglas  in  effigy  on  Thursday  evening  last.  Every  citi- 
zen from  whom  we  have  heard  an  expression  of  opinion  condemns 
it  in  unmeasurable  terms.  However,  in  no  city  of  the  Union  is 
there  a  more  firmly  settled  or  stronger  feeling  of  opposition  to 
Judge  Douglas'  Nebraska  bill  than  in  Chicago."  The  Journal  of 
May  23  said :  "While  the  passage  of  this  iniquity  is  deplored,  it 
is  nevertheless  politically  considered  a  source  of  gratification,  for 
it  aroused  the  Whig  party  from  a  season  of  depression,  despon- 
dency and  gloom  to  action  and  vigorous  life."  That  paper  quoted 
the  following  from  Algernon  Sidney :  "That  which  is  not  just  is 
not  law,  and  that  which  is  not  law  ought  not  to  be  obeyed."  A 
correspondent  of  the  Democratic  Press  of  August  24,  1854,  said : 
"I  have  been  a  resident  of  the  city  for  the  last  seventeen  years; 
during  all  that  time  our  elections  have  been  a  disgrace  to  a  civilized 
community — on  account  of  men  made  furious  by  whisky.  Most 
of  this  time  it  has  been  hazardous  even  to  life  for  a  quiet  and 
peaceable  citizen  to  go  near  the  polls  to  vote,  and  this  state  of  things 
has  been  growing  worse  and  worse  until  our  whole  elections  turn 
on  whisky  and  brutal  force."  The  Democratic  Press  replied  as  fol- 
lows: "What  our  correspondent  says  is  true  in  a  great  measure. 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  359 

Few  elections  have  passed  off  since  we  came  here  to  reside — seven 
years  ago — without  the  perpetration  of  brutal  outrages  on  peaceable 
citizens.  It  is  also  very  true  that  our  elections  have  at  times  been 
controlled  by  unscrupulous  demagogues  who  have  pandered  to  the 
basest  passions  of  men  by  first  inflaming  them  with  whisky  pur- 
chased for  the  express  purpose  and  then  inciting  them  to  play  the 
bully  about  the  polls  and  frighten  or  drive  away  sober-minded  and 
virtuous  citizens  by  acts  of  violence,  whose  vote  would  probably 
change  the  result  of  the  canvass." 

In  August,  1854,  Dr.  John  Evans  was  an  Independent  candidate 
for  Congress.  He  opposed  the  Nebraska  bill  so  far  as  it  repealed 
the  Missouri  Compromise,  favored  the  river  and  harbor  appropria- 
tions and  advocated  a  continuation  of  the  new  postal  rates.  At  this 
time  Isaac  Cook  was  postmaster.  Of  course,  he  supported  the 
administration  and  also  supported  the  measures  of  Senator  Douglas. 
It  was  in  1854  that  the  Douglas  Democracy,  at  the  head  of  whom 
were  Isaac  Cook  and  Collector  Snowhook,  established  a  paper  here 
called  The  Times,  for  the  dissemination  and  support  of  the  views 
of  the  administration  generally  and  of  all  the  policies  of  Senator 
Douglas  in  particular.  They  attempted  to  read  out  of  the  Demo- 
cratic party  such  men  as  Norman  B.  Judd,  Francis  C.  Sherman, 
Judge  Dickey,  Judge  Skinner,  W.  S.  Gurnee,  Colonel  Taylor,  Doc- 
tor Maxwell,  S.  S.  Hayes  and  Alderman  Dwyer,  but  were  unable 
to  do  so.  On  September  1,  at  North  Market  hall,  Senator  Douglas 
attempted  to  explain  to  the  satisfaction  of  Chicagoans  his  course 
in  regard  to  slavery  and  his  attitude  on  the  Nebraska  bill.  At  the 
meeting  great  opposition  and  disrespect  to  him  were  displayed. 
There  were  many  interruptions  and  he  was  unable  to  finish  his 
speech.  A  few  days  later  Joshua  R.  Giddings,  then  in  Chicago, 
answered  Senator  Douglas  at  an  immense  meeting  called  for  the 
purpose.  The  Times  from  the  first  demanded  that  opposition  to  the 
Nebraska  bill  in  the  Democratic  ranks  should  cease.  On  Septem- 
ber 9  Lieutenant  Governor  Willard  of  Indiana  delivered  a  power- 
ful speech  in  opposition  to  the  Nebraska  bill  and  Knownothingism 
to  an  immense  crowd  in  Dearborn  park.  He  was  answered  by 
Senator  Douglas  the  same  evening.  The  Times  denounced  every 
person  as  an  Abolitionist  who  did  not  support  the  measures  of 
Senator  Douglas.  James  H.  Woodworth  was  the  candidate  of  the 
Democracy  for  Congress  and  R.  S.  Blackwell  the  candidate  of  the 
Whigs. 

The  Nebraska  bill  completely  divided  the  Cook  county  Democ- 
racy. The  Free  Soilers  left  that  party  and  held  a  convention  of 
their  own.  The  Douglas  wing  convened  at  the  United  States 
court  rooms  and  the  Free  Soil  wing  in  the  courthouse.  The  Free 
Soil  Democracy  refused  to  make  the  support  of  the  Nebraska  bill 
the  test  of  Democracy  in  Cook  county.  The  result  was  almost  an 
equal  division  in  the  Democratic  ranks.  The  Liberal  or  Free 


360  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

wing-  of  the  Democracy  nominated  Edward  L.  Mayo  for  Congress 
and  the  Douglas  wing  nominated  J.  B.  Turner  of  Chicago.  Mr. 
Woodworth  was  elected  to  Congress.  He  was  the  fusionist  or 
Knownothing  candidate. 

In  October,  1854,  strong  speeches  for  and  against  the  Nebraska 
bill  were  made  throughout  the  state,  culminating  in  an  immense 
meeting  a  Springfield.  Senator  Douglas  delivered  one  of  his  mas- 
terly speeches  and  Abraham  Lincoln  answered  in  such  a  manner 
as  to  attract  the  attention  of  the  whole  country.  Mr.  Douglas 
thought  it  necessary  to  reply  to  Mr.  Lincoln  the  following  day, 
whereupon  Senator  Trumbull  and  Judge  Breese  spoke  in  opposition 
to  Mr.  Douglas.  Speeches  also  were  delivered  by  Mr.  Calhoun, 
Col.  E.  D.  Taylor  and  Colonel  McClernand. 

In  1854  the  vote  of  Cook  county  for  congressman  was  as  follows : 
Mayo,  210;  Turner,  1,175;  Woodworth,  3,448;  Blackwell,  467. 
The  vote  in  Cook  county  this  year  for  state  treasurer  was  as  follows : 
Moore,  Democrat,  1,636;  Miller,  Whig,  3,644. 

In  November,  1854,  Thomas  H.  Benton  and  James  Shields 
passed  through  Chicago  on  their  way  to  Washington.  The  election 
of  November,  1854,  was  quiet  and  uneventful,  as  shown  by  the  fol- 
lowing extract  from  the  Democratic  Press  of  No.vember  8 :  "Never 
in  the  history  of  the  city  have  we  had  so  quiet  an  election.  The 
noise  and  confusion  which  have  too  often  disgraced  our  city  on 
such  occasions  were  entirely  dispensed  with." 

The  municipal  election  of  March,  1855,  is  remarkable  in  that 
not  a  candidate  for  mayor  announced  himself  until  within  five  days 
of  the  election.  The  Press  of  March  6  said:  "It  was  unprece- 
dented in  the  history  of  our  city  and  we  presume  without  parallel 
in  any  other  municipal  government  in  the  country."  The  paper 
deplored  the  apathy  shown  and  declared  that  the  public  should 
know  every  individual  in  office  and  who  the  candidates  were  to  be 
in  order  to  investigate  their  fitness  for  office."  The  election  resulted 
as  follows:  For  mayor,  Levi  D.  Boone  3,185,  Isaac  L.  Milliken 
2,839;  city  attorney,  J.  T.  Thompson  3,141,  Patrick  Ballingall 
2,878;  treasurer,  W.  F.  DeWolf  3,072,  Harris  2,827;  collector, 
Jacob  Russell  3,146,  L.  M.  Wilson  2,846;  surveyor,  Greeley  3,206, 
Cloghe  2,797.  This  was  a  victory  of  those  opposed  to  Democracy. 
It  turned  out  afterward  that  the  interests  of  private  persons  were 
alone  considered  at  this  election.  The  Press  of  March  6  said : 
"It  is  the  old  story.  Demagogism  has  triumphed  over  public 
interests  and  an  excited  people  have  become  the  willing  instruments 
of  corrupt  and  scheming  men.  Our  election  today  has  no  direct 
reference  whatever  to  the  interests  of  the  city.  Fitness  for  office, 
faithfulness,  integrity,  and  the  policy  to  be  pursued  are  made  to 
give  way  to  a  single  question  of  caste  and  nationality.  Several 
years  ago  party  nominations  for  city  office  were  abandoned.  We 
see  no  reason  for  going  back  to  them  now,  especially  when  both 
parties  are  alike  intangible  and  irresponsible  before  the  public." 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  361 

During  the  spring  of  1855  the  Kansas-Nebraska  question  was 
elaborately,  ably  and  bitterly  discussed  here  by  the  press,  the  rostrum 
and  the  pulpit.  The  Times  vehemently  favored  the  position  of 
Senator  Douglas  when  all  the  other  newspapers  opposed  it.  The 
question  of  popular  sovereignty  was  discussed  and  rediscussed. 
On  October  11  Senator  Trumbull  delivered  a  powerful  address 
here  in  opposition  to  the  Douglas  policies.  About  the  same  time 
Senator  Douglas  also  delivered  a  speech  of  great  power  here,  to 
an  immense  meeting.  On  October  17,  at  a  large  anti-Nebraska 
meeting  held  at  the  South  Market  hall,  S.  S.  Hayes,  a  Democrat, 
opposed  in  a  speech  of  great  strength  the  measures  advocated  by 
Senator  Douglas.  Mr.  Hayes,  upon  invitation,  had  interrupted 
Senator  Douglas  during  the  speech  of  the  latter,  but  was  not  allowed 
to  proceed.  Strong  resolutions  condemning  the  attitude  of  Senator 
Douglas  and  the  encroachment  of  slavery  were  adopted  at  this 
anti-Nebraska  meeting.  The  Times  was  particularly  severe  with 
all  who  opposed  Senator  Douglas.  The  election  of  November, 
1855,  in  Cook  county  resulted  as  follows:  For  county  treasurer, 
John  M.  Gleeson  2,548,  John  L.  Wilson  2,140;  school  commis- 
sioner, W.  L.  Greenleaf  2,756,  J.  W.  Waughop  1,991 ;  surveyor, 
Alexander  Wolcott  2,582,  John  Van  Horn  2,151. 

"The  Times  of  yesterday  crows  lustily  over  the  result  of  the 
election  in  Chicago  for  county  officers,  claiming  it  as  a  victory 
of  the  Nebraska  party.  The  fact  is,  no  such  political  issue  entered 
into  the  canvass,  nor  have  our  county  elections  for  several  years 
past  been  of  a  party  character." — (Press,  November  8,  1855.) 

In  February,  1856,  L.  M.  Keith  was  nominated  for  mayor  by 
the  Douglas  Democracy  and  Francis  C.  Sherman  by  the  Nebraska 
Democrats.  Mr.  Keith  refused  to  accept  and  Thomas  Dyer  was 
nominated  in  his  stead  by  acclamation  at  a  subsequent  convention. 
The  Democrats  themselves  were  responsible  for  the  reopening  of 
the  entire  Nebraska  question  in  Chicago.  The  spring  campaign 
was  very  bitter.  Personalities  of  the  most  insulting  character  were 
resorted  to  by  the  partisans.  C.  L.  Wilson,  editor  of  the  Journal, 
criticised  very  sharply  Thomas  Hoyne,  United  States  district  attor- 
ney. This  led  to  a  personal  encounter  between  the  two  late  in 
February.  A  few  minutes  after  the  event  the  newsboys  on  the 
street  were  crying  "  'Ere's  yer  evenin'  Joiticl— great  prize  fight 
between  Charley  Wilson  and  Tom  Hoyne."  Sherman  was  called 
the  anti-slavery  extension  candidate  for  mayor.  Many  Whigs 
voted  for  him.  He  was  supported  by  such  men  as  W.  B.  Ogden, 
J.  Y.  Scammon,  Mark  Skinner,  F.  A.  Hoffman,  J.  M.  Davis,  E.  C. 
Larned,  John  Wentworth  and  C.  S.  Blackwell.  These  men  and 
others  at  an  immense  meeting  on  March  1  adopted  the  following 
resolution :  "Resolved,  That  we,  the  people  of  the  city  of  Chicago, 
are  opposed  to  party  dictation  in  our  municipal  election ;  but  inas- 
much as  the  issue  of  freedom  or  slavery  has  been  forced  upon  us 


362  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

in  this  canvass,  we  are  compelled  to  accept  it,  and  we  resist  the  en- 
croachment of  the  slave  power  and  show  our  devotion  to  free  prin- 
ciples by  supporting  for  mayor  Francis  C.  Sherman,  the  free  laborer 
and  advocate  of  freedom  for  all  in  the  territories  consecrated  to 
freemen." 

The  Press  of  February  28  also  said:  "Money  is  flowing  like 
water,  it  is  said,  in  order  to  prostitute  the  city  to  the  Douglas  slave- 
crats.  Let  every  man  feel  it  his  duty  to  put  down  the  gross  corrup- 
tion." The  vote  for  mayor  and  for  president  in  1856  was  as  fol- 
lows: 

MAYOR.  PRESIDKNT. 

WARDS.                         Dyer — Sherman.  Fremont — Buchanan. 

First    264          598  787               330 

Second    499          738  1,040               609 

Third  374          464  702               475 

Fourth  375          290  419               367 

Fifth   621          763  1,190               795 

Sixth   553          497  300               604 

Seventh  999          219  600               703 

Eighth  592          358  532               571 

Ninth  .433          191  327               352 


4,712       4,138  6,397  4,945 

This  occasioned  intense  joy  to  the  supporters  of  Mr.  Douglas, 
who  thereupon  projected  a  celebration  where  money  flowed  like 
water  and  the  city,  figuratively  speaking,  was  turned  upside  down. 
Dyer  was  a  Democrat,  so  also  was  Sherman.  All  not  Democrats 
and  all  free  Democrats  united  against  Dyer.  Hence  his  victory  was 
considered  by  his  friends  an  event  which  should  be  properly  cele- 
brated. The  Press  of  March  5,  1856,  said :  "Chicago  is  disgraced 
— Dyer  is  elected.  Yesterday  demonstrated  that  in  Chicago  for 
once  at  least  the  men  with  principles  stood  no  chance  with  the 
men  with  money  and  whisky.  Never  was  there  an  election  where 
the  moral  sense,  the  virtue,  the  intelligence  and  integrity  of  the 
whole  community  were  so  generally  and  so  cordially  united ;  and 
on  the  other  hand  the  blacklegs  and  vagabonds  of  every  hue  and 
stripe  went  en  masse  for  Dyer.  The  entire  liquor  interest  also  cast 
their  vote  for  Dyer.  .  .  .  Money  was  used  without  stint.  The 
basest  falsehoods  were  constantly  circulated  against  Mr.  Sherman, 
by  which  almost  the  entire  foreign  vote  was  polled  for  Mr.  Dyer. 
This  combined  with  the  liquor  interest  secured  his  election." 

During  the  spring  of  1856  the  anti-slavery  agitation  continued  in 
this  county  with  unabated  intensity.  Never  had  the  citizens  been  so 
profoundly  moved  as  they  were  by  the  conduct  of  Southern  Con- 
gressmen, Senators  and  press.  Meetings  denouncing  every  feature 
of  slavery  were  held  throughout  the  county  during  the  entire  year 
of  1856.  The  Republican  party  emerged  from  the  ruins  of  the  old 
parties — called  into  existence  by  principles  such  as  never  before  had 
kindled  emotions  in  the  human  heart.  Clubs  and  wide-awakes 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  363 

everywhere  paraded  and  resolutions  denouncing  slavery  were  of 
almost  daily  occurrence.  On  the  other  hand,  Senator  Douglas  and 
his  supporters,  in  order  to  weather  the  storm,  exerted  themselves 
with  a  force  and  a  brilliancy  worthy  of  a  better  cause.  Even  in 
the  City  Council  the  members  were  literally  at  war.  Anti-Nebraska 
clubs  clashed  at  public  meetings  and  in  the  public  streets.  At  the 
Nebraska  convention  held  at  Springfield  the  acts  of  delegates  and 
of  Congress  were  sustained,  but  the  proceedings  of  that  convention 
were  denounced  by  the  united  press  of  Chicago,  except  the  Times. 
At  the  Cook  county  Anti-Nebraska  convention  held  in  May,  1856, 
the  nine  wards  of  Chicago  were  represented  by  the  following  dele- 
gates: Mark  Skinner,  J.  W.  Waughop,  D.  R.  Holt,  J.  C.  Outhet, 
J.  C.  Haines,  R.  A.  Williams,  G.  Schneider,  Enos  Ayres  and  J.  H. 
Kinzie.  The  civil  war  in  Kansas,  the  destruction  of  Lawrence  and 
the  violent  and  murderous  acts  of  pro-slavery  partisans  in  that  ter- 
ritory aroused  the  wrath  of  Chicagoans  opposed  to  slavery  as  noth- 
ing else  had  ever  done.  At  an  immense  impromptu  meeting  held 
in  May  a  large  subscription  was  raised  to  assist  the  fight  of  the 
Eree  Soilers  in  Kansas.  At  one  of  these  meetings  Mr.  Hoffman 
served  as  chairman  and  B.  F.  Downing  as  secretary.  Speeches 
of  great  eloquence  were  delivered  by  Mark  Skinner,  Isaac  N. 
Arnold,  E.  C.  Larned,  J.  C.  Vaughn,  John  Wentworth  and  Mr. 
Blackwell.  Arnold's  speech  was  one  of  unusual  power,  a  portion 
being  as  follows: 

"Violence  reigns  in  Kansas — violence  reigns  in  Washington. 
There  is  no  security  for  a  free  man  either  in  the  heart  of  the  country 
or  in  its  extreme  limits.  The  slave  power  is  setting  its  heel  upon 
freedom  to  crush  out  its  heart's  blood.  But  a  few  months  have 
passed  since  the  country  was  at  peace.  The  senator  who  disgraces 
the  state  of  Illinois  (Douglas)  and  represents  the  slave  power 
has  endeavored  to  force  slavery  upon  free  soil,  but  that  territory 
shall  be  free  by  the  help  of  God.  Why  these  outrages?  Why 
these  refugees  fleeing  from  their  homes — for  their  lives?  These 
outrages  are  perpetrated  under  the  sanction  and  authority  of  the 
United  States  Government.  Shame  upon  such  a  Government! 
The  issue  must  be  met.  It  is  slavery  or  freedom.  The  invaders 
must  be  repelled ;  the  Government  must  be  changed." 

The  speech  of  E.  C.  Larned  was  also  particularly  direct,  incisive 
and  brilliant.  The  following  is  an  extract  therefrom :  "For  the 
first  time  in  American  history  the  floor  of  the  Senate  chamber  has 
been  stained  with  the  blood  of  a  United  States  Senator.  Why? 
Simply  because  he  sustained  the  principles  of  liberty  learned  in 
Faneuil  Hall,  the  Cradle  of  Liberty.  O  shame!  Fellow  citizens, 
can  you  refrain  from  tearing  from  their  places  of  power  the  men 
who  gave  encouragement  to  this  outrage?  Has  it  come  to  this,  a 
crime  to  love  freedom?  The  battle  is  begun.  Slavery  or  freedom 
must  give  way ;  they  cannot  exist  together." 


364  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

The  Cook  county  delegation  to  the  anti-Nebraska  extension  con- 
vention at  Bloomington  were  Grant  Goodrich,  F.  C.  Sherman, 
W.  James,  A.  Dolton,  James  Michie,  George  Schneider,  John 
Wentworth,  C.  H.  Ray,  J.  L.  Scripps,  C.  L.  Wilson,  Samuel  Hoard, 
A.  Aiken,  H.  H.  Yates,  I.  N.  Arnold,  N.  B.  Judd,  J.  W.  Waughop 
and  Mark  Skinner.  The  convention  adopted  powerful  resolutions 
against  the  Douglas  policies.  The  convention  was  held  late  in 
May,  1856.  On  May  28,  1856,  an  immense  meeting  was/  held  at 
Metropolitan  hall  to  endorse  and  ratify  the  nominations  made  at 
the  Bloomington  convention.  Among  the  speakers  were  O.  H. 
Browning,  Burton  C.  Cook,  Governor  Reeder  of  Kansas,  Owen 
Lovejoy,  always  a  favorite  to  Chicagoans,  and  Abraham  Lincoln. 
A  correspondent  of  the  Democratic  Press  of  May  29,  1856,  said 
concerning  Mr.  Lincoln's  speech : 

"Abraham  Lincoln  of  Springfield  was  next  called  out  and  made 
the  speech  of  the  occasion.  Never  has  it  been  our  fortune  to  listen 
to  a  more  eloquent  and  masterly  presentation  of  a  subject.  I  shall 
not  mar  any  of  its  fine  proportions  or  brilliant  passages  by  attempt- 
ing even  a  synopsis  of  it.  Mr.  Lincoln  must  write  it  out  and  let  it 
go  before  all  the  people.  For  an  hour  and  a  half  he  held  the  assem- 
blage spell-bound  by  the  power  of  his  arguments,  the  intense  irony 
of  his  invective  and  the  deep  earnestness  and  fervid  brilliancy  of 
his  eloquence.  When  he  concluded  the  audience  sprang  to  their 
feet  and  cheer  after  cheer  told  how  deeply  their  hearts  had  been 
touched  and  their  souls  warmed  up  to  a  generous  enthusiasm." 

Another  immense  meeting  held  at  Metropolitan  hall  on  May  31, 
1856,  continued  the  extraordinary  movement  against  slavery  exten- 
sion. The  3,000  seats  in  the  hall  did  not  hold  half  of  those  who 
desired  to  hear  the  proceedings  and  an  overflow  meeting  was  held  in 
the  courthouse  yard.  Over  the  meeting  in  Metropolitan  hall  Nor- 
man B.  Judd  presided.  On  this  occasion  Chicago  subscribed  $15,000 
in  one  evening  to  aid  the  Free  Soil  movement  in  Kansas.  The 
speakers  at  the  two  or  three  different  meetings  were  Norman  B. 
Judd,  Francis  A.  Hoffman,  J.  C.  Vaughn,  Dr.  Egan,  I.  N.  Arnold, 
J.  H.  Lane  of  Kansas  and  others.  At  this  meeting  it  was  determined 
to  send  a  colony  of  500  actual  settlers  to  Kansas  to  aid  the  Free  Soil 
movement.  Means  to  provision  this  colony  for  one  year  were  pro- 
vided at  this  meeting.  Among  the  heaviest  subscribers  to  this  fund 
were  the  following:  T.  B.  Bryan,  $1,000;  a  citizen,  $600;  Peter 
Page,  $500;  L.  C.  P.  Freer,  $500;  Charles  H.  Walker,  $500;  Philo 
Carpenter,  $500;  Tuthill  King,  $500;  A.  G.  Throop,  $500;  R.  K. 
Swift  &  Company,  $500;  Jonathan  Brown,  $500;  W.  B.  Ogden, 
$500;  I.  N.  Arnold,  $200;  E.  C.  Arnold,  $200;  F.  A.  Hoffman,  $200 
and  many  others  in  equal  or  less  amounts.  At  the  meetings  the 
enthusiasm  had  scarcely  ever  been  paralleled  in  Chicago.  The  men 
present  were  so  inspired  by  the  righteousness  of  the  cause  that  they 
subscribed  rifles  and  other  weapons  and  ammunition  instead  of 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  365 

money  when  they  could  not  afford  the  latter.  Almost  a  hundred 
men  volunteered  to  go  to  Kansas  to  fight  in  favor  of  free  soil.  Mr. 
Arnold  said  in  his  speech  at  this  meeting  that  the  rifles  were  sub- 
scribed "to  protect  the  settlers  and  punish  the  wild  animals."  When 
the  meeting  broke  up  at  midnight  so  enthusiastic  were  the  partici- 
pants that  they  adjourned  singing  "The  Star  Spangled  Banner." 
No  such  enthusiasm  and  determination  in  the  cause  of  right  had  ever 
before  been  witnessed  in  this  city. 

In  June,  1856,  a  committee  of  the  Kansas  Aid  society  reported 
that  fifty  citizens  were  ready  to  go  to  that  territory.  There  was 
organized  here  before  that  date  a  Ladies'  Kansas  Aid  society  the 
object  being  to  supply  clothing,  money,  etc.,  to  the  destitute  in 
Kansas  territory.  Mrs.  H.  C.  Hibbard  was  president  of  this  soci- 
ety. Late  in  June  a  company  of  about  seventy  men  raised  here  left 
for  Kansas,  of  whom  the  names  of  sixty-six  were  published  in  the 
Demorcatic  Press  of  June  18.  This  company  was  not  permitted  to 
pass  through  the  state  of  Missouri  where  slavery  was  in  vogue. 
The  border  ruffians  therein  prevented  their  passage,  the  company 
returning,  and  the  indignation  at  Chicago  found  vent  in  numerous 
mass  meetings  where  fiery  resolutions  exhibited  the  wrath  of  the 
people.  They  had  been  permitted  to  pass  half  way  through  the 
state  and  were  forcibly  turned  back.  At  one  of  these  indignation 
meetings  speeches  were  made  by  J.  Y.  Scammon,  J.  W.  Waughop, 
Peter  Page,  I.  N.  Arnold,  General  Bruce  of  New  York,  J.  C. 
Vaughan  and  others.  During  the  entire  period  of  the  Kansas- 
Nebraska  ^rouble  this  act  was  a  burning  coal  upon  the  heart  of 
Chicago. 

The  nomination  of  Colonel  Fremont  for  the  presidency  by  the 
Republicans  was  pleasing  to  the  members  of  that  party  in  Chicago. 
The  Democratic  Press  called  the  ticket  the  People's  party  or  Repub- 
lican-Democratic. In  June  Gerrett  Smith  sent  $500  here  to  be  used 
as  a  contribution  to  the  Kansas  cause.  On  June  19,  the  nomination 
of  Colonel  Fremont  was  ratified  here  with  bonfires,  fire-crackers, 
pole-raising  and  speech-making  throughout  the  city  and  at  Dear- 
born park  in  particular.  At  one  of  these  meetings  William  Bross, 
General  Lane  of  Kansas,  John  Wentworth  and  Francis  A.  Hoff- 
man were  the  speakers.  During  the  summer  and  fall  of  1856  emi- 
grants for  Kansas  continued  to  pour  through  Chicago  principally 
from  New  England.  The  organized  Kansas  Aid  societies  in  New 
England  were  remarkably  active  at  this  time. 

One  of  the  meetings  which  denounced  in  unstinted  terms  the  act 
of  the  Missourians  in  turning  back  the  Chicago  company  was  ad- 
dressed by  about  a  dozen  of  the  most  prominent  citizens  of  this  city. 

Abraham  Lincoln  was  advertised  to  speak  here  on  July  19,  1856, 
on  the  Kansas  question  and  as  he  was  a  great  favorite  already  an 
immense  crowd  gathered  to  hear  him.  The  Democratic  Press  re- 
ported the  speech  as  follows :  "A  large  meeting  was  held  in  Dear- 


366  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

born  park  on  Saturday  evening  to  hear  the  speech  of  Mr.  Lincoln, 
and  we  have  never  seen  an  audience  held  so  long  a  time  in  the  open 
air  to  listen  to  an  argumentative  speech.  The  speaker  was  calm, 
clear  and  forcible,  constantly  referring  to  indisputable  facts  in  our 
political  history  and  drawing  conclusions  from  them  in  favor  of 
supporting  the  Anti-Nebraska  platform  and  nominees  that  were 
unanswerable.  He  showed  how  the  South  does  not  put  up  her 
own  men  for  the  presidency  but  holds  up  the  prize  that  the  ambition 
of  Northern  men  may  make  bids  for  it.  He  demonstrated  in  the 
strongest  manner  that  the  only  issue  now  before  us  is  freedom  or 
slavery,  that  the  perpetuity  of  our  Union  is  dependent  upon  main- 
taining the  former  against  the  latter  and  held  up  the  bugbear  of 
disunion  threatened  by  the  slavery  extensionists  to  the  scorn  and 
contempt  it  deserves." 

B.  S.  Morris  was  president  of  the  Fillmore  club  in  August,  1856. 
Evidently  he  had  refused  to  join  the  Republicans.  James  M.  Rich- 
ards was  president  of  the  Young  Men's  Fremont  club  in  July,  1856. 
The  Democrat,  edited  by  John  Wentworth,  a  lifelong  Demo- 
crat, came  out  in  1856  for  Fremont  and  Dayton.  It  also  supported 
the  Republican  state  ticket.  Evidently  Mr.  Wentworth  could  not 
stand  Dougles  and  his  Nebraska  measures.  It  was  noted  in  August, 
1856,  that  the  Scandinavians  were  almost  unitedly  for  the  Repub- 
lican ticket.  At  the  Republican  county  convention  of  September 
15,  R.  M.  Hough,  Mark  Skinner,  George  W.  Dole,  Andrew  Aiken, 
George  Schneider,  R.  F.  Clough  and  A.  H.  Dolton  served  as  com- 
mittee on  resolutions.  About  this  time  ex-Governor  Horatio  Sey- 
mour of  New  York  delivered  a  powerful  speech  here.  Early  in 
September  Senator  Douglas  was  advertised  to  speak  in  this  city. 
The  Democratic  Press  of  September  8,  said :  "Stephen  A.  Douglas 
is  announced  by  his  paper  (Times')  to  speak  at  the  courthouse  this 
evening.  It  was  thought  that  he  would  not  dare  to  show  his  face 
before  a  Chicago  audience  this  fall  after  such  a  disgraceful  and 
shameful  proceeding  as  attended  a  public  dinner  in  honor  of  the 
scoundrel  Brooks  who  attempted  to  assassinate  Senator  Sumner. 
But  he  has  the  effrontery  to  do  anything,  and  having  failed  to  gain 
the  respect  of  the  people  of  Chicago,  he  now  insults  them  with  his 
presence." 

Senator  Douglas  sustained  himself  in  a  speech  of  unusual  adroit- 
ness and  ability.  He  was  answered  the  following  day  by  Senator 
Trumbull.  Concerning  the  Douglas  speech  the  Democratic  Press 
of  September  9,  said :  "It  was  the  old  affair — his  standing  vindica- 
tion. If  it  differed  from  his  other  efforts  on  such  occasions  it  was 
only  that  it  excelled  even  those  in  its  unblushing  impudence — its 
coarse  and  vulgar  language — and  its  unpardonable  and  willful 
falseness." 

At  this  time  there  was  an  enormous  sale  of  Harriet  Beecher 
Stowe's  famous  book,  "Uncle  Tom's  Cabin."  Her  book  "Dred" 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  367 

had  just  began  to  make  its  appearance  here.  At  the  Cook  county 
Buchanan  convention  in  September,  1856,  Col.  W.  B.  Snowhook 
was  nominated  for  sheriff,  L.  M.  Keith,  clerk  of  the  circuit  court; 
Samuel  Ashton,  state  senate;  Patrick  Ballingall  prosecuting  attor- 
ney. Doctor  Helmuth,  coroner,  and  H.  L.  Neihoff,  William  H. 
Davis,  Jacob  Rhiel  and  Elliott  Anthony,  representatives. 

At  an  immense  political  meeting  held  at  Barrington  in  September, 
1856,  Homer  Wilmarth  was  chairman  and  S.  W.  Kingsbury  secre- 
tary. William  Jones  delivered  the  principal  speech  and  introduced 
resolutions  favoring  Fremont's  nomination  and  in  opposition  to  the 
Kansas  outrage.  One  of  the  resolutions  declared  that  "we  are  mis- 
represented in  the  United  States  Senate  by  the  traitor  Douglas." 

In  October  the  Fillmore  county  convention  was  held.  T.  J.  S. 
Flint  was  nominated  for  the  state  senate ;  A.  Clybourn,  B.  F.  James, 
J.  E.  Craine,  Eliphalet  Wood,  representatives.  S.  B.  Buckley, 
sheriff.  Jacob  Russell,  assessor  and  recorder,  J.  W.  Chickering, 
prosecuting  attorney  and  Dr.  S.  Brownell,  coroner.  The  Republicans 
also  held  their  county  convention  in  October.  Their  candi- 
dates were  as  follows :  State  senator,  Norman  B.  Judd ;  represen- 
tatives, J.  H.  Dunham,  George  W.  Morris,  I.  N.  Arnold,  A.  S.  C. 
Mueller;  George  P.  Hanson,  coroner;  William  L.  Church,  clerk  of 
the  circuit  court ;  Carlos  Haven  of  Lake  county,  prosecuting  attor- 
ney. The  presidential  campaign  of  1856  was  spirited  and  brilliant 
in  the  extreme.  The  Republicans  were  united,  enthusiastic,  vigi- 
lant and  held  a  continuous  series  of  meetings  day  and  night  through- 
out the  county.  City  affairs  were  likewise  thoroughly  investigated 
and  exposed.  It  was  charged  that  Mayor  Dyer  had  borrowed 
money  when  not  needed,  had  raised  taxation,  had  a  corrupt  under- 
standing with  ward  politicians,  had  favored  unfairly  the  license 
system  and  had  placed  large  sums  in  banking  institutions,  while  at 
the  same  time  continuing  to  borrow.  The  following  articles  from 
the  Democrat  of  October  1  and  2,  1856,  show  something  of  the  bit- 
terness existing  during  this  campaign : 

"The  opinion  universally  prevails  among  our  citizens  that  a  more 
corrupt  Council  than  the  present  never  disgraced  out  city.  If  it 
keeps  on  its  course  of  corruption  it  will  make  a  great  man  of  Mayor 
Dyer  if  he  continues  to  have  the  moral  courage  to  send  in  his  vetoes." 
.  .  .  "One-half  of  the  Council  were  relied  upon  in  the  outset  to 
vote  against  every  item  that  would  increase  our  city  expenditures. 
Instead  of  there  being  one-half,  quite  two-thirds  of  the  Council 
have  gone  over  bag  and  baggage  to  a  system  of  corruption  that 
equals  anything  that  has  led  California  to  call  a  vigilance  committee. 
The  Mayor  has  become  alarmed  and  has  interposed  his  veto  to  head 
off  these  rascally  proceedings.  Some  of  these  vetoes  have  been 
sustained  and  some  have  been  corruptly  stricken  down."  "At  every 
municipal  election  quarrels  have  been  gotten  up  between  different 
interests  of  this  city,  but  it  has  made  no  difference  which  of  those 


368  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

interests  have  won,  the  same  class  of  men  have  handled  our  funds 
under  different  administrations  and  have  been  plundering  our  city 
all  the  while.  The  same  men  are  in  power  under  Dyer  that  were  in 
power  under  Dr.  Boone,  Millikin,  etc.  They  manage  to  raise  ficti- 
tious issues  about  license  laws,  politics,  temperance,  etc.,  merely  to 
hide  the  true  character  of  their  proceedings.  While  honest  men 
are  quarreling  about  the  rate  of  license,  etc.,  the  aristocracy  have 
been  plundering  the  city  to  an  enormous  extent  through  city  loans, 
city  deposits,  city  contracts,  etc.  Last  year  the  Nebraska  party  out 
of  power  complained  of  the  party  in  power  that  the  expenses  of  the 
city  were  enormous,  that  the  public  expenses  were  unnecessarily 
large,  etc.  This  year  the  Nebraska  party  have  got  into  power  and 
the  expenses  are  swelled  enormously ;  and  salaries  which  had  been 
raised  too  high  in  all  conscience  last  year  are  raised  still  higher 
this." 

On  October  4,  1856,  the  largest  mass  meeting  ever  held  in  Chi- 
cago up  to  that  time  convened  at  Metropolitan  hall  with  overflow 
meetings  elsewhere.  Cassius  M.  Clay  was  the  first  speaker  at 
Metropolitan  hall.  The  Democratic  Press  said:  "He  made  a 
powerful,  argumentative  and  persuasive  speech.  We  must  say  that 
this  was  one  of  the  most  effective  speeches  that  has  been  delivered 
in  this  city  during  the  campaign."  Martin  P.  Sweet  of  Freeport, 
General  Robinson  of  Kansas  and  General  Nye  of  New  York  also 
delivered  eloquent  and  memorable  addresses.  Buckner  S.  Morris 
in  1856  became  the  Fillmore  candidate  for  governor  of  Illinois.  He 
was  a  Free  Soiler  of  southern  antecedents.  During  the  Civil  War 
he  was  a  secessionist.  In  1856  the  Maine  law  and  the  native  Ameri- 
can questions  were  almost  wholly  ignored  by  the  Republican  party 
in  their  zeal  to  elect  their  national  ticket.  At  an  immense  Republi- 
can meeting  held  in  Evanston,  Dr.  J.  W.  Ludlam  served  as  chair- 
man, Edward  Murphy  as  secretary,  and  speeches  were  made  by 
Norman  B.  Judd,  I.  N.  Arnold  and  L.  F.  Bingham.  On  October 
18,  the  largest  meeting  ever  held  in  Chicago  up  to  date,  assembled 
here.  It  was  estimated  that  not  less  than  25,000  people  were  on 
the  streets.  Nathaniel  P.  banks  delivered  a  speech  two  hours  in 
length  on  the  West  side  of  the  Public  Square.  Schuyler  Col  fax 
delivered  a  speech  at  an  overflow  meeting.  So  also  did  Frederick 
Hecker.  This  was  the  most  imposing  day  of  the  campaign.  The 
meetings  were  spirited  in  the  extreme ;  parades  were  constantly 
passing  through  the  streets  and  at  night  bonfires  and  fire  crackers 
illuminated  the  sky. 

On  October  23,  another  meeting  was  held  at  Blue  Island  and  on 
that  occasion  there  were  present  N.  B.  Judd,  I.  N.  Arnold,  John 
Wentworth,  General  Nye  of  New  York.  William  Bross,  J.  F. 
Farnsworth,  J.  C.  Vaughan  and  George  C.  Bates,  all  of  whom  at 
different  meetings  delivered  rousing  Republican  speeches.  Late  in 
October  Frederick  Douglas  lectured  here  on  the  subject  of  "Free- 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  369 

dom,"  his  address  amounting  to  a  stirring  campaign  speech.  On 
October  25,  a  large  Douglas  meeting  was  held  at  Dearborn  park, 
on  which  occasion  speeches  were  made  by  the  following  men : 
Colonel  Richardson,  General  Cass,  Colonel  Preston  of  Kentucky, 
J.  L.  Robinson  of  Indiana,  C.  H.  Constable,  a  presidential  elector 
and  others.  Glee  clubs  paraded  the  streets  and  sang  campaign 
songs  and  torchlight  processions  were  in  evidence  everywhere. 
Unfortunately  Senator  Douglas  was  too  ill  to  take  an  active  part. 
The  same  night  a  Fremont  meeting  was  held  at  Metropolitan  hall. 
The  Speakers  were  Gen.  Mitchell  Sandford  of  New  York,  Rev. 
Theo.  Parker,  General  Nye  and  George  C.  Bates  of  California. 
This  meeting  also  had  its  glee  clubs,  parades  and  fire  works.  The 
entire  county  in  1856  was  thoroughly  canvassed  by  all  parties.  Late 
in  October  a  Fremont  meeting  was  held  at  Thornton  station. 

Several  residents  there  delivered  addresses  as  did  also  Owen 
Lovejoy,  John  Wentworth,  F.  A.  Hoffman  and  others.  On  No- 
vember 1,  at  night  the  Republicans  held  a  mass  meeting  on  the  West 
side  of  the  courthouse  square  on  which  occasion  all  candidates  who 
were  present  were  called  out  and  given  a  chance  to  be  seen  and 
heard  by  the  public.  Senator  Douglas  viewed  these  proceedings 
from  the  window  of  his  office  adjacent.  It  should  be  noted  at  this 
point  that  on  election  day,  November  4,  1856,  strong  barricades 
were  erected  around  every  city  polling  place.  This  was  the  first 
time  such  a  step  seemed  necessary.  All  parties  wound  up  the  cam- 
paign on  the  night  of  November  3,  with  meetings  and  parades. 
The  Democratic  Press  said  after  the  election : 

"Chicago  has  never  witnessed  anything  like  the  enthusiasm  and 
excitement  which  prevailed  all  classes  of  citizens  last  night.  Soon 
after  dark  thousands  began  to  assemble  at  the  corner  of  Wabash 
avenue  and  Water  street.  Eight  thousand  torches  had  been  pro- 
vided. Before  eight  o'clock  they  were  all  given  out  and  the  cry 
was  still  for  more." 

Election  day  was  November  4,  1856.  On  that  day  all  of  the 
saloons  of  Chicago  were  wide  open.  In  the  "Bloody  Seventh"  Ward 
fights  and  riots  occurred  throughout  the  day.  That  ward  was  on 
the  West  Side  from  Sangamon  and  Morgan.  The  Tremont  house 
was  the  headquarters  for  news  of  the  election.  For  sheriff,  Wilson 
received  6,482  votes ;  Snowhook  4,656  and  Buckley  306.  The  vote 
throughout  the  country,  particularly  in  Cook  county,  was  immensely 
gratifying  to  the  Republicans  notwithstanding  the  national  defeat. 
On  November  12,  the  supporters  of  Buchanan  held  an  immense 
celebration  on  which  occasion  a  congratulatory  speech  was  delivered 
by  Senator  Douglas.  Mr.  Farnsworth,  candidate  for  Congress, 
was  elected  by  a  large  majority.  The  Republicans  regarded  the  re- 
sult as  a  Republican  triumph.  The  ultimate  curtailment  of  slavery 
was  pointed  and  emphatic  and  certainly  foreshadowed  by  this  elec- 
tion. The  moral  effect  was  with  the  Republicans;  slavery-extension 


370  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

was  doomed.  On  December  10  the  Republicans  held  a  banquet  at 
the  Tremont  house  to  celebrate  their  victory.  On  this  occasion  the 
speakers  were  Owen  Lovejoy,  Abraham  Lincoln,  James  Curtiss, 
Ebenezer  Peck,  Dr.  Egan,  E.  C.  Lamed,  J.  Y.  Scammon  and  others. 
Mr.  Lincoln  spoke  to  the  toast  "The  Union,"  and  the  Democratic 
Press  of  December  1 1  notes  his  speech  thus : 

"He  (Lincoln)  maintained  that  the  liberty  for  which  we  con- 
tended could  best  be  obtained  by  a  firm,  a  steady  adherence  to  the 
Union.  As  Webster  said,  'Not  Liberty  without  Union,  nor  Union 
without  Liberty,  but  Union  and  Liberty,  now  and  forever,  one  and 
inseparable.'  The  speaker  referred  to  the  anecdote  of  the  boy  who 
was  talking  to  another  as  to  whether  General  Jackson  could  ever 
get  to  heaven.  Said  the  boy:  'He'd  get  there  if  he  had  a  mind 
to.'  So  was  it  with  Colonel  Bissell — he'd  do  whatever  he  had  a 
mind  to.  He  said  our  Government  was  based  upon  public  opinion 
and  whenever  that  changes  so  does  the  Government.  Equality  of 
men  has  been  our  central  idea,  and  although  we  have  progressed, 
yet  we  have  been  patient  to  a  wonderful  degree  with  certain  ine- 
qualities that  existed.  We  must  change  these  inequalities — we  must 
reform  public  opinion — we  must  found  one  principle — one  central 
idea  in  the  hearts  of  the  people,  that  slavery  is  sectional  and  that 
freedom  is  national  and  we  will  not  fail  to  achieve  the  victory.  We 
must  drown  the  cry  now  raised  of  equality  of  states,  by  the  cry, 
'All  men  are  created  equal.' ' 

Late  in  1856  the  Kansas  Excelsior  Joint  Stock  company  with  a 
capital  of  $20,000  was  organized  here.  The  object  was  to  locate, 
purchase  and  settle  upon  a  whole  township  in  Kansas.  At  the  city 
Republican  convention  in  February,  1857,  John  Wentworth  was 
nominated  for  Mayor,  C.  N.  Holden  city  treasurer  and  John  C. 
Miller  city  attorney.  At  the  meeting  which  ratified  the  nominations 
Abraham  Lincoln  was  present  and  delivered  an  address  and  Mr. 
Wentworth  also  spoke,  outlining  what  he  expected  to  do  if  elected. 
In  February  the  Times  called  for  a  meeting  of  all  who  were  opposed 
to  the  Republicans.  In  April  a  German  colony  of  800  persons  to 
form  a  settlement  in  Kansas  was  organized  here.  They  first  dis- 
patched three  commissioners  to  that  territory  to  make  preliminary 
arrangements;  twenty  families  started  westward  on  April  18.  The 
municipal  election  of  1857  resulted  in  a  triumph  for  the  Republican 
party.  The  Press  of  March  said : 

"It  will  be  seen  that  Chicago  is  thoroughly  Republican  in  senti- 
ment and  that  the  home  of  Stephen  A.  Douglas  continues  to  stamp 
with  the  seal  of  its  unqualified  reprobation  the  political  course  of 
that  arch-demagogue  and  traitor  to  freedom.  No  stronger  evidence 
of  that  fact  can  be  given  than  the  election  of  yesterday  affords."  . 
.  .  "The  Dyer  administration  has  closed  in  a  succession  of  dis- 
graceful scenes  such  as  have  never  on  any  former  occasion  been 
known  in  our  city.  We  have  had  disturbances  more  or  less  serious 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  371 

in  their  nature.  We  have  had  one  riot.  Seldom  has  an  election 
passed  without  its  share  of  fights  and  fracases,  but  never  before 
has  the  entire  weight  of  the  municipal  government  been  thrown  so 
openly  and  so  entirely  in  countenance,  in  support,  and  we  may  add 
in  participation  with  open  violations  of  law  and  order  and  the 
rights  of  our  citizens  as  men  and  voters  as  on  yesterday. 
Altogether,  the  election  was  one  of  the  most  disgraceful  that  has 
ever  taken  place  in  Chicago.  In  all  the  wards  drunkenness  and 
violence  abounded — in  some  of  them,  ruled  triumphant  throughout 
the  day." 

"It  was  the  settled  purpose  of  the  opponents  of  the  Republican 
candidates  to  make  the  polls  in  the  most  closely  contested  wards 
the  theater  of  disorder  and  outrage,  to  which  end  the  base  tools  of 
baser  men  were  freely  plied  with  liquor  and  their  excitable  natures 
thus  wrought  to  frenzy  were  purposely  directed  to  prevent  the 
peaceful  exercise  of  the  voters'  right.  .  .  .  The  election  has 
passed.  We  trust  that  it  will  stand  without  a  parallel  in  the  annals 
of  Chicago.  The  apathy,  the  unconcern,  the  inattention  of  our 
business  men  and  those  who  have  the  largest  interest  at  stake,  a 
year  ago  threw  Chicago  into  the  control  of  the  worst  municipal  gov- 
ernment in  origin,  progress  and  termination  that  ever  cursed  the 
city." 

It  was  during  the  summer  of  1857  that  candidates  for  the  presi- 
dency in  1860  began  to  be  proposed.  Douglas  wag  beaten  by  Pierce 
in  1852  and  by  Buchanan  in  1856.  He  regarded  his  most  formida- 
ble competitor  in  1860  to  be  Breckenridge.  The  famous  speech  of 
Mr.  Douglas  at  Springfield  in  June  before  the  House  of  Repre- 
sentatives was  considered  by  the  South  as  his  bid  for  the  presi- 
dency. "The  great  object  of  Mr.  Douglas  is  to  keep  himself  before 
the  people ;  and  as  the  respectable  portion  of  his  old  friends  in  Chi- 
cago did  not  see  fit  to  call  him  out,  it  was  contrived  (and  very  prob- 
ably by  his  own  suggestion)  to  have  the  United  States  Grand  Jury 
at  Springfield  come  to  the  rescue." — (Daily  Press,  June  16,  1857.) 
The  questions  discussed  were  Utah,  Dred  Scott  and  Kansas.  He 
said,  "root  out  the  evil  in  Utah."  He  favored  sustaining  the  Dred 
Scott  case  and  skillfully  answered  attacks  upon  him  concerning  his 
attitude  on  the  Kansas  question.  Immediately  after  this  speech 
was  delivered  there  arose  from  all  parts  of  the  state  a  general 
demand  that  Abraham  Lincoln  should  answer  him.  This  Mr. 
Lincoln  proceeded  to  do.  The  following  concerning  that  answer  was 
published  at  the  time: 

"The  reputation  of  its  distinguished  author  will  secure  for  it  a 
careful  perusal.  Of  all  the  leading  men  of  the  day  none  follows 
more  closely  in  the  footsteps  of  the  sages  of  the  Revolutionary 
period  than  Lincoln.  The  antagonism  between  the  sentiment  and 
moral  tone  of  this  speech  of  Lincoln  and  of  that  of  Douglas  is 
strongly  marked  and  complete.  They  differ  fundamentally  and 


372  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

radically.    They  spring  from  opposite  theories  of  the  inherent  rights 
of  man  and  of  the  true  intent  and  duty  of  government." 

"We,  down  here  in  the  center  (Springfield),  consider  Lincoln's 
speech  an  eloquent  answer  to  the  one  delivered  in  this  city  by 
Douglas.  It  had  the  necessary  fire  in  it  and  the  power  through  it 
to  crush  out  Douglas'  pompous  and  flippant  effort.  Occasionally 
Lincoln  would  burst  forth  with  the  very  grandest  swell  of  eloquence. 
Douglas  when  he  sees  Lincoln's  speech  will  see  in  it  an  argument 
he  cannot  answer  and  one  that  will  stand  in  his  way  for  more  years 
than  one.  Our  town  people  were  as  a  matter  of  course  delighted 
with  it." 

VOTE   FOR    MAYOR. 

1857.  1858.                              1859. 

WARDS.  Haines — Oilman.  Haines — Brainard.     Wentworth — Carver. 

First   904            606  916  596  635  308 

Second    1,073            886  1,091            977  897  532 

Third    689            602  698  749  650  403 

Fourth    429           501  502  594  388  320 

Fifth    1,059            672  1,103            664  878  371 

Sixth     1,275            980  1,187            785  725  509 

Seventh     1,273         1,290  1,237         1,160  604  944 

Eighth  604            555  719  603  477  511 

Ninth    375           428  434  445  308  416 

Tenth    907         1,208  720  934  386  629 


Totals 8,588        7,728        8,607        7,507  5,948          4,943 

At  a  large  meeting  held  in  June,  1857,  Gurdon  S.  Hubbard  pre- 
sided. Gerrett  Smith  delivered  a  speech  of  great  strength  on  the 
unconstitutionality  of  the  fugitive  slave  law  and  against  the  exten- 
sion of  slavery  into  the  territories.  Senator  Trumbull  thoroughly 
answered  Senator  Douglas  in  a  speech  of  nearly  three  hours'  dura- 
tion while  here  in  the  summer  of  1857.  At  the  November  election 
of  1857  the  Republicans  were  again  triumphant.  The  vote  for 
county  judge  will  illustrate  about  the  majority  on  the  whole  ticket. 
For  county  judge,  W.  T.  Barron,  Republican,  6,000;  Arno  Voss, 
Democrat,  4,406;  B.  F.  James,  American,  177;  scattering,  67. 
Charles  B.  Farwell  was  elected  county  clerk,  August  B.  Boyden 
county  treasurer,  W.  L.  Greenleaf  school  commissioner  and  Ed. 
Bixley  surveyor;  all  Republicans.  The  average  Republican  major- 
ity throughout  the  county  was  about  1,730.  No  polls  were  opened 
in  Cicero  and  the  returns  of  Lemont  were  thrown  out  for  defects. 
The  Press  of  November  said :  "The  victory  in  Cook  county  in  the 
election  of  Republican  county  officers  on  Tuesday  last  was  a  tri- 
umph worthy  to  be  made  note  of.  It  will  be  remembered,  cer- 
tainly, by  the  defeated.  It  should  be  proclaimed  as  widely  at 
least,  as  our  opponents  would  have  trumpeted  their  victory  had 
victory  been  theirs.  Had  the  Gleason  and  McCarthy  ticket  been 
successful  the  Border  Ruffian  press  from  the  Washington  Union 
down  to  the  county  organ  (Times)  of  the  most  petty  postmaster, 


C.    L.    BILLINGS.  W.    CLYDE  JONES.  F.   P.    SCHMITT.  S.    A.    ETTELSON. 


C.  R.  JANDUS. 


L.    C.    BALL. 


E.    J.    RAINEY. 


W.    H.    DELI.ENBACK.  E.    J.    GLACKIN.  H.     H.    BREIDT. 


NIELS    JUUL.  VV.    M.    BROWN.  A.    C.    CLARK.  CARL    LUNDBF.RG. 

GROUP  OF  STATE  SENATORS  FROM  COOK  COUNTY. 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  375 

would  have  given  the  figures  and  chuckled  hugely  over  the  indorse- 
ment therein  claimed  for  Douglas  and  his  political  gospel.  We  look 
back  to  the  election  of  Tuesday  with  pleasure.  Our  Republicans 
turned  out  nobly;  our  honest  German  Republicans  and  our  Scan- 
dinavians were  out  in  full  force." 

The  Chicago  Democrat  and  the  Chicago  Democratic  Press,  still 
flying  their  own  names  and  invoking  the  shades  of  the  immortal 
Jackson,  were  yet  thundering  for  the  cause  of  the  Republican  party 
in  November,  1857.  Senator  Douglas  was  humorously  called  "The 
Dwarf  Giant."  On  November  1,  he  delivered  a  two-hours'  speech 
here  covering  the  whole  ground  of  the  slavery  question  and  dwelling 
particularly  upon  negro  equality  and  popular  sovereignty.  He  said 
that  "if  the  black  Republicans  could  have  their  way,  the  blacks  will 
push  us  from  our  sidewalks,  elbow  us  out  of  our  car  seats,  stink  us 
out  of  our  places  of  worship  and  everywhere  overrun  and  over- 
whelm us."  Late  in  1857  he  reversed  his  position  on  the  Kansas 
question  in  a  speech  delivered  in  the  United  States  Senate.  His 
friends  in  Cook  county  ratified  his  changed  views. 

At  a  large  Republican  meeting  held  January  30,  1858,  at  North 
Market  hall  speeches  were  delivered  by  Messrs.  Hoffman,  Sturte- 
vant,  Larned,  Wentworth,  and  Bross.  Frank  Lumbard  sang  sev- 
eral campaign  songs.  About  the  same  time  at  a  mass  meeting  of  the 
Germans,  Messrs.  Arnold,  Gale,  and  Schneider  of  the  Stoats  Zeitung. 
delivered  addresses.  At  the  convention  of  the  Democrats  on  January 
30,  1858,  to  nominate  candidates  for  municipal  offices  E.  Van  Buren 
served  as  chairman  and  Thomas  Lonergan  as  secretary.  The  meet- 
ing was  held  at  Light  Guard  hall.  Among  those  who  took  part  were 
W.  Y.  Daniels,  D.  Stuart,  B.  Y.  Semmes  and  Messrs.  Kennedy,  An- 
derson, McHugh,  Woodman,  Diversey,  Smith,  Allen,  Sherman  and 
Snowhook.  Mr.  Sherman  objected  to  the  use  of  his  name  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  committee  on  permanent  organization,  but  Mr.  Stuart 
declared  the  name  should  remain  there  "to  show  that  Sherman  had 
returned  from  his  backsliding  from  the  Democratic  party."  At  this 
convention  Dr.  Daniel  Brainard  was  nominated  for  Mayor  and  H.  D. 
Colvin  for  treasurer.  At  the  Republican  city  convention  in  February, 
1858,  John  C.  Haines  was  nominated  for  mayor,  Elliott  Anthony 
city  attorney,  Alonzo  Harvey  treasurer,  Alexander  Wolcott  surveyor. 
The  campaign  of  March,  1858,  was  very  spirited.  Ward  meetings 
and  mass  meetings  were  of  almost  daily  occurrence.  The  Press  of 
March  25  said,  "The  most  exciting  election  for  years  takes  place 
today.  The  most  intense  feeling  prevails."  It  was  generally  con- 
cluded that  the  result  meant  either  the  endorsement  of  the  Douglas 
policies  or  the  reverse.  As  a  matter  of  fact  the  eyes  of  the  entire 
country  were  fixed  upon  Chicago  during  this  election. 

Senator  Douglas  by  this  time  had  changed  his  ultra  attitude  and 
was  nearer  what  his  Northern  friends  desired  he  should  be — really 
opposed  to  the  extension  of  slavery.  At  the  election  Mr.  Went- 

Vol.  1—22. 


376  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

worth  offered  $100  reward  for  the  detection  and  conviction  for 
false  voting.  So  far  as  known,  for  the  first  time  at  this  election, 
betters  who  lost  wagers  upon  the  election  were  required  to  saw 
wood  upon  the  public  square  as  a  penalty.  Henry  Greenebaum  lost 
thus  to  G.  F.  Leverenz.  Greenebaum  thereupon  sawed  wood  on 
the  courthouse  square  beginning  at  ten  o'clock  A.  M.  In  the  same 
way  Mr.  Weihe  lost  to  Mr.  Lochbeiler  and  his  punishment  was 
about  the  same.  An  admiring  crowd  viewed  the  interesting  pro- 
ceedings. It  should  be  noted  that  the  Buchanan  supporters  favored 
the  Lecompton  constitution  and  tried  to  make  it  a  basis  of  Democ- 
racy, but  Douglas  took  a  stand  against  such  a  step  and  hence  caused 
an  important  division  in  the  Democratic  ranks. 

The  struggle  in  Congress  on  the  Lecompton  constitution  was 
viewed  with  concern  and  emotion  by  the  people  of  Cook  county.  At 
the  time  Senator  Douglas  delivered  his  famous  speech  in  the  spring  of 
1858  in  the  Senate  there  was  an  unprecedented  rush  there  to  hear 
him.  As  a  matter  of  fact  he  practically  sided  with  the  Republicans 
on  that  question  and  against  the  Buchanan  administration  and  the 
South.  During  the  speeches  made  in  Congress  at  this  time  Mr. 
Farnsworth,  Congressman  from  this  district,  declared  defiantly  in  the 
House  that  his  consent  would  never  be  given  for  another  slave  state. 
The  Lecompton  constitution  was  killed  in  the  House.  Crittenden's 
amendments  were  adopted.  All  of  the  ten  wards  in  April,  1858, 
elected  Republican  county  supervisors.  The  towns  of  South,  West 
and  North  Chicago  elected  very  generally  Republicans  to  office.  This 
was  true  also  in  the  entire  county  with  few  exceptions. 

The  following  were  the  Cook  county  delegates  to  the  Democratic 
state  convention :  Daniel  Brainard,  S.  S.  Hayes,  H.  D.  Colvin,  J.  B. 
Vaughan,  E.  S.  Kimberly,  Dennis  Coughlin,  Edmund  Barrett,  E. 
Van  Buren,  J.  F.  D.  Elliot,  Nathan  Allen,  B.  F.  Bradley,  P.  A. 
Hoyne,  H.  A.  Clark,  William  Price,  Hugh  Maher,  W.  Bateham, 
J.  W.  Bell,  J.  W.  Sheahan,  W.  W.  Drummond,  J.  B.  Bradwell,  H.  H. 
Honore,  D.  A.  Gage,  Harvey  Danks,  R.  T.  Merrick,  J.  T.  O'Bannon, 
O.  L.  Hodge,  J.  L.  Marsh,  T.  P.  Abell,  W.  W.  Jackson,  I.  H.  Rob- 
erts, L.  D.  Boone,  Charles  Welch  and  J.  C.  Smith. 

In  the  spring  of  1858  the  town  of  New  Trier  went  Republican  for 
the  first  time  in  its  history.  The  Democracy  in  this  county  was  hope- 
lessly divided  this  year.  The  Douglas  wing  and  the  Buchanan  wing 
were  far  apart  in  their  views  and  of  this  fact  advantage  was  taken 
by  the  Republicans.  Isaac  Cook,  postmaster,  headed  the  Buchanan 
wing  of  the  Democracy.  His  followers  assembled  at  the  recorder's 
court  room  and  the  Douglas  wing  at  the  Democratic  hall.  The  Bu- 
chanan state  convention  of  the  spring  of  1858  did  not  nominate  state 
candidates  but  was  considered  a  bluff  by  Buchanan  supporters  to 
secure  concessions  from  Senator  Douglas. 

The  Republican  state  convention  was  held  at  Springfield  July 
16,  1858.  Norman  B.  Judd  was  a  member  of  the  Republican  Central 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  377 

committee.  To  this  convention  Cook  county  sent  thirty-eight  dele- 
gates. Over  one  hundred  additional  persons  interested  in  the 
outcome  also  went  to  Springfield.  This  convention  passed  resolu- 
tions of  great  strength  against  prevailing  Democratic  doctrines. 
They  reaffirmed  the  Republican  platform  and  declared  for  Abra- 
ham Lincoln  .  for  the  United  States  Senate  to  succeed  Senator 
Douglas.  They  also  complimented  Senator  Trumbull  on  his  Legis- 
lative record.  The  Dred  Scott  decision  was  repudiated  and  the 
power  of  Congress  over  the  territories  affirmed.  At  this  conven- 
tion Cook  county  politicians  bore  the  banner — "Cook  County  for 
Abraham  Lincoln."  A  delegate  arose  and  said  he  had  but  one 
serious  fault  to  find  with  the  banner.  It  seemed  too  narrow  in 
sentiment  and  application;  he  therefore  desired  to  amend  it  so  as 
to  read,  "Illinois  for  Abraham  Lincoln."  His  amendment  was 
carried  amid  such  a  whirlwind  of  applause  as  those  present  had 
never  before  witnessed.  The  entire  convention  sprang  to  its  feet, 
gave  three  times  three  cheers  for  the  new  banner,  whereupon  the 
amended  resolution  was  passed  amid  such  applause  and  such  feel- 
ing as  to  wring  tears  from  the  eyes  of  many  present.  In  his  great 
speech  at  this  convention  Mr.  Lincoln  used  these  memorable  words : 
"A  house  divided  against  itself  cannot  stand.  I  believe  this  Gov- 
ernment cannot  endure  permanently  half  slave  and  half  free.  I  do 
not  expect  the  Union  to  be  dissolved.  I  do  not  expect  the  house 
to  fall,  but  I  do  expect  it  will  cease  to  be  divided.  It  will  become 
all  one  thing  or  all  the  other." 

The  Press  and  Tribune  of  July  14  said :  "The  masterly  refuta- 
tion of  the  leading  points  in  Senator  Douglas'  speech,  made  by 
Hon.  Abraham  Lincoln  in  his  speech  of  Saturday  evening  last,  is  a 
subject  of  constant  congratulation  among  the  political  and  personal 
friends  of  the  latter  gentleman.  It  is  desirable  for  the  good  of  the 
cause  that  the  two  speeches  go  out  side  by  side  broadcast  over  the 
State." 

Upon  his  return  from  Congress  in  July,  1858,  Senator  Douglas 
was  given  a  magnificent  reception  by  the  Cook  county  Democracy. 
He  was  received  at  the  railway  station  on  the  lake  front  by  an  im- 
mense crowd  and  escorted  to  the  Tremont  house  and  there  imme- 
diately delivered  a  speech  from  the  balcony.  The  Times  declared 
that  30,000  people  heard  this  speech.  The  Press  and  Tribune  fig- 
ured the  number  at  from  12,000  to  15,000.  The  following  night  a 
crowd  estimated  at  12,000  heard  Mr.  Lincoln's  reply  here  to  Sen- 
ator Douglas.  Mr.  Lincoln  also  spoke  from  the  Tremont  house 
balcony. 

"The  Times  publishes  Douglas'  speech  twenty-four  hours  after 
everybody  had  read  it  in  the  Press  and  Tribune.  It  promises  to 
insert  Lincoln's  speech  tomorrow.  We  doubt  whether  Douglas 
will  allow  it.  We  make  the  Times  an  offer:  We  will  publish  the 
speeches  of  Douglas  and  Lincoln  side  by  side  in  our  weekly  of  this 


378  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

week  if  the  Times  will  do  the  same.  Dare  you  do  it,  neighbor? 
Dare  you  let  the  Democrats  of  the  rural  districts  read  both  sides 
of  the  questions?  Are  you  afraid  of  free  speech  and  free  discus- 
sions?"— (Press  and  Tribute,  July  12,  1858.) 

"Hurried  and  imperfect  as  his  preparation  for  a  lengthy  and 
important  effort  must  have  been,  we  can  point  to  the  speech  itself 
as  signal  evidence  of  Mr.  Lincoln's  thorough  and  appreciative 
acquaintance  with  the  facts  of  the  country's  political  history,  his 
devotion  to  the  Republican  cause,  his  eminent  ability  as  a  contro- 
versialist and  his  sterling  worth  and  honesty  as  a  citizen  and  a 
statesman.  More  than  that:  We  point  to  it  as  a  clear,  compre- 
hensive and  overwhelming  refutation  of  the  sophistries  and  char- 
latanisms with  which  Senator  Douglas  had  only  twenty-four  hours 
before  enveloped  the  questions  discussed  and  the  momentous  con- 
sequences involved.  Plain  in  form  of  expression,  in  fact  character- 
istically idiomatic  in  its  construction,  without  a  trace  of  rhetorical 
display  for  effect,  with  no  appeals  to  the  passions  or  prejudices  of 
his  hearers — it  is  a  clear  exposition  of  political  truth — an  epitome 
of  the  policy  of  his  party — a  sovereign  prescription  in  its  recom- 
mendations and  suggestions  for  the  disorders  of  the  times.  We  can 
proudly  compare  its  honest  and  indisputable  statements  of  fact — 
its  legitimate  and  logical  deductions  therefrom — its  candid  review 
of  the  opinions  of  his  opponents,  with  the  equivocations,  subter- 
fuges, concealments,  misstatements,  bad  logic  and  bad  manners  of 
the  Senator.  We  shall  show  our  confidence  in  the  superiority  of 
Mr.  Lincoln's  speech — whether  considered  as  an  oratorical  effect 
or  as  a  document  for  political  effect — by  printing  the  two  speeches 
side  by  side  in  the  weekly  Press  and  Tribune  and  trusting  the 
judgment  of  their  merits  to  the  thirty  thousand  readers  to  whom 
that  sheet  will  be  carried." — (Press  and  Tribune,  July  12,  1858.) 

R.  R.  Hitt,  stenographer,  took  down  in  shorthand  the  above 
mentioned  speeches,  both  of  Douglas  and  Lincoln  and  they  were 
reproduced  and  used  during  the  campaign  of  1858.  In  September, 
1858,  Carl  Schurz  of  Wisconsin  spoke  here  in  the  cause  of  the  Re- 
publicans. The  most  noticeable  part  of  his  speech  was  a  telling 
analysis  of  popular  sovereignty.  He  declared  that  "this  was  the 
first  successful  attempt  in  the  history  of  the  country  to  raise  slavery 
from  an  obnoxious  fact  to  a  national  principle.  It  was  the  first 
broad  declaration  that  slavery  had  rights  outside  of  the  local  law 
which  made  it  possible — that  it  was  the  sister  and  the  equal  of  free- 
dom under  the  American  flag."  In  September,  1858,  Isaac  Cook's 
county  convention,  as  it  was  called,  met  at  the  courthouse.  This 
convention  declared  in  favor  of  the  Buchanan  administration  and 
favored  the  admission  of  Kansas  under  the  Lecompton  constitution, 
condemned  the  anti-Democratic  course  pursued  by  Senator  Doug- 
las and  his  coadjutors  from  Illinois  and  their  affiliations  with  their 
allies  the  black  Republicans,  and  objected  to  his  attempt  to  advance 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  379 

his  personal  interests  and  gratify  his  unbounded  ambition  by  advo- 
cating doctrines  repugnant  to  the  people  of  the  United  States.  At 
the  Republican  county  convention  I.  N.  Arnold  was  declared  to  be 
the  choice  of  the  Republicans  for  Congress.  The  Democrats  re- 
quested Mr.  Wentworth  to  run  for  the  senate  in  opposition  to  Mr. 
Lincoln.  At  this  time  Mr.  Douglas  lived  at  the  Lake  View  hotel. 
On  July  16,  one  of  his  first  great  speeches  was  delivered  at  Bloom- 
ington.  Mr.  Lincoln  was  present  but  deferred  an  answer  to  a  sub- 
sequent date.  On  July  17,  both  delivered  powerful  speeches  at 
Springfield.  It  was  at  this  time  that  the  demand  arose  for  Lincoln 
and  Douglas  to  stump  the  state  together,  though  the  latter  began 
his  campaign  before  a  conclusion  was  arrived  at.  Attached  to  his 
train  was  a  cannon  which  was  fired  upon  entering  a  city  to  call  the 
people  together.  On  July  23,  the  Buchanan  Democrats  held  a  large 
meeting  here  on  which  occasion  the  Douglas  wing  endeavored  to 
control  it.  R.  J.  Hamilton  presided  and  Col.  R.  B.  Carpenter  de- 
livered the  principal  speech.  He  contended  that  Douglas  and  his 
followers  were  "bolters"  from  the  national  Democracy.  Immedi- 
ately following  this  meeting  Mr.  Lincoln  challenged  Mr.  Douglas 
to  public  debate.  Finally  Mr.  Douglas  accepted  the  challenge. 
The  result  is  history. 

The  Buchanan  wing  of  the  Cook  county  Democracy,  in  Septem- 
ber, 1858,  nominated  Col.  R.  J.  Hamilton  for  sheriff  and  M. 
Shaughnes'sy  for  coroner.  At  a  Republican  meeting  held  here  Oc- 
tober 6,  1858,  Frank  Blair,  of  Missouri,  Senator  Dolittle,  of  Wis- 
consin and  Cassius  M.  Clay,  of  Kentucky,  were  the  speakers.  On 
October  18,  1858,  at  Metropolitan  hall,  the  Douglas  Democracy 
held  a  rousing  meeting  at  which  S.  S.  Hayes,  E.  A.  Van  Buren, 
Frank  C.  Sherman,  Dr.  Hahn  and  others  were  the  speakers.  At  a 
German  Republican  meeting  at  Metropolitan  hall,  October  25, 
1858.  Frederick  Hecker,  of  St.  Clair  county,  Francis  A.  Hoffman 
and  George  Schneider  delivered  addresses.  At  a  large  Republican 
meeting  at  Thornton,  October  26,  there  were  present  about  1,000 
persons.  Schuyler  Colfax  in  a  rousing  speech  sustained  Republican 
principles;  John  Wentworth  and  A.  C.  Hesing  were  also  speakers. 
On  October  26,  1858,  Salmon  P.  Chase  entertained  Chicago  Re- 
publicans with  a  speech  two  hours  in  length.  Owen  Lovejoy  was 
called  out  and  delivered  one  of  his  eloquent  addresses,  continuing 
for  half  an  hour ;  Mr.  Lovejoy  also  spoke  at  West  Market  hall ; 
Ex-Gov.  W.  F.  Johnson,  of  Pennsylvania,  was  also  here." — The 
Press  and  Tribune  thus  referred  to  the  Lovejoy  speech :  "He  was 
logical,  brilliant,  witty,  sarcastic,  and  pathetic  by  turns,  and  elo- 
quent all  the  while.  There  was  not  a  man  who  listened  to  his  burn- 
ing words,  fervent  appeals,  and  terrific  denunciations,  who  did  not 
feel  that  it  was  good  for  him  to  be  there." 

The  Douglas  Democracy  also  held  a  large  meeting  at  Metropol- 
itan hall  and  were  entertained  for  three  hours  by  an  extremely  elo- 


380  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

quent  and  sarcastic  speech  from  Henry  Clay  Dean  of  Iowa.  He 
was  succeeded  by  Lieut. -Gov.  McComas.  In  the  issue  of  October 
29,  the  Tribune  editorially  published  a  splendid  eulogium  of  Abra- 
ham Lincoln.  Both  parties  on  Saturday,  November  1,  held  strong 
meetings  in  every  part  of  the  county,  and  particularly  was  Chicago 
brilliant  with  torch  light  processions  and  with  eloquent  speeches 
from  its  most  distinguished  orators.  The  Press  and  Tribune  of 
November  2  said : 

"Citizens  of  Chicago — This  is  the  last  appeal  we  can  make  to 
you  in  behalf  of  the  everlasting  right  before  you  cast  your  votes 
in  the  most  important  election  you  have  ever  participated  in.  For 
many  months  the  eyes  of  the  Union  have  been  fastened  upon  you. 
From  the  forests  of  Maine  to  the  lakes  of  Minnesota  it  is  believed 
that  the  destiny  of  the  American  people  hinges  on  the  event  in  Illi- 
nois today.  We  believe  so.  You  believe  so.  It  is  a  most  grave 
and  serious  trust  that  is  reposed  in  your  hands."  .  .  .  The 
Douglasites  were  groaning  and  cursing  alternately  at  the  prospects 
of  fair  weather  today,  enabling  all  the  voters  to  come  to  the  polls. 
Remember  that  this  day,  fair  or  foul  will  never  come  again;  and 
that  every  Irishman  in  the  city  limits  will  be  on  hand,  voting  twice 
if  he  can  though  he  has  to  swim  to  the  polls.  Republicans  of  Chi- 
cago, do  you  the  same  thing  if  need  be." 

When  the  returns  of  the  election  of  November,  1858,  were 
counted  it  was  found  that  Mr.  Farnsworth,  Republican  candidate 
for  Congress,  had  received  10,109  votes,  Mr.  Dyer,  Douglas  Democ- 
racy, 8,259  and  Mr.  Black,  Breckinridge  Democracy,  304  votes. 
This  was  the  Cook  county  vote  and  indicated  the  majority  of  the  rest 
of  the  ticket.  On  November  17,  1858,  Senator  Douglas,  who  had 
been  absent,  was  given  a  splendid  ovation  upon  his  return  and  deliv- 
ered one  of  his  characteristic  and  artful  addresses  to  an  immense 
audience  from  the  balcony  of  the  Tremont  house. 

In  December,  1858,  and  January,  1859,  Chicago  was  called  upon 
to  consider  a  new  city  charter.  One  was  prepared  here  and  was 
called  by  the  Republicans  "Tom  Dyer's  Charter"  and  also  the  "Le- 
compton  Charter."  The  Press  and  Tribune  charged  that  Mr.  Went- 
worth  desired  the  passage  by  the  Legislature,  of  the  Dyer  charter, 
but  this  was  denied  by  Mr.  Wentworth.  At  this  Time  Ebenezer  Peck 
and  Norman  B.  Judd  were  the  objects  of  sharp  and  sarcastic  attacks 
in  the  newspaper  edited  by  Mr.  Wentworth. 

When  it  became  necessary  to  select  a  new  municipal  ticket  in  the 
Spring  of  1859,  the  important  questions  were  whether  the  last  admin- 
istration had  been  economical,  successful  and  fair.  The  Tribune 
of  February  21  said:  "The  city  has  never  had  an  administration 
that  has  more  honestly  and  faithfully  appropriated  its  revenues. 
During  the  year  the  city  has  not  lost  by  defalcation  or  peculation  a 
single  dollar.  .  .  .  When  Dyer's  administration  went  out  of 
power  in  March,  1857,  it  had  consumed  the  proceeds  of  fourteen 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  381 

mills  taxation  and  all  the  other  revenues  it  could  lay  its  hands  upon. 
It  also  ate  up  one  hundred  thousand  dollars  of  borrowed  money  and 
added  the  same  to  the  permanent  debt  of  the  city,  on  which  Went- 
worth  and  Haines  have  since  been  paying  the  interest ;  and  over  and 
above  this  it  bequeathed  to  its  successors  a  legacy  of  $194,092  of 
debts  which  the  Republicans  have  since  been  struggling  to  pay.  In 
other  words  the  expenses  of  the  Dyer  administration  in  a  single  year 
exceeded  its  income  by  $294,092.  Wentworth  came  into  power  in 
March,  1857.  He  caused  a  tax  of  seventeen  mills  to  be  levied — fif- 
teen outside  of  the  lamp  districts  and  largely  increased  the  revenues 
from  fines  and  licenses.  He  managed  to  carry  on  the  government 
without  adding  to  the  funded  debt,  and  reduced  to  some  extent  the 
floating  debt.  He  payed  $119,003  of  Dyer's  debts,  leaving  $75,089 
for  Haines  to  pay.  But  there  were  turned  over  for  Haines  to  pay 
various  items,  such  as  $34,000  for  improving  the  courthouse  and 
square;  $21,152  bonds  of  George  E.  Lee,  belonging  to  the  funded 
debt  which  had  fallen  due;  $21,602  for  improving  Dearborn  park, 
contracted  for  under  Wentworth ;  $20,839  belonging  to  the  sewerage 
fund  collected  in  1857 ;  and  $4.919  for  the  steam  engine  'Long  John,' 
besides  some  small  items,  making  in  all  $110,216.  So  that  in  truth 
when  Haines  came  into  office  he  found  a  floating  debt  upon  his  hands 
amounting  to  $185,305.  He  has  reduced  the  floating  debt  to  $131,- 
300,  which  is  less  by  $53,945  than  he  found  it  a  year  ago.  Went- 
worth levied  a  general  tax  of  seventeen  mills  inside,  and  fifteen  mills 
outside  of  the  lamp  districts,  which  yielded  him  $567,000.  Haines 
levied  thirteen  mills  inside  and  eleven  mills  outside  of  the  lamp  dis- 
trict, which  yielded  him  $430,000.  Consequently  the  taxes  this  year 
are  $137,000  lighter  than  last  year.  All  the  outstanding  floating  debt 
was  created  by  the  last  Democratic  administration  and  not  a  dime  of 
it  by  either  Wentworth  or  Haines." 

The  Democrats  nominated  M.  D.  Oilman  for  mayor  and  the  Re- 
publicans nominated  John  C.  Haines,  the  latter  being  re-nominated. 
His  administration  was  abundantly  satisfactory  to  the  Republicans 
at  least.  At  this  time  Dennis  Coughlin  of  the  "Bloody  Tinth"  Ward 
was  a  prominent  local  politician.  During  the  campaign  the  North 
Side  was  called  "Over  the  Rhine,"  owing  to  the  large  number  of 
Germans  residing  there.  Bridgeport  was  the  reverse,  consisting  of  a 
large  number  of  natives  of  the  Emerald  Isle.  When  the  votes  were 
counted  it  was  learned  that  Mr.  Haines  had  received  8,587  and  Mr. 
Gilman  7,728  votes.  The  Press  and  Tribune  of  March  2,  1859,  said : 
"For  a  month  past  the  Democracy  of  Chicago  have  been  engaged  in 
a  still  hunt.  With  candidates  long  ago  selected — with  the  aid  of  a 
new  secret  society  of  Democratic  origin — with  money  stealthily  but 
lavishly  spent — with  a  magazine  of  falsehoods  in  relation  to  the  ad- 
ministration in  power — with  appeals  for  economy  of  expenditures 
and  complaints  of  high  taxes — with  every  Republican  jealousy  skill- 
fully fomented — with  every  prejudice  fostered  and  flattered — with 


382  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

all  machinery  of  the  party  in  working  order — with  every  train  laid 
and  every  gun  charged,  they  went  into  the  contest  with  confident 
assurances  of  victory.  They  contested  every  inch  of  the  ground — 
fought  as  men  ought  to  fight  for  a  better  cause  than  that  in  which 
they  were  engaged.  But  their  labor  went  for  naught.  The  Republi- 
can party  of  the  city,  true  to  its  principles,  the  men  of  its  choice  and 
itself — has  again  triumphed  by  an  emphatic  majority." 

It  must  be  considered  that  this  was  a  partisan  view  of  the  contest. 
The  Democrats  charged  extravagance  and  unfairness  upon  the  Re- 
publicans, and  declared  that  they  had  won  the  mayoralty  contest  only 
through  gross  fraud  practised  at  the  polls. 

The  judicial  election  for  superior  judge  in  April,  1859,  was  hotly 
contested.  It  is  doubtful  whether  any  man  ever  before  in  this 
county  was  so  lampooned  and  abused  as  was  Van  H.  Higgins,  can- 
didate of  the  Republicans  for  that  position.  Grant  Goodrich  was 
the  other  candidate  of  the  Republicans  and  both  were  elected  by  a 
majority  of  over  3,000  votes  in  the  whole  county.  In  May,  1859, 
the  Democrats  elected  the  sewerage  commissioner,  Mr.  Conley,  over 
the  Republican  candidates  because  there  were  three  of  the  latter, 
1  and  they  received  in  the  aggregate  more  votes  than  the  Democrat 
candidate. 

During  the  summer  of  1859  a  strong  fight  to  oust  Isaac  Cook, 
postmaster  of  Chicago,  from  his  office  was  made,  but  failed  to  suc- 
ceed. Lincoln's  great  speeches  in  Ohio  in  September,  1859,  in 
answer  to  those  of  Mr.  Douglas,  attracted  the  attention  of  the 
country  and  were  particularly  scanned  and  enjoyed  by  the  Republi- 
cans of  Cook  county.  On  November  19,  1859,  the  Press  and 
Tribune  came  out  with  a  strong  editorial  for  the  nomination  of 
Abraham  Lincoln  for  the  presidency  in  1860.  During  the  Novem- 
ber contest  of  1859  a  fight  was  made  over  the  county  treasurer. 
A.  H.  Boyden,  the  Republican  candidate,  received  6,401  votes  and 
Mr.  Maher,  the  Democratic  candidate,  4,877,  and  Mr.  Speer,  an 
Independent  candidate,  131.  This  was  not  a  political  contest,  but 
was  conducted  almost  wholly  along  personal  lines. 

In  December,  1859,  several  public  meetings,  on  the  occasion  of  the 
execution  of  "Old  John  Brown,"  were  held  in  Chicago.  The  des- 
perate attacks  of  the  Southern  wing  of  the  Democracy  in  Congress, 
about  this  time,  caused  bitter  comment  in  the  local  newspapers.  It 
was  decided  in  December,  1859,  that  the  National  Republican  con- 
vention of  1860  should  be  held  in  Chicago.  Norman  B.  Judd  was 
national  chairman  from  Illinois. 

On  January  6,  1860,  Isaac  Cook,  postmaster,  and  a  few  others  in 
sympathy  with  him  called  a  public  meeting,  endorsed  the  adminis- 
tration of  President  Buchanan,  pronounced  in  favor  of  the  Cincin- 
nati platform  and  against  "squatter  sovereignty"  and  therefore 
against  the  Douglas  wing  of  the  Democracy.  In  January,  1860,  the 
Pennsylvanians  residing  in  Chicago  organized  a  Cameron  and  Lin- 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

coin  club.  On  January  16,  1860,  the  Republicans  held  a  mass 
meeting  and  selected  a  new  county  executive  committee  for  the  com- 
ing municipal  campaign.  Among  those  who  took  an  active  part 
were:  Luther  Haven,  chairman;  I.  N.  Arnold,  N.  B.  Judd,  A.  C. 
Hesing,  John  Wentworth  and  E.  C.  Larned.  It  was  decided  to  or- 
ganize clubs  in  every  ward  in  the  city.  At  the  Democratic  municipal 
convention  held  in  February,  1860,  Walter  S.  Gurnee  was  nominated 
for  mayor,  E.  I.  Tinkman  treasurer,  and  J.  A.  Mulligan  city  attor- 
ney. In  February,  1860,  the  Press  and  Tribune  again  came  out 
with  strong  editorials  for  the  nomination  of  Abraham  Lincoln  for 
President.  The  Republicans  nominated  for  mayor,  John  Went- 
worth; treasurer,  Alonzo  Harvey;  and  city  attorney,  John  Lyle 
King.  What  was  called  the  Chicago  Union  club,  in  February,  1860, 
nominated  a  city  ticket  with  Eliphalet  Wood  for  mayor.  The  spring 
campaign  of  1860  was  lively.  All  realized  that  the  condition  of  the 
country  might  be  seriously  affected  by  the  way  in  which  local  affairs 
were  administered,  and  hence  they  took  an  active  and  a  fighting 
interests  in  the  results  here.  It  was  asserted  that  voters  sat  up  all 
night  in  order  to  be  ready  to  cast  their  votes  the  next  morning.  It 
should  also  be  noted  that  the  Republican  newspapers  referred  to  the 
Democratic  ticket  as  the  Irish-Catholic  ticket.  The  Republicans 
carried  the  election  by  a  goodly  majority,  Wentworth  for  mayor 
receiving  10,007  votes  and  Gurnee  8,740.  The  Press  and  Tribune 
of  March  7,  1860,  made  the  following  comment:  "Yesterday  was 
a  day  notable  in  the  annals  of  Chicago,  without  a  parallel  in  the 
history  of  our  charter  elections.  It  was  the  most  exciting  contest 
that  ever  was  witnessed  here.  It  called  out,  as  will  be  seen,  more 
votes  than  were  ever  cast  in  Chicago  before.  There  was  no  resist- 
ance— no  disturbance.  Not  a  citizen  was  deprived  of  his  vote  if  he 
had  one." 

Lincoln's  great  speeches  in  Connecticut  in  the  spring  of  1860 
caused  a  sensation  in  all  parts  of  the  Union  and  were  regarded  with 
delight  by  the  Republicans  of  Cook  county.  In  March,  1860,  it  was 
decided  to  build  a  commodious  temporary  structure  for  the  accom- 
modation of  the  Republican  national  convention  and  for  the  con- 
venience of  the  Republicans  of  Cook  county  during  the  campaign. 
The  plan  met  with  general  favor.  It  was  decided  that  the  structure, 
which  afterwards  was  called  the  "Wigwam,"  should  be  built  on  the 
corner  of  Lake  and  Market  streets,  on  the  site  of  the  old  Sauganash 
hotel.  The  cost  was  estimated  at  $5,000,  which  must  be  raised  by 
subscription  among  the  Republicans.  It  is  a  singular  fact  that  in 
Chicago  a  number  of  Republican  presidential  clubs  were  formed  and 
that  in  almost  every  instance  Lincoln  was  named  second  on  the  ticket. 
There  were  clubs  called  Cameron  and  Lincoln.  Seward  and  Lincoln, 
Read  and  Lincoln,  Banks  and  Lincoln,  etc.  The  committee  chosen 
to  superintend  the  erection  of  the  Wigwam  and  to  receive  and  dis- 
burse the  fund  were  Peter  Page,  Sylvester  Lind,  C.  N.  Holden, 


384  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

G.  S.  Hubbard  and  Erastus  Rawson.  At  this  date  E.  C.  Larned 
was  president  of  the  executive  committee  of  the  Republican  club. 
The  Wigwam  was  built  in  about  thirty  days.  It  fronted  180  feet 
on  Market  street  and  100  feet  on  Lake,  and  was  made  to  accommo- 
date 10,000  people.  It  had  a  large  gallery  and  was  lighted  with 
gas.  A  ladies'  committee  was  appointed  to  provide  suitable  deco- 
rations. It  was  dedicated  May  12,  1860,  and  25  cents  admission 
fee  was  charged.  Many  speeches  were  delivered,  one  by  Joshua  R. 
Giddings  being  especially  noteworthy.  Letters  were  read  from 
Charles  Sumner  and  Cassius  M.  Clay,  and  the  Ellsworth  Zouaves 
gave  one  of  their  inimitable  drills  for  the  entertainment  of  visitors 
from  abroad.  Giddings  in  his  Wigwam  speech  said : 

"When  I  look  back  but  the  short  space  of  twenty  years  I  remem- 
ber when  I  stood  in  Congress  without  a  single  sympathetic  heart, 
proclaiming  doctrines  which  we  all,  which  the  vast  host  of  Repub- 
licans all,  now  exult  in  upholding,  and  had  no  conception  that  I 
should  live  to  see  this  the  prevailing  sentiment  throbbing  in  every 
heart.  We  have  come  here  with  our  souls  baptized  with  the  love  of 
truth,  justice  and  liberty.  We  know  we  shall  have  a  man  who  will 
maintain  those  doctrines.  We  have  no  fears  about  it.  Who  that 
man  is  we  don't  care  a  cent.  It  is  the  principle,  the  rights  of  the 
people,  those  great  immutable,  unchangeable  truths  for  which  your 
fathers  and  mine  contended  on  the  hundred  battlefields  of  the  Revo- 
lution. We  are  fighting  those  battles  over  again." 

As  early  as  May  2  delegates  from  several  states  secured  their 
headquarters  in  the  city.  The  leading  hotels  at  the  time  were  the 
Richmond,  Tremont,  Sherman  and  Briggs  houses.  During  the 
National  convention  rallies  of  Republicans  at  the  Wigwam  occurred 
nightly.  Chicago  succeeded  in  caring  for  all  the  delegates  and 
visitors  present  at  the  National  convention.  At  the  meetings  it  was 
noted  that  there  was  great  diversity  of  opinions  on  the  question 
of  slavery  and  the  Union,  but  the  prevailing  opinion  was  that  the 
Union  must  be  preserved  and  that  slavery  must  be  restricted.  Every 
evening  the  streets  were  brilliant  with  processions  of  wide-awakes 
and  militia ;  rockets  and  Roman  candles  were  shot  off  at  the  leading 
headquarters.  Concerning  these  meetings  the  Press  and  Tribune 
said :  "No  one  who  saw  the  scene  of  this  juncture  will  ever  forget 
it.  The  artillery  pealing,  the  flight  of  the  rockets,  the  gleaming 
windows  of  the  entire  residence  front'  of  our  city,  the  vast  depot 
edifice  filled  with  the  eager  crowd,  the  excursion  train  safe  from 
its  flying  trip  across  the  peninsular  state  about  to  land  its  passengers, 
many  of  them  for  the  first  time  on  the  Western  shore  of  Lake  Michi- 
gan, all  constituted  a  tout  ensemble  wonderful  and  rare." 

Gilmore's  famous  band  of  Boston  was  present.  The  Republicans 
here  strongly  and  urgently  demanded  the  nomination  of  Mr.  Lin- 
coln. It  was  declared  that  he  was  the  soundest,  safest,  most  con- 
servative and  truest  to  Republican  principles.  It  was  urged  that 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  385 

he  was  not  a  candidate,  that  he  had  no  apologies  to  make,  was  a 
Southern  man  with  Northern  principles,  was  one  of  the  people, 
was  acceptable  to  all  factions  of  the  Republicans,  was  an  honest  man, 
and  could  be  elected.  Gen.  James  W.  Nye  of  New  York,  who  far 
a  number  of  years  had  been  a  favorite  orator  of  the  Chicagoans 
whenever  he  came  here,  spoke  as  follows  at  one  of  the  meetings : 

"The  labor  that  this  convention  is  called  upon  to  perfprm  is  of 
more  importance  that  that  of  any  convention  that  has  ever  convened 
in  this  nation.  We  behold  on  all  sides  ruin  scattered  broadcast, 
promises  made  to  the  head  that  are  broken  to  the  heart,  pledges 
of  fidelity  to  principles  that  are  only  made  to  be  broken.  We  behold 
an  old,  gray-headed  man  (Buchanan)  yielding  implicit  obedience  to 
the  mandates  of  an  imperious  oligarchy.  The  lower  that  this  admin- 
istration can  stoop,  the  blacker  it  can  get  its  face  and  its  heart,  the 
more  in  keeping  it  seems  to  think  itself  with  its  masters.  To  break 
this  thraldom,  to  dispel  this  national  darkness,  its  the  work  of  no 
small  moment.  .  .  .  The  Charleston  convention  sat  for  ten  long 
days  and  fifteen  States  backed  out.  The  fifteen  that  backed  out 
were  affirmatively  for  slavery  and  those  that  stayed  in  were  affirma- 
tively opposed  to  freedom.  They  were  afraid  of  each  other.  They 
ran,  and  the  South  when  last  heard  of  was  as  near  destination  as  the 
swine  that  were  possessed  of  devils  were  when  they  were  last  seen 
on  land.  And  the  Northern  wing  have  come  home  to  take  counsel, 
I  suppose,' of  their  wives,  for  there  is  nobody  else  that  will  counsel 
with  them,  and  they  would  not  were  it  not  for  the  marital  vow. 
They  have  adjourned  to  Baltimore,  and  the  fact  reminds  me  of  a 
story  that  was  told  of  a  nobleman  of  England  who,  when  told  that 
a  certain  friend  of  his  had  the  smallpox  twice  and  had  died,  inquired 
whether  he  had  died  of  the  first  or  second  attack.  Now  if  there  are 
any  Democrats  present — and  I  hope  there  are  some  here,  for  'I 
came  not  to  call  the  righteous,  but  the  sinners  to  repentance' — I  will 
tell  you  where  to  hide — hide  in  the  rich  bosom  of  Republican  redemp- 
tion. Come  back,  after  having  fed  on  husks  long  enough,  to  your 
old  father's  house  where  there  is  bread  enough  and  to  spare." 

The  Press  and  Tribune  of  May  16  said:  "The  city  swarms  like 
a  beehive.  The  hotels  are  full.  Multitudes  of  our  private  residences 
have  their  quota  of  guests.  The  rush  from  the  country  will  com- 
mence today.  The  delegations  have  established  their  headquarters 
at  the  several  hotels.  All  trains  come  loaded  with  passengers.  The 
great  Wigwam  is  the  marvel  and  admiration  of  all  our  visitors  and 
will  do  a  work  in  the  coming  campaign  worth  ten  times  its  cost." 

David  Wilmot  of  Pennsylvania  was  made  temporary  chairman 
of  the  convention  and  in  the  opening  speech  said :  "A  great  sec- 
tional and  aristocratic  party  or  interest  has  for  years  dominated 
with  a  high  hand  over  the  political  affairs  of  this  country.  That 
interest  has  wrested,  and  is  now  wresting,  all  the  great  powers 
of  the  Government  to  the  one  object  of  the  extension  of  slavery.  It 


386  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

is  our  purpose — it  is  the  mission  of  the  Republican  party  and  the 
basis  of  its  organization,  to  resist  this  policy  of  a  sectional  interest. 
It  is  our  mission  to  restore  this  Government  to  its  original  policy 
and  place  it  again  in  that  rank  upon  which  our  fathers  organized  and 
brought  it  into  existence.  It  is  our  purpose  and  our  policy  to  resist 
these  new  Constitutional  dogmas  that  slavery  exists  by  virtue  of 
the  Constitution,  wherever  the  banner  of  this  Union  floats.  .  .  . 
Our  fathers  regarded  slavery  as  a  blot  upon  this  country.  Had 
the  propositon  been  presented  to  them  in  the  early  conflicts  of  the 
Revolution  or  outside  of  that  grand  movement  that  they  were  called 
upon  to  endure  the  hazards,  trials  and  sacrifices  of  that  long  and 
perilous  contest  for  the  purpose  of  establishing  on  this  continent 
a  great  slave  empire,  not  one  of  them  would  have  drawn  his  sword 
in  such  a  cause.  No,  citizens!  This  Republic  was  established  for 
the  purpose  of  securing  the  guaranties  of  liberty,  of  justice  and  of 
righteousness  to  the  people  and  to  their  posterity.  That  was  the 
great  object  with  which  the  Revolution  was  fought;  these  were 
the  purposes  for  which  the  Constitution  and  the  Union  were  formed. 
Slavery  is  sectional;  liberty  national." 

Among  the  notable  men  present  were  Horace  Greeley,  William 
M.  Evarts,  George  S.  Boutwell,  Frank  P.  Blair,  Carl  Schurz,  John 
A.  Kasson,  David  Davis,  Preston  King,  Governor  Reeder,  David 
Wilmot  and  Montgomery  Blair.  George  Ashmun  of  Massachusetts 
was  made  permanent  chairman.  He  said :  "No  ordinary  call  has 
brought  us  together.  Nothing  but  a  deep  sense  of  the  danger  into 
which  our  Government  is  fast  running  could  have  rallied  the  people 
thus  in  this  city  today  for  the  purpose  of  rescuing  the  Government 
from  the  deep  degradation  into  which  it  has  fallen.  .  .  .  Allow 
me  to  say  that  I  think  we  have  a  right  here  today  in  the  name  of  the 
American  people  to  say  that  we  impeach  the  administration  of  our 
general  government  of  the  highest  crimes  that  can  be  committed 
against  a  constitutional  government,  against  a  free  people,  and 
against  humanity.  .  .  .  Allow  me  to  congratulate  you  and  the 
people  upon  one  striking  feature  of  our  meeting  in  this  beautiful 
city.  It  is  that  brotherly  kindness  and  generous  emulation  which 
has  marked  every  conversation  and  every  discussion,  showing  a 
desire  for  nothing  else  but  their  country's  good.  Earnest,  warm 
and  generous  preferences  are  expressed,  ardent  hopes  and  fond 
purposes  are  declared,  but  not  have  I  heard  one  unkind  word  uttered 
by  one  man  toward  another.  I  hail  it  as  an  augury  of  success." 

At  the  opening  of  the  convention  Norman  B.  Judd  presented  to  the 
chairman  a  gavel  made  by  a  Chicago  mechanic  from  Perry's  ship, 
the  "Lawrence."  The  Board  of  Trade  invited  the  convention  to  take 
a  ride  on  the  lake,  and  E.  E.  Ellsworth  invited  the  convention  to  the 
Wigwam  in  the  evening  to  witness  an  exhibition  drill  of  his 
Zouaves. 

One  of  the  most  interesting  events  connected  with  the  great  con- 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 


387 


vention  was  the  reception  given  to  Abraham  Lincoln  at  the  Wigwam 
upon  his  appearance  there.  While  he  was  present  Mr.  Oglesby, 
of  the  Illinois  delegation,  announced  that  an  old  Democrat  of  Macon 
county  desired  to  make  a  contribution  to  the  convention.  On  motion 
his  contribution  was  accepted.  Thereupon  two  old  fence  rails  were 
brought  in  and  carried  up  the  aisle,  decorated  with  flags  and  stream- 
ers and  bearing  this  inscription :  "Abraham  Lincoln,  the  Rail  Can- 
didate for  President  in  1860.  The  two  rails  were  from  a  lot  of 
3,000  made  in  1830  by  Thomas  Hanks  and  Abraham  Lincoln,  whose 
father  was  the  first  pioneer  of  Macon  county."  The  Illinois  Journal 
said :  "The  effect  was  electrical.  One  spontaneous  burst  of  ap- 
plause went  up  from  all  parts  of  the  Wigwam,  which  grew  more 
and  more  deafening  as  it  prolonged,  and  which  did  not  wholly  sub- 
side for  ten  or  fifteen  minutes  after." 

Mr.  Lincoln  was  called  out  amidst  a  burst  of  applause  and  ex- 
plained how  and  when  the  rails  were  split  and  the  fence  was  built. 
On  the  great  day  of  the  convention  when  Mr.  Lincoln  was  nomi- 
nated there  were  packed  into  the  Wigwam,  by  actual  count,  12,150 
persons;  outside  in  the  streets  were  fully  12,000  more.  The  weather 
was  extremely  warm  and  at  least  four  women  in  the  audience  fainted. 
One  of  the  notable  features  of  the  convention  was  the  singing  of  na- 
tional and  patriotic  songs  by  Frank  Lumbard.  On  the  third  roll-call, 
when  the  Ohio  delegation  saw  that  about  three  more  votes  would 
nominate  Mr.  Lincoln  and  before  the  result  was  announced,  enough 
of  them  promptly  changed,  insuring  his  nomination.  When  the 
call  was  read  and  it  was  known  that  Mr.  Lincoln  was  the  nominee, 
the  entire  audience  rose  to  their  feet  cheering,  waving  flags,  hats 
and  caps  and  continuing  thus  for  many  minutes.  Quickly,  one  state 
after  another  changed  to  Mr.  Lincoln  until  he  had  a  total  of  364 
votes.  The  Tribune  of  May  19  said :  "The  Scene  in  the  Wig- 
wam.— It  is  absolutely  impossible  to  describe,  as  it  is  equally  impossi- 
ble for  one  who  was  not  present  to  imagine,  the  scene  in  the  Wig- 
wam when  Mr.  Lincoln  was  nominated.  Without  attempting, 
therefore,  to  convey  an  idea  of  the  delirious  cheers,  the  Babel  of  joy 
and  excitement,  we  may  mention  that  stout  men  wept  like  children — 
that  two  candidates  for  the  gubernatorial  chairs  of  their  respective 
states,  who  looked  at  the  nomination  of  Honest  Old  Abe  to  carry 
the  Republican  cause  at  home  through  the  storm,  sank  down  in  ex- 
cess of  joy.  The  tumultuous  emotions  of  men  all  over  the  plat- 
form, who  had  not  closed  their  eyes  during  the  last  forty-eight 
hours,  trembling  between  hope  and  fear — laboring  for  what  they 
deemed  the  best  interest  of  the  noblest  cause  under  the  heavens — 
acted  with  electrical  effect  on  the  immense  auditory.  Men  of  stern 
countenances  and  strong  nerves,  upon  arising  to  speak,  were  almost 
disabled  by  their  agitation.  But  the  scene  is  not  to  be  pictured." 

"The  speech  of  Mr.  Evarts  of  New  York  in  moving  that  the 
nomination  of  Abraham  Lincoln  be  made  unanimous  is  upon  every 


388  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

lip.  The  words  of  the  eloquent  gentleman  will  be  found  in  another 
column,  but  the  majestic  grace  and  dignity  of  their  utterance  are 
not  to  be  known  to  those  who  are  readers  merely  and  not  hearers." 

Lincoln  was  nominated  by  Mr.  Judd  of  Illinois.  William  H. 
Seward  was  nominated  by  William  M.  Evarts.  Simon  Cameron 
and  Salmon  P.  Chase  were  also  nominated.  Mr.  Deland  of  Ohio, 
who  seconded  Mr.  Lincoln's  nomination,  referred  to  him  as  "the 
man  who  can  split  rails  and  maul  Democrats."  As  soon  as  it  was 
known  throughout  the  city  that  Mr.  Lincoln  had  been  nominated, 
Chicago  practically  went  wild  with  delight  and  impromptu  celebra- 
tions on  the  street  corners  and  in  public  buildings  were  held.  It  is 
said  that  the  Pennsylvania  delegation  telegraphed  to  Decatur  to 
secure  the  whole  fence  built  by  Lincoln  and  Hanks  in  1830.  At  the 
close  of  the  convention  were  the  great  speeches  of  Evarts  of  New 
York,  Andrews  of  Massachusetts,  Schurz  of  Wisconsin,  Browning 
of  Illinois — all  sound,  harmonizing,  eloquent  and  brilliant.  All  felt 
sure  of  success  at  the  November  election. 

At  a  big  Republican  rally  held  May  19  the  speakers  were  J.  R. 
Giddings,  General  Nye,  Ossian  E.  Dodge  and  General  Swift.  The 
speech  of  General  Nye  was  unusually  strong  and  effective.  Mr. 
Giddings,  as  he  always  did,  became  eloquent  and  during  his  address 
scores  were  moved  to  tears.  An  interesting  feature  connected  with 
the  convention  was  that  on  Thursday,  May  17,  the  night  Mr.  Lin- 
coln was  nominated,  Mr.  Greeley  telegraphed  to  the  New  York 
Tribune  that  the  nomination  of  Seward  could  not  be  prevented. 
Immediately  after  the  nomination  of  Mr.  Lincoln,  his  speeches  and 
those  of  Mr.  Douglas  during  the  memorable  campaign  of  1858  be- 
came the  strongest  campaign  documents.  They  were  distributed 
by  thousands  in  all  parts  of  the  Union. 

Among  those  who  took  part  in  the  Democratic  county  convention 
in  June,  1860,  were  Dr.  Brock  McVicker,  S.  S.  Hayes,  H.  L.  Stew- 
art, Alderman  Comisky,  J.  B.  Bradwell,  A.  G.  Foreman,  Aaron 
Haven,  William  Carpenter,  W.  A.  Richardson,  R.  T.  Merrick,  J.  M. 
Rountree,  Utah  Drummond,  J.  W.  Sheahan,  H.  D.  Colvin,  J.  A. 
Hahn  and  Henry  Greenebaum. 

Both  parties  during  the  fall  of  1860  were  thoroughly  organized 
and  carried  on  a  campaign  that  was  never  surpassed  for  enthusiasm, 
vigor  and  brilliancy.  The  Democrats  were  divided,  which  put  them 
at  a  disadvantage,  particularly  so  as  the  Republicans  were  united 
and  had  drawn  largely  from  their  disorganized  ranks.  Dozens  of 
rallies  by  both  parties  were  held  in  Chicago,  Evanston,  Thornton, 
Blue  Island  and  elsewhere,  on  which  occasion  wide-awakes  paraded 
with  torches,  bonfires  lighted  up  the  surrounding  country  and  the 
leading  speakers  from  Chicago  entertained  the  people  with  brilliant 
addresses.  In  June,  1860,  Norman  B.  Judd  began  suit  against  John 
Wentworth  for  libel. 

On  July  7,  1860,  at  night,  the  Democrats  held  an  immense  meet- 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  389 

ing  ratifying  the  nomination  of  Douglas  for  the  presidency.  They 
took  possession  of  North's  amphitheater  and  made  this  the  opening 
night,  on  which  occasion  they  dedicated  the  building  to  Democracy 
for  the  fall  campaign.  Soon  after  Mr.  Lincoln's  nomination  a  dele- 
gation of  fifty-one  carloads  of  enthusiastic  Republicans  visited 
Springfield  to  congratulate  the  nominee  and  to  hear  him  speak.  At 
a  Breckenridge  and  Lane  meeting  held  August  12,  Thompson  Camp- 
bell and  Henry  S.  Fitch  were  the  speakers.  At  a  Republican  rally 
on  the  North  Side  on  August  30,  "on  the  forty-acre  vacant  lot,"  the 
speakers  were  Cassius  M.  Clay,  J.  F.  Farnsworth,  A.  C.  Hesing, 
S.  M.  Wilson  and  others.  On  September  1,  James  Allen,  Demo- 
cratic candidate  for  governor,  spoke  to  a  torchlight  procession  from 
the  balcony  of  the  Tremont  house. 

The  local  questions  of  importance  during  the  fall  of  1860  were 
as  follows :  To  amend  the  city  charter ;  to  fund  the  floating  debt ; 
to  deprive  the  Council  of  power  to  run  into  debt ;  to  limit  expenes 
and  revenue;  to  consolidate  the  sewerage  board,  board  of  water 
commissioners  and  the  street  commissioners  in  a  single  board ;  and 
to  cut  down  the  number  of  office  holders.  William  B.  Ogden  was 
Republican  candidate  for  state  senator  at  this  time.  At  a  big  meet- 
ing in  the  Wigwam  on  September  15,  Messrs.  Ogden,  ,Scammon, 
Bradley,  Arnold  and  Driscoll  were  the  speakers. 

On  October  1,  1860,  upon  the  appearance  here  of  Gov.  William 
H.  Seward,  he  was  given  a  splendid  reception  and  responded  with  an 
eloquent  speech  on  the  famous  balcony  of  the  Tremont  house.  Lady 
Franklin,  widow  of  Sir  John  Franklin,  who  was  lost  in  the  Polar  sea, 
occupied  a  place  on  the  platform  while  he  was  speaking.  The  next 
day  he  delivered  another  address  here  and  was  followed  by  General 
Nye  and  Owen  Lovejoy,  both  of  whom  were  favorite  orators  of 
Chicago  audiences.  It  was  declared  that  on  this  occasion  75,000 
people  from  abroad  were  in  the  city.  It  was  no  doubt  the  biggest 
crowd  ever  here  up  to  that  date.  All  of  the  surrounding  counties  and 
nearly  every  township  in  Cook  county  sent  large  delegations.  A 
prize  of  $100  in  cash  was  offered  to  the  best  delegation  and  was 
captured  by  Liberty ville ;  10,000  wide-awakes  were  in  procession 
and  500  mounted  rangers  occupied  a  conspicuous  place  in  the  parade. 
The  crowd  was  larger  than  at  the  National  convention  or  at  the 
United  States  fair.  The  speeches  were  delivered  from  a  stand 
erected  nearly  opposite  the  Wigwam  on  the  west  side  of  Market 
street ;  in  fact,  the  crowd  was  so  large  that  it  was  concluded  to  hold 
speaking  outside  of  the  Wigwam,  which  would  hold  only  12,000. 
Seward's  speech  was  two  hours  in  length  and  was  a  splendid  exposi- 
tion of  Republican  principles.  Lovejoy  and  Nye  spoke  in  the  Wig- 
wam. On  October  4,  upon  the  return  of  Mr.  Douglas,  he  was  given 
a  magnificent  reception  by  the  local  Democracy.  He  delivered  a 
short  speech  from  the  Tremont  balcony  in  the  evening,  but  the  fol- 
lowing day,  October  5,  delivered  one  of  his  masterpieces  to  a  crowd 


390  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

almost  as  large  and  almost  as  enthusiastic  as  the  big  meeting  of  the 
Republicans.  On  October  24,  Thomas  Corwin,  "The  Wagon  Boy" 
of  Ohio,  addressed  an  immense  audience  in  the  Wigwam.  The  elec- 
tion of  November  occurred  on  the  6th  and  the  same  evening  more 
than  6,000  people  gathered  in  the  Wigwam  and  heard  the  returns 
read.  Of  course,  interest  centered  in  the  presidential  ticket,  but  a 
strong  local  fight  was  made  over  the  office  of  sheriff.  Mr.  Sherman 
was  the  candidate  of  the  Democrats  and  Mr.  Hesing  the  candidate 
of  the  Republicans;  the  latter  was  abused  unstintedly  during  the 
campaign.  When  the  returns  were  in  the  Republicans  went  wild 
with  joy,  200  guns  were  fired  at  the  Randolph  street  bridge,  the 
Wigwam  was.  thrown  open,  the  wide-awakes  appeared  as  if  by 
magic,  and  at  Randolph  and  Clark  streets  a  splendid  display  of  rock- 
ets, roman  candles  and  bonfires  was  enjoyed.  In  Cook  county 
Lincoln  received  14,589  votes  and  Douglas  9,946.  In  the  city  of 
Chicago  the  vote  stood  Lincoln  10,697,  Douglas  8,094,  Bell  107,  and 
Breckenridge  87.  At  the  same  election  was  submitted  the  question 
of  a  convention  to  form  a  new  constitution.  The  vote  in  Cook 
county  was:  For  the  convention,  24,369;  against  the  convention, 
260.  The  famous  "Tinth  ward"  went  overwhelmingly  for  Douglas, 
the  vote  being  Douglas  1,359,  Lincoln  991.  It  was  humorously 
stated  at  the  time  that  that  ward  threatened  to  secede  from  the 
Union. 

At  the  time  of  the  fall  of  Fort  Sumter  Chicago  was  in  the  midst 
of  its  municipal  campaign,  and  immediately  the  question  of  sustain- 
ing the  National  administration  in  its  coercive  policy  became  all- 
important.  The  candidate  of  the  Democracy  for  mayor,  Thomas 
B.  Bryan,  was  an  unswerving  Union  man,  as  was  also  the  candidate 
of  the  Republicans,  Julian  S.  Rumsey.  Both  parties  called  their 
tickets  "Union,"  and  in  public  meetings  indorsed  the  prosecution  of 
the  war  to  sustain  the  Government.  At  a  meeting  held  in  Bryan  hall 
on  the  evening  of  April  15  the  Democrats  took  the  following  action: 

"Resolved,  That  the  people  of  Chicago — Republicans,  Democrats, 
Bell  and  Breckenridge  men — should  now  know  no  party  but  that 
of  patriots  and  should  unite  earnestly  and  cordially  in  support  of 
the  Government.  To  do  so  the  People's  Union  ticket  should  be  voted 
for  with  such  unanimity  as  to  render  its  triumph  a  most  emphatic 
declaration  of  our  whole  people,  ignoring  all  party,  in  favor  of  the 
Union,  and  in  support  of  the  Government." 

The  Republicans,  while  admitting  the  loyalty,  popularity,  ability 
and  high  character  of  Mr.  Bryan,  condemned  the  ticket  as  a  whole, 
because  it  had  the  support  of  the  Times  and  of  men  who  had  opposed 
coercive  measures  and  had  favored  permitting  the  Southern  states 
to  dissolve  the  Union.  The  Tribune  of  April  17  said:  "Aside 
from  the  endorsement  of  the  Times  and  the  special  nursing  of  its 
Virginia  cliques,  there  was  no  taint  of  secession  on  Mr.  Bryan's 
garments  and  the  people  so  understood  it.  Whether  on  the  score 


JOHN   R.CAVERLY 


ALFRED 


CITY    ATTORNEY   AND   ASSISTANTS. 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  393 

of  patriotism,  respectability,  sound  judgment,  or  public  spirit,  there 
was  nothing  to  choose  between  the  two  men — Rumsey  and  Bryan." 

When  the  votes  were  counted  it  was  found  that  Rumsey's  major- 
ity was  1,673  in  the  total  city  vote  of  14,875.  It  was  seen  that 
the  parties  had  divided  squarely  on  party  issues  and  that  the  superior 
prominence  of  Mr.  Bryan  over  Mr.  Rumsey  had  cut  no  figure  in 
the  face  of  the  momentous  questions  then  shaking  the  country.  The 
Tribune  of  April  18,  1861,  said:  "The  result  shows  that  the  city 
divided  nearly  on  the  old  party  lines.  After  the  nominations  were 
made  both  sides  adopted  platforms  pledging  their  firm  and  unceasing 
support  of  the  Government  in  its  war  with  the  rebels.  Was  it  the 
duty  of  either  party  to  withdraw  its  candidates?  If  so,  which  party? 
Perhaps  if  more  time  had  been  allowed  for  the  interchange  of  views, 
such  an  arrangement  could  have  been  made.  Mr.  Rumsey  had  no 
desire  to  be  mayor.  On  the  contrary,  he  was  averse  to  the  office 
up  to  the  very  closing  of  the  polls.  But  he  was  not  authorized  to 
withdraw  without  consulting  his  friends." 

In  March,  1861,  Herman  Kreismann  of  Chicago  was  appointed 
secretary  of  legation  at  Berlin  by  President  Lincoln.  At  this  time 
the  entire  police  force  was  discharged  by  Mayor  Wentworth.  The 
death  of  Mr.  Douglas  in  June,  1861,  was  deeply  lamented  and  in 
many  ways  was  regarded  as  a  public  calamity  by  the  members  of 
both  parties.  He  had  come  out  strongly  in  favor  of  the  war  and 
his  past  was  forgiven  by  the  Republicans.  All  felt  that  the  war 
had  lost  a  staunch  friend.  He  died  at  the  Tremont  house  and  lay 
in  state  in  Bryan  hall  for  several  days. 

In  October,  1861,  a  convention  of  Republicans  and  war  Demo- 
crats was  held  for  the  purpose  of  uniting  all  persons  favoring  the 
preservation  of  the  Union  at  any  cost.  A  large  committee  was 
appointed  to  carry  into  effect  a  plan  for  dividing  among  the  two 
parties  delegates  from  the  city  precincts.  This  committee  consisted 
of  the  following  men :  C.  N.  Holden,  Julian  S.  Rumsey,  Joseph 
Medill,  J.  C.  Paine  Freer,  Homer  Wilmarth,  Jacob  Rehm,  Republi- 
cans; and  W.  C.  Goudy,  J.  B.  Turner,  D.  Cameron,  W.  B.  Scates, 
Philip  Conley,  S.  S.  Hayes,  F.  C.  Sherman  and  Andrew  Schall, 
Democrats.  This  convention  was  held  in  Bryan  hall  in  October 
and  was  called  afterwards  "The  Bryan  Hall  Packed  convention." 
There  were  adopted  at  this  convention  a  series  of  resolutions,  just  as 
the  convention  closed,  that  were  not  in  harmony  with  the  notions 
of  a  large  portion  of  the  Democracy.  Objection  particularly  was 
taken  to  the  following :  "Resolved,  That  we  call  upon  the  adminis- 
tration to  use  every  legal  means  of  warfare  to  suppress  the  Rebel- 
lion, including  the  confiscation  of  all  the  property  of  the  rebels  and 
even  to  the  liberation  of  their  slaves."  This  was  carrying  recom- 
mendations farther  than  many  of  the  Democracy  desired.  The 
result  was  that  two  other  tickets  were  nominated.  The  objectors 
wanted  changes  made  upon  the  basis  of  the  Crittenden  resolutions. 

Vol.  1—23. 


394  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

Among  the  objectors  were  S.  S.  Hayes,  Philip  Conley,  Thomas 
Lonergan,  Walter  B.  Scates,  Andrew  Scnall,  John  B.  Turner  and 
others.  The  Bryan  hall  ticket  was  called  the  Regular  Union 
ticket.  There  were,  in  addition,  the  People's  Union  ticket  and  the 
Anti-People's  Union  ticket.  The  Regular  Union  ticket  won  by  a 
large  majority. 

In  March,  1862,  the  city  of  Chicago,  indeed,  the  whole  county 
of  Cook,  was  shaken  to  its  foundation  by  the  "cutting  and  carving 
of  Cook  county."  The  representatives  of  the  county  in  the  Legisla- 
ture redivided  all  the  wards  and  constituted  new  election  precincts 
to  suit  themselves.  It  was  declared  to  be  the  act  of  the  Secessionists 
in  the  Legislature.  The  Tribune  of  April  5,  1862,  said: 

"Certain  partisans  calling  themselves  Democrats  are  opposed  to 
having  the  Republicans  nominate  a  ticket  for  the  charter  election 
in  this  city.  They  want  the  Republicans  to  let  the  election  go  by 
default  so  that  they  may  clutch  the  offices  and  control  the  city 
administration  in  the  interests  of  secession.  The  people  of  Cook 
county  tried  those  fellows  last  fall.  The  right  hand  of  fellowship 
was  cordially  extended  to  them.  Offices  and  honors  were  heaped 
upon  them,  and  the  treatment  received  in  return  all  men  know. 
They  used  these  very  gifts  to  render  more  certain  the  deadly  blow 
aimed  at  the  heart  of  their'benefactors.  Their  behavior  toward  the 
Republicans  who  elected  them  has  been  treacherous  and  infamous, 
and  no  Republican  with  the  least  spark  of  self-respect  will  again 
consent  to  be  insulted  and  betrayed  by  these  tricksters.  There  are 
honorable  exceptions  among  the  Democrats.  Republicans  are  per- 
fectly willing  to  unite  and  cooperate  with  earnest  and  sincere  Union 
Democrats  who  advocate  a  vigorous  prosecution  of  the  war  until 
the  Rebels  submit  unconditionally  to  the  National  authority.  This 
class  of  Democrats  is  always  welcome." 

In  the  spring  of  1862  the  Republicans  nominated  for  mayor  C.  N. 
Holden  and  the  Democrats  F.  C.  Sherman.  The  election  was  un- 
eventful and  the  vote  light,  considering  the  importance  of  the  ques- 
tions pending.  The  Democrats  elected  their  entire  ticket.  The 
Times  declared  it  was  a  triumph  of  "Democracy  and  the  conserva- 
tive citizens  over  Abolitionism."  That  paper  said,  as  follows,  in 
the  issue  of  April,  1862 :  "The  Waterloo  of  Abolitionism.— The 
joy  in  Chicago  over  the  victory  of  the  Union  arms  at  Fort  Donelson 
was  scarcely  greater  than  that  manifested  last  night  over  the  Union 
victory  won  in  the  municipal  election  yesterday.  Bonfires  burned 
in  all  directions,  the  streets  swarmed  with  happy  faces,  and  the  air 
was  filled  with  jubilant  shouts.  Great  as  the  victory  was  at  Fort 
Donelson,  we  doubt  if  it  was  of  so  much  value  to  the  Union  cause 
as  will  be  the  civil  victory  of  yesterday  in  this  city.  And  it  will 
cheer  the  Union  men  of  the  South.  If  this  be  the  voice  of  Chicago, 
they  may  well  reason  that  Abolitionism  has  culminated  as  a  power 
in  the  North.  All  honor  to  the  Democracy  and  other  conservative 
people  of  Chicago  who  have  won  the  victory." 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  395 

In  April,  1862,  the  famous  Wigwam,  which  had  been  sold  to  the 
Garrett  Biblical  institute,  was  in  the  hands  of  carpenters  to  be 
fitted  up  for  Brayton  and  Young,  commission  merchants.  It  was  to 
be  divided  into  ten  stores,  seven  fronting  on  Canal  street  and  three 
on  Lake  street,  and  the  papers  said,  "Sic  transit  gloria  wigwam." 
At  the  August  election  in  1862  an  important  question  was  on  the 
new  constitution.  The  vote  for  the  constitution  was  7,970  and 
against  it  8,633 ;  for  the  bank  clause  9,164,  against  the  bank  clause 
7,206;  for  a  new  congressional  apportionment,  7,724;  against  new 
congressional  apportionment  8,690.  All  these  questions  were  lost 
in  the  state.  The  constitution  was  rejected  by  over  16,000  in  the 
whole  state. 

In  September,  1862,  Judge  Walter  B.  Scates  joined  the  war 
Democrats  and  sided  with  the  Republicans.  Owing  to  his  great 
prominence,  the  act  gave  encouragement  to  the  Republican  party. 
He  advised  the  war  Democrats  to  side  against  the  Springfield  con- 
vention and  repudiate  its  principles  and  platform.  On  September 
27,  1862,  the  best  and  most  loyal  members  of  both  parties,  Demo- 
crats and  Republicans,  forty-two  in  number,  signed  and  called  for 
a  meeting  to  consider  the  Emancipation  Proclamation.  This  was 
the  time  also  that  John  A.  Logan,  S.  W.  Moulton,  A.  J.  Kuyken- 
dall,  General  McClernand  and  C.  E.  Ingersoll,  all  Democrats,  de- 
cided to  act  with  the  Republican  party  so  far  as  management  of 
the  war  was  concerned.  The  speakers  at  the  meeting  to  pass  on  the 
Emancipation  Proclamation  were  C.  E.  Ingersoll  of  Peoria,  Mat 
H.  Carpentefr  of  Wisconsin,  U.  F.  Linder,  F.  A.  Eastman,  R.  S. 
Blackwell  and  S.  A.  Goodwin,  all  Democrats.  The  newspapers 
described  this  meeting  as  a  "Carnival  of  Joy."  Not  half  of  those 
who  wished  could  get  into  Bryan  hall.  All  favored  carrying  into 
effect  the  Emancipation  Proclamation  and  decided  that  the  war 
should  be  finished  on  the  lines  of  the  Republican  administration. 
The  Tribune  said :  "Whether  considered  in  regard  to  the  numbers 
in  the  audience,  the  quality  of  the  exercises,  the  appropriateness  and 
earnestness  of  the  speeches,  this  was  the  largest  and  most  successful 
war  meeting  ever  held  in  this  city."  Among  the  prominent  Demo- 
crats present  and  active  were  the  following:  Charles  H.  Walker, 
Daniel  Brainard,  S.  A.  Goodwin,  Mathew  Laflin,  P.  L.  Yoe,  Alder- 
man Schall,  Michael  McCauley,  C.  T.  Wheeler,  T.  B.  Bryan,  Syd- 
ney Smith,  H.  W.  Beecher,  Henry  Greenebaum,  J.  B.  Bradwell, 
U.  F.  Linder,  John  Van  Arman,  Colonel  Cummings,  Michael 
Diversy,  John  K.  Pollard,  William  Raps,  Judge  Otis,  J.  Y.  Munn, 
Morgan  L.  Keith  and  H.  D.  Colvin.  A  small  meeting  was  held 
about  the  same  time  and  for  the  same  object  on  the  courthouse 
square. 

In  October,  1862,  the  Republicans  nominated  for  Congress  Isaac 
N.  Arnold,  and  the  Democrats  F.  C.  Sherman.  The  latter  was 
mayor  of  Chicago  and  proprietor  of  the  Sherman  house.  The 


396  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

newspapers  made  fun  of  Mr.  Sherman's  candidacy  owing  to  his 
lack  of  education.  Some  time  previously  in  a  speech  Mr.  Sherman 
had  used  the  expression,  "Hove  in  a  few  remarks  to  faciliate  busi- 
ness." This  expression  was  taken  up  by  the  newspapers  and  Mr. 
Sherman  was  often  referred  to  as  "Hove-in  Sherman."  The  Re- 
publican members  made  the  most  of  this  defect  during  the  cam- 
paign. In  October  the  Democracy  held  a  strong  meeting,  on  which 
occasion  Richard  T.  Merrick  openly  denounced  the  Government  for 
its  management  of  the  war.  Present  at  this  meeting  were  also 
P.  C.  Sherman,  S.  S.  Hayes,  W.  F.  Storey,  Francis  Peabody,  Philip 
Hoyne,  J.  W.  Sheahan,  Dennis  Coughlin,  O.  J.  Rose,  William  Lill, 
Martin  Casey,  Barney  Caulfield,  Doctor  Hahn  and  Charles  Walsh. 
This  meeting  decided  that  the  Emancipation  Proclamation  was 
unnecessary  and  uncalled  for.  On  November  3,  at  a  big  Republi- 
can meeting,  the  speakers  were  T.  B.  Bryan,  Governor  Yates, 
Judge  Scates,  E.  C.  Larned  and  Emery  A.  Storrs.  The  latter 
became  a  favorite  with  Chicago  audiences  owing  to  his  wit  and  his 
eloquent  utterances.  The  Republicans  were  the  victors  at  the  No- 
vember election.  The  Tribune  of  November  5  said :  "God  be 
praised !  Chicago  has  redeemed  herself.  Glory  enough  for  one 
day.  Glory  enough  to  have  wiped  out  Toryism  from  our  midst. 
The  last  vestige  of  Tory  Democracy  is  swept  away.  They  flooded 
the  wards  with  illegal  voters  and  counterfeit  tickets.  They  deprived 
our  gallant  soldiers,  so  far  as  they  were  able,  of  the  right  to  vote. 
But  the  war  men  of  Chicago  stood  shoulder  to  shoulder  and  fought 
the  battle  like  veterans.  The  result  is  the  complete  success  of  the 
Republican  Union  ticket." 

Mr.  Arnold  was  elected  over  Sherman  for  Congress  by  1,740 
votes.  For  sheriff  in  Cook  county  D.  S.  Hammond,  Republican, 
received  10,085  votes  and  Charles  Walsh,  Democrat,  9,369  votes. 
The  rest  of  the  ticket  gave  about  the  same  Republican  majority. 
During  1862  the  citizens  of  Chicago  had  prepared  a  new  charter 
for  the  city  and  sent  strong  delegates  to  Springfield  to  have  the 
same  passed  by  the  Legislature.  It  was  during  this  campaign  that 
the  religious  question  as  against  the  educational  question  cut  a 
strong  figure  in  local  politics.  The  new  charter  divided  the  city 
into  sixteen  wards  instead  of  ten  as  before.  The  Council  was 
equally  divided  between  the  two  parties,  so  that  it  was  deadlocked 
and  no  meetings  were  held  until  March  23,  1869.  The  Tribune 
of  March  25  said :  "On  Monday  night  the  Council  met  for  the  first 
time  since  December  22,  1862.  The  reasons  of  the  long  interim 
are  familiar  as  household  words  to  the  public — the  dastardly  at- 
tempt while  Union  members  were  absent  from  the  city  to  throw 
the  political  power  into  the  hands  of  an  unscrupulous  Copperhead 
faction  by  foul  means  to  undermine  the  school  system.  To  prevent 
this  the  Union  men  refused  a  quorum.  A  week  ago  a  caucus  was 
held  by  the  whole  Council  to  settle  a  basis  by  compromise,  if  possi- 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  397 

ble,  upon  which  they  could  meet.  The  caucus  was  a  stormy  one 
and  after  several  hours'  debate  the  Union  men  offered  to  let  the 
Copperheads  divide  Bridgeport  into  two  voting  precincts  and 
allowed  them  to  name  five  men  as  school  inspectors  to  take  the  place 
of  the  five  members  of  the  old  board." 

During  the  spring  campaign  of  1863  there  were  sharp  contests 
between  the  two  leading  parties.  Resolutions  introduced  in  the 
Council  by  Alderman  Holden  were  vetoed  by  Mayor  Sherman 
on  the  ground  of  their  being  of  too  partisan  a  nature.  Undoubtedly 
the  Republicans  at  this  time  desired  to  commit  the  Democrats  in 
the  Council  to  a  stronger  support  of  the  war  measures  of  the  ad- 
ministration. Back  of  Mayor  Sherman,  and  no  doubt  sustaining 
him,  was  the  old  Invincible  club,  an  organization  of  the  Democracy 
more  or  less  opposed  to  Mr.  Lincoln's  policy  of  carrying  on  the 
war.  Alderman  Shimp,  a  Democrat,  held  the  balance  of  power 
in  the  Council.  Whether  he  was  purchased  or  not,  he  sided  with 
the  Republicans  and  thereafter  voted  with  them,  casting  his  vote 
for  the  patriotic  resolutions  introduced  by  Mr.  Holden.  During 
this  campaign  the  Tribune  said  that  Mr.  Sherman  was  sound  on  the 
question  of  the  war,  but  that  he  was  in  bad  company  when  he  affili- 
ated with  the  Times  and  the  Copperhead  element.  In  the  spring  of 
1863  Mr.  Sherman  was  renominated  for  mayor  by  the  Democracy 
and  T.  B.  Bryan  was  nominated  by  the  Republicans.  It  should  be 
noticed  at  this  time  that  the  Democrats  did  not  condemn  the  war, 
but  only  the>  management  of  it.  Their  attitude  is  shown  by  the 
following  resolution  passed  at  one  of  their  public  meetings ;  also  will 
be  shown  the  following  opinion  of  the  Tribune  concerning  an  act  of 
the  mayor: 

"Resolved,  That  we  deplore  the  want  of  success  of  this  adminis- 
tration in  putting  down  this  most  wicked  rebellion ;  that  we  arraign 
the  party  in  power  as  responsible  for  the  failure  so  far  to  vindicate 
the  majesty  of  the  Constitution  and  the  supremacy  of  our  flag; 
that  we  condemn  the  manner  in  which  the  war  is  conducted  and 
firmly  believe  that  the  restoration  of  the  Union  is  dependent  upon 
the  strong  arm  of  Democracy — our  conservative  American  people." 

"An  Infamous  Outrage. — The  Mayor  of  Chicago  has  Released 
the  Inmates  of  Bridewell. — Yesterday  the  mayor  of  Chicago, 
'Hove-in  Sherman,'  released  nearly  all  the  inmates  of  the  bridewell 
on  condition  that  they  would  vote  for  him  today.  This  is  an  actual 
fact!  Our  streets  are  now  filled  with  these  jail  birds,  who  will  vote 
the  Copperhead  ticket.  Union  men  of  Chicago,  will  you  endure 
this  outrage?" 

At  the  municipal  election  of  the  spring  of  1863  twelve  Republi- 
cans and  nineteen  Democrats  were  chosen,  there  being  one  vacancy. 
The  Bridgeport  ward  was  called  the  "Egypt  of  Chicago."  Before 
the  election  the  Democrats  claimed  that  Bridgeport  alone  would 
elect  Sherman,  and  the  result  showed  that  it  did.  Nearly  the  whole 


398  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

Democrat  ticket  was  elected  by  majorities  ranging  from  250  to 
300.  Mr.  Sherman,  Democratic  candidate  for  mayor,  received 
10,252  and  Mr.  Bryan,  Republican,  10,095.  The  majority  was 
narrow  and  the  Republicans  claimed  that  the  Democrats  carried  the 
election  by  fraud.  They  appointed  a  committee  to  investigate  and 
Mr.  Bryan  notified  Mr.  Sherman  that  he  would  contest  the  seat  for 
the  mayoralty.  In  June,  1863,  Chicago  was  intensely  excited  over 
what  was  known  as  the  "Gridiron  Bill."  It  was  an  attempt  to 
unite  all  the  street  railways  of  Chicago  and  to  secure  a  ninety-nine- 
year  franchise.  Notwithstanding  the  protest  of  Chicago  in  public 
meetings  and  the  fact  that  an  immense  petition  against  the  measure 
was  sent  to  Springfield,  the  Legislature  passed  the  bill.  On  June 
10  Governor  Yates  prorogued  the  Legislature  and  later  vetoed 
the  "Gridiron  Bill,"  but  the  Legislature  passed  it  over  his  veto. 

On  June  18,  1863,  the  Democratic  party  here  came  out  boldly 
in  opposition  to  a  further  prosecution  of  the  war  and  demanded 
that  a  convention  be  named  to  secure  peace  upon  a  Union  basis. 
During  the  fall  the  campaign  was  exciting.  For  superior  judge, 
Joseph  E.  Gary  was  nominated  by  the  Republicans  and  Buckner  S. 
Morris  by  the  Democrats.  Gary  was  elected,  his  vote  being  10,450 
to  5,634  for  Mr.  Morris.  The  Republicans  swept  the  county.  At 
this  time  there  were  two  precincts  in  each  ward;  there  had  previ- 
ously been  but  one  in  each. 

At  the  municipal  election  in  1864  the  Republicans  carried  the 
mayoralty  contest  by  a  little  over  300  majority.  The  Common 
Council  was  pretty  equally  divided.  In  order  to  secure  a  quorum 
Mayor  Sherman  was  more  than  once  obliged  to  arrest  and  bring 
into  the  room  a  reluctant  Republican.  At  this  time  Alderman  Val- 
entine Ruh,  a  ward  Democrat,  came  out  for  the  Republicans  and 
thereafter  in  the  City  Council  voted  with  that  party.  The  Council 
was  deadlocked  for  eleven  consecutive  hours — from  8  in  the  eve- 
ning, May  16,  until  7:30  in  the  morning,  Tuesday,  May  17.  After 
coming  out  in  their  favor  Mr.  Ruh  was  serenaded  by  the  Repub- 
licans, and  on  this  occasion  Alderman  Shimp,  likewise  a  deserter 
from  the  Democrat  ranks,  addressed  and  congratulated  him  for  his 
course.  In  May,  1864,  at  the  convention  which  nominated  a  candi- 
date for  governor,  Cook  county  cast  its  entire  delegate  vote  of 
forty-nine  for  Richard  J.  Oglesby.  On  June  10  the  Republicans 
formally  opened  the  campaign  here  at  Metropolitan  hall,  on  which 
occasion  Mr.  Oglesby  was  the  principal  speaker.  He  was  followed 
by  Grant  Goodrich ;  Frank  Lumbard  sang  "Old  Shady"  and  "The 
Battle  Cry  of  Freedom." 

The  most  important  event  in  political  circles  during  the  summer 
of  1864  was  the  Democratic  National  convention  held  here.  It  was 
fixed  for  August  29,  but  delegates  began  to  arrive  by  the  24th. 
Soon  all  the  leading  hotels  were  filled  with  the  delegates  and  their 
friends.  Among  the  prominent  men  who  came  here  were  Fernando 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  399 

Wood,  Ben  Wood,  Clement  L.  Vallandigham,  Horatio  Seymour, 
S.  J.  Tilden,  Dean  Richmond,  August  Belmont,  ex-Gov.  William 
Allen  of  Ohio,  George  Francis  Train,  Joseph  E.  McDonald  and 
Sunset  Cox.  The  Tribune  of  August  26,  1864,  said:  "Vallan- 
digham took  a  walk  last  evening  and  returned  to  the  Sherman  house 
about  8  o'clock.  He  was  followed  by  a  suffocating  crowd,  the  large 
hall  being  densely  packed  within  three  minutes  after  he  had  entered. 
Great  enthusiasm  was  manifested,  hats  were  thrown  up,  and  loud 
calls  were  made  for  a  speech,  which,  however,  were  not  honored." 

The  Democratic  campaign  cry  was,  "An  armistice  and  then 
peace."  On  August  26  Vallandigham  delivered  an  extended  speech 
on  the  courthouse  square.  Other  leading  speakers  in  the  city  were 
Henry  Clay  Dean  of  Iowa,  Vallandigham,  Fernando  Wood,  Sunset 
Cox  and  Samuel  J.  Tilden.  The  latter  was  one  of  the  committee 
on  resolutions.  John  Wentworth,  who  had  previously  been  the 
most  influential  Democrat  in  Northern  Illinois,  was  called  upon 
for  a  speech  and  responded  by  endeavoring  to  answer  Mr.  Vallan- 
digham. Gen.  W.  S.  Rosecrans  was  in  the  city  at  the  time.  Wil- 
liam Bigler  of  Pennsylvania  was  temporary  chairman,  but  the  con- 
vention was  called  to  order  by  August  Belmont,  chairman  of  the 
national  committee.  The  convention  declared  in  favor  of  the 
Union,  but  also  asserted  that,  as  the  administration  of  Mr.  Lincoln 
had  failed  to  restore  the  Union,  hostilities  should  cease  with  the 
view  of  a  convention  to  establish  peace  and  to  restore  the  Union 
upon  the  basis  of  states.  The  latter  was  the  clause  to  which  the 
Republicans  objected.  Horatio  Seymour  was  made  permanent 
chairman.  The  newspapers  stated  that  Vallandigham  was  clearly 
the  hero  of  the  convention.  McClellan  was  nominated  on  the  first 
ballot  by  a  big  majority  and  then  pandemonium  broke  loose.  Val- 
landigham was  one  to  move  that  McClellan's  nomination  be 
made  unanimous. 

During  the  fall  the  Republicans  nominated  John  Wentworth  for 
Congress  and  the  Democrats  nominated  Cyrus  H.  McCormick.  On 
October  6  Robert  G.  Ingersoll  spoke  on  the  issues  of  the  campaign 
at  Bryan  hall.  There  were  many  personalities  in  the  contest  be- 
tween Mr.  Wentworth  and  Mr.  McCormick.  The  Tribune  could 
not  understand  on  one  occasion  why  the  Times  should  hang  out  the 
Stars  and  Stripes  with  the  names  McClellan  and  Pendleton  in- 
scribed thereon.  It  was  called  "rank  sacrilege."  On  one  occasion 
the  Tribune  misquoted  Mr.  McCormick  and  was  corrected  by  the 
latter,  who  said :  "My  statement  was  that  the  Union  ought  not  to 
be  restored  on  the  subjugating,  confiscating  and  exterminating 
terms  of  Mr.  Lincoln." 

One  of  the  largest  political  rallies  ever  held  in  Chicago,  up  to 
that  date,  assembled  here  on  November  3,  1864.  All  of  Northern 
Illinois  was  represented ;  the  adjacent  counties  and  every  town  in 
Cook  county  sent  large  delegations.  Lyons  was  represented  with 


400  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

nineteen  wagons;  Evanston  by  a  delegation  at  the  head  of  which 
was  an  immense  wagon  containing  thirty-five  young  ladies,  who 
represented  the  States  of  the  Union,  dressed  with  blue  caps  with 
golden  stars  and  with  small  flags  on  their  sleeves.  It  was  estimated 
that  75,000  people  were  present.  Everybody  was  given  a  meal  at 
Bryan  hall ;  at  night  there  was  an  immense  torchlight  procession. 
Many  speakers  held  forth  on  public  corners  and  at  various  halls. 
The  next  day  Salmon  P.  Chase  delivered  a  speech  three  hours  in 
length.  When  the  returns  came  in  it  was  seen  that  the  Ninth  ward 
was  the  banner  Republican  ward  of  Cook  county.  Lincoln  received 
there  1,428  votes  and  McClellan  784.  The  Tenth  ward  came  next. 
Palatine  was  the  banner  Republican  town ;  it  gave  Lincoln  280  and 
McClellan  thirteen.  Hyde  Park  came  next  with  115  Republicans 
and  eleven  Democrats.  Lake  went  to  Lincoln  by  a  majority  of 
one.  Lincoln  carried  Cook  county  by  a  vote  of  18,667  to  14,351 
for  McClellan.  This  was  by  far  the  largest  vote  ever  polled  in 
Cook  county  up  to  that  date.  On  November  10  the  Republicans 
held  an  immense  meeting  to  celebrate  the  election.  The  speakers 
were:  William  Bross,  lieutenant  governor  elect;  I.  N.  Arnold, 
E.  C.  Larned  and  J.  V.  Farwell.  During  the  week  of  the  election 
the  Tribune  claimed  to  have  circulated  daily  an  average  of  46,900 
copies.  In  January,  1865,  the  all-absorbing  question  with  the  people 
was  "The  Ninety-nine  Years  Street  Railway  Extension  Franchise." 
An  immense  meeting  was  held  at  Metropolitan  hall  and  strong  reso- 
lutions in  opposition  to  it  were  passed.  Only  one  representative 
from  Cook  county,  William  Jackson,  had  stood  against  the  bill  and 
was  thanked  publicly  by  this  meeting.  Two  of  the  resolutions  were 
as  follows : 

"Resolved,  By  the  citizens  of  Chicago  in  mass  meeting  assem- 
bled, that  it  is  the  firm  and  deliberate  conviction  of  his  meeting 
that  ninety-nine  out  of  every  hundred  of  the  residents  and  property 
holders  of  said  city  are  earnestly  and  unalterably  opposed  to  any 
extension  of  the  franchises  of  said  corporations  and  to  any  further 
legislation  on  the  subject. 

"Resolved,  That  we  hereby  most  firmly  and  decidedly  censure 
and  reprobate  the  conduct  of  such  of  our  representatives  as  voted 
for  this  most  obnoxious  monopoly." 

The  bill  was  called  "The  Century  Franchise"  and  was  not  a 
partisan  measure.  All  people  except  those  who  expected  to  reap  a 
benefit  firmly  opposed  it.  It  was  also  called  "The  Ninety-nine 
Years  Steal."  On  January  26,  1865,  the  friends  of  the  bill  in 
the  Legislature  applied  the  "Gag  Law"  and  it  was  forced  through 
successfully.  Two  days  later  an  immense  meeting  in  opposition 
to  the  bill  was  held  in  Bryan  hall.  The  friends  of  the  measure 
packed  the  meeting  with  from  200  to  300  of  their  employes  on  the 
front  seats,  but  over  2,000  citizens  assembled  and  ruled  the  meet- 
ing. All  speakers  opposed  the  bill  that  would  unite  all  the  Chicago 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  401 

street  railways  for  a  term  of  ninety-nine  years.  It  was  shown  that 
9,000  people  here  in  one  day  had  signed  a  petition  in  opposition  to 
the  measure  and  that  in  the  Legislature,  although  two-thirds  of  the 
Cook  county  representatives  opposed  the  bill,  it  was  forced  through. 
The  speakers  declared  that  if  the  Chicago  street  railways  were 
strong  enough  to  force  such  a  measure  through  the  Legislature, 
they  should  be  resisted  at  once  and  to  the  bitter  end.  The  follow- 
ing resolutions  were  passed : 

"Resolved,  By  the  citizens  of  Chicago  in  mass  meeting  assem- 
bled, that  we  view  with  astonishment  and  regard  with  indignation 
the  bill  recently  passed  by  the  two  houses  of  the  Legislature  of  this 
state  in  relation  to  horse  railways  in  this  city. 

"Resolved,  That  said  bill  is  a  fraud  upon  the  rights  of  the  city 
and  citizens  and  creates  an  odious  and  perpetual  monopoly  which 
is  of  great  and  permanent  injury  to  the  public  interests  and  dan- 
gerous to  the  public  right  and  welfare." 

The  Tribune  of  January  30  said :  "Never  has  a  larger  or  more 
enthusiastic  meeting  been  held  in  the  city  of  Chicago  to  protest 
against  the  invasion  of  popular  rights."  It  was  realized  that  the 
rights  thus  given  away  were  worth  to  the  public  millions  of  dollars. 
A  delegation  was  sent  to  Springfield  to  urge  the  governor  not  to 
sign  the  bill;  the  Board  of  Trade  publicly  condemned  it;  accord- 
ingly, on  February  5  Governor  Oglesby  vetoed  the  same.  The 
Legislature  promptly  passed  it  over  his  veto  and  intense  excitement 
and.  indignation  were  kindled  in  Chicago.  It  passed  the  senate 
eighteen  to  five  and  the  house  fifty-five  to  twenty-three ;  only  three 
Cook  county  men  voted  for  it,  viz.,  Eastman  in  the  Senate  and 
Huntley  and  Dolton  in  the  House.  Governor  Oglesby  was  thanked 
by  the  County  Board  of  Supervisors  for  his  veto.  Immediate  steps 
were  taken  to  have  the  measure  reconsidered. 

The  new  city  charter  which  came  into  effect  under  the  law  of 
February,  1865,  provided  that  each  town  and  each  ward  should 
have  one  county  supervisor.  In  the  city  of  Chicago  it  was  provided 
that  each  ward  should  have  one  member  of  the  board  of  education. 
The  police  commissioners  were  to  be  elected  by  the  county  and 
were  to  have  county  jurisdiction.  The  mayor  was  excluded  from 
membership  on  the  board  of  county  supervisors,  board  of  police 
commissioners  and  board  of  public  works.  In  March,  1865,  a  citi- 
zens' committee  of  all  parties  was  appointed  to  report  on  a  method 
of  instituting  reform  in  the  public  service.  County  and  ward  asso- 
ciations were  organized  and,  in  fact,  the  association  was  extended 
to  the  county  towns.  The  following  is  a  form  of  the  association : 

"We  hereby  form  ourselves  into  a  ward  association  under  the 

name  of  the  Ward  People's  Anti-Monopoly 

and  Reform  association,  to  cooperate  with  the  citizens'  committee 
and  agree  to  support  a  ticket  for  the  next  municipal  election  to  be 
composed  of  honest  and  able  men,  without  distinction  of  party, 


402  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

who  are  opposed  to  monopolies  and  to  all  unnecessary  taxation 
and  in  favor  of  a  strict  economy  in  the  administration  of  public 
affairs." 

The  officers  of  the  central  association  were  E.  C.  Lamed,  presi- 
dent; M.  F.  Tuley,  secretary  and  L.  C.  P.  Freer,  treasurer.  This 
organization  seems  to  have  died  a  natural  death.  In  March,  1865, 
Samuel  Hoard  succeeded  John  Scripps  as  postmaster  of  Chicago. 
In  March  all  voters  were  required  to  register.  The  Republican 
newspapers  charged  at  this  time  that  "Wabash  C.  Goudy  and  Wilbur 
F.  Storey  are  the  real  mayor  of  Chicago."  The  Republicans  nomi- 
nated for  mayor  John  B.  Rice  and  the  Democrats  renominated  F.  C. 
Sherman.  The  Republican  ticket  was  elected  by  a  large  majority. 
It  will  be  noted  that  the  new  city  charter  gave  the  three  members  of 
the  Board  of  Police  extraordinary  powers;  they  were  clothed  with 
power  over  the  Police  department,  Fire  department  and  Board  of 
Health.  There  was  one  police  commissioner  to  each  of  the  three 
principal  divisions  of  the  city. 


RUNAWAY    SLAVES 

IN  the  year  1802  a  special  convention  of  delegates  from  the  re- 
spective counties  of  Indiana  Territory  petitioned  Congress  for 
the  suspension  of  the  Sixth  article  of  the  Ordinance  of  1787, 
concerning  slavery.     In   1805  a  majority  of  the  Legislature 
of  Indiana  Territory  remonstrated  with  Congress  on  the  subject; 
but  in  1806  such  Legislature  passed  sundry  resolutions,  addressed 
to  Congress,  "declaratory  of  their  sense  of  the  propriety  of  admit- 
ting slaves,  and  as  the  citizens  of  the  Territory  decidedly  approve 
of  the  toleration  of  slavery"  the  Legislature  communicated  to  Con- 
gress the  reasons  which  influenced  them  to  favor  the  measure.    Ac- 
cordingly the  usual  arguments  in  favor  of  slavery  were  set  forth  and 
ended  with  the  request  that  the  aforesaid  Sixth  article  be  suspended 
for  a  term  of  years,  passed  Sept.  19,  1807. 

On  October  10,  1807,  the  citizens  of  Clark  County,  Indiana  Ter- 
ritory, assembled  at  Springville  agreeably  to  previous  notice  "for 
the  purpose  of  taking  into  consideration  the  resolutions  passed  at  the 
last  session  of  the  Legislature  of  the  Indiana  Territory,  praying 
Congress  to  rsuspend  for  a  certain  time  the  sixth  article  of  compact 
contained  in  the  Ordinance  of  1787."  Abraham  Little,  John  Owens, 
Charles  Beggs,  Robert  Robertson  and  James  Beggs,  were  appointed 
a  committee  to  draft  a  memorial  to  Congress  in  opposition  to  the  pro- 
posed suspension  of  the  sixth  article.  This  memorial  contained 
two  important  points :  That  the  resolution  of  the  Indiana  territorial 
Assembly  asking  for  a  suspension  of  the  Sixth  ordinance  had  in  all 
probability  been  unfairly  passed,  and  that  it  was  better,  before  ad- 
mitting slavery  into  the  territory,  to  wait  until  the  people  could 
decide  the  time  the  territory  should  be  admitted  as  a  State.  As 
Congress  was  divided  on  the  question — the  House  favoring  the  sus- 
pension and  the  Senate  opposing  it — the  measure  failed  to  become  a 
law,  and  so  slavery  was  for  all  time  excluded  from  Cook  county, 
Illinois. 

As  early  as  August,  1834,  the  Democrat,  which  had  been  started 
the  previous  November,  published  a  notice  from  a  St.  Louis  owner 
offering  a  reward  of  $200  for  the  recovery  of  a  run-away  slave  and 
the  horse  which  he  took  with  him.  In  August  of  1835  the  Democrat 
published  another  similar  notice  from  a  St.  Louis  slave  owner. 
Some  time  after  this  date  the  Chicago  Anti-Slavery  Society  was 
organized,  the  precise  date  not  being  accessible.  The  Democratic- 
Republican  party  of  Cook  county  from  the  start  deprecated  any  inter- 
ference whatever  with  the  institution  of  slavery.  At  a  large  meeting 

403 


404  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

of  that  party  held  at  the  courthouse  on  October  7,  1835,  the  following 
resolution  was  passed :  "Resolved,  That  we  view  with  the  deepest 
disgust  and  abhorrence  the  course  of  the  fanatical  Abolitionists  of 
the  North  in  circulating  their  incendiary  publications  among  the 
slaves  of  the  South ;  and  that  some  measures  ought  to  be  taken  to 
compel  these  fanatics  to  answer  in  those  states  whose  laws  are  set  at 
defiance,  and  the  feelings  of  whose  citizens  they  have  outraged  by 
their  reckless  course."  Among  those  present  at  this  meeting  were 
James  Curtiss,  S.  G.  Trobridge,  E.  B.  Williams,  William  Jones, 
Hiram  Hugunin,  Luther  C.  Chamberlain,  B.  F.  Knapp,  G.  H.  Ker- 
cheval  and  Peter  Pruyne.  In  June,  1839,  Rev.  R.  R.  Gurley  on  be- 
half of  the  American  Colonization  society  lectured  at  the  City  Saloon 
on  the  subject  of  transferring  colored  people  to  Liberia  in  Africa. 
A  few  weeks  later  he  formed  the  Chicago  Colonization  society, 
among  the  early  members  of  which  were  R.  J.  Hamilton,  Rev.  Isaac 
T.  Hunter,  William  B.  Ogden,  Harry  Brown,  Thomas  Hoyne, 
George  M.  Merrill,  William  H.  Brown,  William  H.  Clark,  John  S. 
Wright,  Nathan  H.  Bolles  and  William  Stuart.  At  this  date  there 
was  an  elaborate  discussion  in  the  newspapers  of  Chicago  concern- 
ing the  relative  merits  of  colonization  and  Abolitionism. 

In  August,  1841,  Frederick  Collins,  Abolitionist  candidate  for 
Congress  in  this  district,  received  a  total  of  thirty-five  votes.  In 
October,  1841,  an  Abolitionist  who  had  subscribed  for  the  American 
ordered  the  paper  stopped  bacause  it  continued  to  publish  runaway 
slave  notices.  He  particularly  objected  to  a  notice  offering  $100 
reward  for  the  recovery  of  a  slave  woman  named  Henrietta  and  her 
husband  Nicholas,  together  with  three  children  which  they  had  taken 
with  them.  The  owner  was  John  Finney  of  St.  Louis.  In  March, 
1842,  the  quarterly  meeting  of  the  Chicago  Anti-Slavery  society 
was  held  at  Chapman's  rooms ;  A.  Johnson  was  secretary.  In  May, 
1842,  the  fifth  anniversary  of  the  Illinois  State  Anti-Slavery  society 
was  celebrated  in  this  city.  In  the  fall  of  1842  a  total  of  thirty-seven 
votes  were  polled  in  Cook  county  for  the  Abolitionist  candidate  for 
governor.  In  October,  1839,  a  Mr.  Magehan,  of  St.  Louis  came 
here  to  recover  his  runaway  slave  Polly.  While  here  he  discovered 
another  runaway  named  Henry,  owned  by  John  Kerr  of  St.  Louis. 
Mr.  Magehan  caused  the  arrest  of  both  Polly  and  Henry,  but  "the 
Abolitionists,  aided  by  some  Abolition  officers,  succeeded  in  prevent- 
ing his  bringing  them  away."  The  St.  Louis  Republican  of  Octo- 
ber, 1839,  said :  "Mr.  Magehan  requests  us  to  tender  his  thanks  to 
the  business  and  especially  the  mercantile  portion  of  the  citizens  of 
Chicago  for  the  kindness  and  assistance  they  showed  him  in  the  at- 
tempt to  regain  his  property,  and  in  releasing  him  from  the  impris- 
onment which  the  Abolitionists  inflicted  upon  him,  but  for  which 
he  is  likely  to  make  them  suffer.  We  are  glad  to  find  that  the  sub- 
stantial and  respectable  portion  of  the  community  at  Chicago  dis- 
countenance and  reprobate  the  nefarious  attempts  of  the  Abolition- 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  405 

ists  to  conceal  and  protect  runaway  slaves.  Mr.  Magellan  saw  and 
recognized  some  three  or  four  runaway  slaves  from  this  city  during 
the  time  he  was  in  Chicago.  The  citizens  of  the  latter  place  owe  it 
to  themselves  to  put  down  the  attempts  of  these  fanatics  to  inter- 
fere with  the  property  of  their  neighbors.  Already  the  travel  from 
the  South  to  the  East  is  fast  setting  toward  Chicago,  but  should  the 
South  become  alarmed  for  the  safety  of  their  slave  property  in  that 
city,  it  will  do  much  to  divert  it.  Chicago  will  be  avoided  as  Cin- 
cinnati now  is  by  a  majority  of  Southern  men."  During  the  cam- 
paign of  1841  the  Abolitionists  endeavored  to  make  the  strongest 
showing  possible.  A  petition  calling  for  a  public  meeting  of  Aboli- 
tionists was  signed  by  thirty-eight  of  that  party  residing  in  Chicago 
and  vicinity.  The  American,  which  was  bitterly  opposed  to  the 
proceedings  of  the  Abolitionists,  gave  the  following  notice  on  Au- 
gust 5 : 

"The  result  shows  the  small  potato  nature  of  political  Abolition- 
ism— only  thirty-four  Liberty  tickets  were  polled,  notwithstanding 
the  most  desperate  electioneering.  Never  did  we  see  more  zealous 
and  devoted  canvassers  than  the  few  Whig  Abolitionists  who  at- 
tended the  polls  as  a  committee  of  special  vigilance.  They  offered 
their  tickets  to  strangers  with  the  most  brazen  assurance.  They  even 
submitted  with  a  good  grace  to  the  jeers  of  the  bystanders.  .  .  . 
But  where  were  those  cunning  dogs — the  Locofoco  Abolitionists? 
Some  few  of  them  voted  the  Abolition  ticket  to  keep  up  appearances 
and  get  their  Whig  brethren  into  a  trap.  .  .  .  The  red  hot 
political  Abolitionists  in  this  city  are  said  to  be  about  sixty.  They 
are,  we  understood,  about  equally  divided  in  politics,  viz. :  goats  or 
Locofoco  Abolitionists,  and  sheep  or  Whig  Abolitionists.  About 
election  day  the  goats  always  scramble  away  and  the  silly  sheep  are 
left  to  their  fate.  .  .  .  There  are  many  in  this  community  who 
entertain  opinions  adverse  to  slavery,  but  there  are  very  few  who 
join  in  the  treasonable  practice  of  voting  for  a  ticket  opposed  to  the 
Constitution  of  the  United  States." 

The  growth  of  Abolitionism  in  Cook  county  was  very  rapid  from 
1840  to  1846.  Late  in  1845  a  petition  was  circulated  and  signed  by 
over  1,000  persons  asking  the  Legislature  to  repeal  the  "black  laws 
of  Illinois."  Instead  of  complying  with  the  petition  the  Legislature, 
in  the  language  of  the  Chicago  Democrat,  "not  only  left  those  laws 
as  they  were  but  added  another  chapter  to  the  catalogue  more  out- 
rageous and  revolting  than  any  which  had  preceded  it."  During 
1845  the  colored  population  of  Chicago  nearly  doubled.  This  led 
the  Democrat  to  observe  that  the  Abolitionists  must  be  doing  a  good 
business  about  these  days."  In  October,  1846,  two  runaway  slaves 
were  pursued  to  this  city,  arrested  by  the  agent  of  the  owner  and 
taken  before  Justice  Kercheval  to  be  dealt  with  according  to  law. 
While  there  they  were  rescued  by  negroes  and  Abolitionists  to  the 
number  of  several  hundred.  The  officers  were  overpowered  and 


406  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

the  fugitives  were  freed.  At  a  large  Democratic  mass  meeting  in 
April,  1848,  resolutions  declaring  the  Democracy  of  Chicago  opposed 
to  the  extension  of  slavery  were  passed.  The  resolutions  were  severe 
in  their  restrictions  upon  the  idea  of  extending  slavery  to  the  new 
territories.  In  February,  1848,  a  negro  who  had  lately  arrived  in 
Chicago  was  seized  by  the  colored  people,  conveyed  to  the  lake  shore 
and  publicly  whipped.  He  was  suspected  of  coming  to  Chicago  for 
the  purpose  of  revealing  here  the  presence  of  runaway  slaves.  The 
offenders  were  arrested  and  fined.  Rev.  James  Mitchell,  who  kept 
in  his  family  as  servants  two  colored  girls,  was  prosecuted  for  har- 
boring runaway  slaves,  but  was  promptly  exonerated.  His  attorney 
was  Isaac  N.  Arnold ;  Grant  Goodrich  appeared  for  the  prosecutor. 
Late  in  May,  1848,  a  free  colored  man  of  this  city  was  kidnapped  by 
several  slave  catchers  and  spirited  out  of  the  city.  A  posse  was  sent 
in  pursuit,  but  the  colored  man  succeeded  in  effecting  his  escape  and 
returned  to  the  city.  The  kidnappers,  Field  and  Thurston,  were 
committed  by  Justice  Rucker  on  the  charge  of  kidnapping.  They 
were  released  by  a  writ  of  habeas  corpus.  At  this  time  the  Yancy 
house  was  the  aristocratic  hotel  of  the  colored  people  of  Chicago; 
there  they  held  their  consultations  and  formulated  their  plans  to  pre- 
vent all  rescues  of  fugitive  slaves.  It  should  be  said  that  the  Demo- 
crat edited  by  John  Wentworth  helped  more  than  any  other  power 
in  Northern  Illinois  to  restrict  the  extension  of  slavery,  render  odi- 
ous the  fugitive  slave  law  and  assist  by  every  means  in  its  power  the 
escape  of  fugitive  slaves.  Wentworth,  himself,  opposed  any  inter- 
ference with  slavery  as  it  then  existed,  but  used  as  a  motto  in  his 
paper,  "no  more  slave  territory."  That  was  the  cry  of  the  Whigs  in 
1847-48  and  in  that  respect  Wentworth  although  a  staunch  Democrat 
stood  with  the  Whigs  of  the  North.  An  article  which  appeared  in 
a  St.  Louis  paper  and  spoke  of  a  drove  of  negroes  and  described 
them  in  detail  like  a  herd  of  black  cattle  kindled  the  wrath  of  the 
Abolitionists  and  opponents  of  Chicago.  The  following  resolutions 
were  adopted  at  the  Industrial  convention,  which  assembled  here 
on  June  6,  1850: 

"Resolved,  That  as  a  moral,  social  and  political  evil  slavery  cannot 
exist  without  inevitably  producing  the  destruction  of  the  nation 
which  permits  it.  It  is  therefore  an  absurd  and  impious  mockery 
of  Jehovah  and  of  his  inevitable  decrees  to  flatter  ourselves  that  we 
can  perpetuate  the  joint  existence  of  slavery  and  freedom. 

"Resolved,  That  we  are  opposed  to  the  further  extension  of  slav- 
ery and  view  with  abhorrence  the  idea  that  to  satisfy  the  South  and 
to  secure  the  perpetuation  of  the  Federal  Union,  the  people  of  the 
United  States  must  agree  that  the  slave  power  and  the  free  power 
shall  be  held  in  equilibrium  by  the  admission  with  equal  or  propor- 
tional pace  of  slave  and  free  states ;  or  that  the  slave  as  well  as  the 
free  area  shall  be  extended;  neither  if  it  were  attempted  could  a 
basis  of  this  kind  ever  support  a  union  of  Republics,  for  so  long  as 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  407 

Divine  justice  exists  slavery  can  never  be  a  bond  of  union  and  of 
freedom. 

"Resolved,  That  greatly  as  we  favor  all  Constitutional  legislative 
provisos  against  the  further  extension  of  slavery  into  territories  now 
free,  yet  the  most  sure  proviso  against  slavery  extension  and  all  un- 
just servitude,  is  a  free  land  proviso,  securing  homes  to  all,  prohibit- 
ing the  further  sale  of  public  lands,  recognizing  and  guaranteeing 
the  unbought,  natural,  and  inalienable  right  of  man  to  a  home  on 
earth,  and  limiting  the  amount  of  land  that  any  one  person  or  com- 
pany may  hereafter  obtain  title  to,  so  as  eventually  to  abolish  and  for 
the  future  prevent  the  undue  monopoly  of  land  by  the  few. 

"Resolved,  That  factory  lords,  land  lords,  bankers,  speculators 
and  usurers  in  the  North  may  and  do  advocate  slavery  non-exten- 
sion, while  they  hold  their  fellow  men  under  oppressive,  and  ruinous 
conditions  of  service,  but  the  free  land  proviso  would  everywhere  on 
the  cotton  plantations  of  the  South  and  in  the  Cotton  factories  of 
the  North,  unite  all  lovers  of  freedom  and  humanity  against  all 
haters  of  freedom  and  humanity,  and  would  strip  the  question  of 
liberty  of  all  prejudices  resulting  from  sectional  and  partial  agita- 
tion." 

The  above  resolutions  were  reported  by  H.  H.  Van  Arminge,  and 
on  motion  of  C.  T.  Gaston  they  were  referred  to  a  select  committee 
consisting  of  J.  K.  Ingalls  of  New  York,  Jeriel  Root  of  Illinois  and 
Edward  Daniels  of  Wisconsin.  The  following  resolution  was 
adopted  separately,  "Resolved,  That  woman's  rights  are  the  same 
as  those  of  men  on  all  subjects  including  rights  to  liberty,  property, 
self-government,  the  elective  franchise,  and  eligibility  to  office."  The 
fundamental  principles  set  forth  alluringly  at  this  convention  were 
largely  socialistic  and  anticipated  many  of  the  reforms  of  late  years. 

In  October,  1850,  the  colored  people  assembled  at  the  African 
Methodist  Episcopal  church  on  Wells  street  and  formed  a  Liberty 
association  composed  of  people  of  color  or  of  African  descent ;  they 
denounced  the  recently  passed  fugitive  slave  law.  The  entire  col- 
ored population  of  the  city  joined  the  association  and  made  every 
preparation  to  resist  to  the  utmost  the  execution  of  that  law.  More 
than  a  dozen  meetings  were  held  in  Cook  county  for  the  purpose  of 
resistance.  At  one  of  these  meetings  Senator  Douglas  attempted 
to  force  upon  the  people  the  passage  of  resolutions  submissive  to  the 
law.  One  of  his  greatest  speeches  was  delivered  on  this  occasion — 
October  23,  1850.  The  day  before  the  one  on  which  Senator  Doug- 
las spoke  the  City  Council  adopted  resolutions  denouncing  the  pas- 
sage of  the  fugitive  slave  law.  One  of  the  resolutions  was  as  fol- 
lows: 

"Resolved,  That  the  Senators  and  Representatives  in  Congress 
from  the  free  states,  who  aided  and  assisted  in  the  passage  of  this 
infamous  law  and  those  who  basely  sneaked  away  from  their  seats 
and  therefore  evaded  the  question,  richly  merit  the  reproach  of  all 


408  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

lovers  of  freedom  and  are  fit  only  to  be  ranked  with  the  traitors, 
Benedict  Arnold  and  Judas  Iscariot,  who  betrayed  his  Lord  and 
Master  for  thirty  pieces  of  silver." 

The  aldermen  who  voted  in  favor  of  the  resolutions  denouncing 
the  law  were  Milliken,  Lloyd,  Sherwood,  Foss,  Throop,  Sherman, 
Richards,  Brady  and  Dodge.  Those  who  voted  against  the  resolu- 
tions were  Page  and  Williams.  The  passage  of  the  law  was  de- 
nounced in  the  severest  terms.  The  next  day  Senator  Douglas  in 
his  speech  assumed  that  he  and  Senator  Shields  were  meant  in  the 
resolutions  above  where  the  Council  spoke  of  Benedict  Arnold  and 
Judas  Iscariot.  He  skillfully,  adroitly  and  sarcastically  answered 
the  resolutions  of  the  Council.  He  made  the  strong  point  that  the 
resolutions  of  the  Council  amounted  to  open  nullification  of  an  exist- 
ing national  law,  but  his  answer  was  unsatisfactory  to  the  opponents 
of  slavery  in  this  vicinity. 

Upon  the  passage  of  the  fugitive  slave  law  George  W.  Meeker 
was  appointed  commissioner  for  the  commitment  of  fugitive  slaves 
under  the  law.  Mr.  Wentworth  in  the  Democrat  said :  "we  had 
thought  that  in  the  whole  city  no  one  could  be  found  whose  sense  of 
justice  and  humanity  and  all  those  feelings  that  designate  the  man 
were  so  blunted  as  to  accept  such  an  appointment,  but  it  seems  we 
were  mistaken."  During  October  and  November,  1850,  the  colored 
population  of  Chicago  underwent  a  period  of  great  excitement. 
Numerous  agents  of  owners  were  here  to  identify  colored  prop- 
erty. The  African  Methodist  Episcopal  church  on  Clark  street  lost 
nearly  half  its  membership  owing  to  their  sudden  and  precipitate 
flight  for  Canada.  A  colored  barber  named  Jackson  was  horrified 
one  day  to  see  his  master  enter  the  shop  to  be  shaved.  Jackson 
promptly  evacuated  and  in  the  end  managed  to  escape  capture.  Mr. 
Wentworth  said  in  the  Democrat  of  November  16,  "There  should  be 
at  least  a  regiment  of  troops  sent  to  this  city  at  once  by  Mr.  Fillmore. 
They  are  absolutely  necessary  to  enforce  the  late  fugitive  slave  law. 
There  are  several  hundred  negroes  in  our  city,  every  one  of  whom 
might  be  arrested  and  sent  South  under  the  late  law  if  there  was  only 
a  regiment  of  troops  here  to  assist  the  catchers.  A  single  company 
could  do  no  good.  Nothing  but  a  regiment  will  answer  for  Chi- 
cago." During  the  exodus  of  the  negroes  Orrington  Lunt,  N.  C. 
Holden,  William  H.  Taylor  and  Thomas  Richmond  were  a  com- 
mittee of  the  Abolitionists  to  raise  provisions,  clothing,  etc.,  for  the 
colored  people  thus  forced  to  leave  their  homes.  Old  clothing  par- 
tially worn  was  especially  solicited  by  order  of  the  committee. 

The  old  Anti-Slavery  society  seems  to  have  died  out,  because  in 
December,  1850,  another  was  organized  at  a  public  meeting  of 
which  Sylvester  Lind  was  chairman  and  James  McClellan,  Jr.,  sec- 
retary. Among  those  who  took  active  part  in  this  meeting  were  Z. 
Eastman,  Rev.  A.  St.  Clair.  L.  C.  P.  Freer  and  James  Curtiss.  The 
residents  of  Chicago  who  desired  to  curry  favor  with  the  South  and 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  411 

with  the  administration  made  it  a  point  lo  assist  in  the  capture  of 
fugitive  slaves  by  their  masters.  This  led  to  numerous  sharp  clashes 
between  them  and  the  Abolitionists.  Friends  of  the  South  endeav- 
ored to  make  political  capital  by  recapturing  fugitives.  In  June, 
1851,  they  captured  a  negro  fugitive  while  passing  through  this 
city  on  his  way  to  Canada,  put  him  in  irons  and  publicly  conveyed 
him  in  a  carriage  to  jail.  The  Democrat  said :  "Nabbing  a  negro 
was  not  enough ;  it  must  be  done  so  as  to  outrage  public  decency  in 
broad  daylight. .  He  must  be  gagged  in  this  city.  He  must  be  thrown 
into  a  carriage  like  a  stick  of  wood  in  the  presence  of  women  and 
children  and  hurried  off,  as  if  in  this  peaceable  community  there 
would  be  an  effort  to  rescue  anybody  from  a  legal  officer."  This 
negro,  Moses  Johnson,  was  taken  to  the  United  States  court  room 
and  there  guarded  by  many  special  constables.  In  spite  of  the  fact 
that  no  demonstrations  looking  to  the  rescue  of  the  negro  were 
made  the  militia  was  called  out.  The  Democrat  said :  "But  the  insult 
and  outrage  did  not  stop  here.  The  troops  when  called  out  were  in- 
sulted and  were  not  asked  to  guard  the  negro  or  the  court,  but  were 
left  to  march  around  and  overawe  the  people  if  possible."  The 
Tribune,  although  one  of  the  strongest  against  slavery  and  in  favor 
of  free  soil,  disapproved  any  attempt  to  rescue  the  negro.  The 
Western  Citizen,  the  organ  of  the  Abolitionists  at  Chicago  and 
edited  by  Z.  Eastman,  favored  strenuous  action  to  prevent  the  negro 
from  being  "kidnapped."  He  was  claimed  by  Crawford  E.  Smith, 
of  Lafayette,  Missouri,  who  was  represented  here  by  an  agent.  It 
was  decided  to  make  this  a  test  case.  The  claimant  was  represented 
by  Z.  T.  Fleshman,  Ebenezer  Peck,  B.  S.  Morris,  and  A.  W.  Windett 
and  the  colored  man  was  represented  by  George  Manierre,  E.  C. 
Lamed,  L.  C.  P.  Freer,  Calvin  DeWolf  and  others.  The  court- 
room could  not  hold  one-tenth  of  those  who  wished  to  hear  the  trial. 
The  negro  was  arrested  on  June  3  and  brought  to  trial  the  same  day. 
The  overseer  of  the  owner  identified  the  negro  fugitive.  The  Dem- 
ocrat under  the  personal  influence  and  ability  of  John  Wentworth 
did  everything  in  its  power  to  defeat  the  claimant  and  free  the  negro. 
At  the  trial  the  case  really  hinged  on  the  identification  of  the  fugi- 
tive and  this  in  turn  rested  with  Commissioner  Meeker.  The 
points  made  by  the  defense  were  as  follows :  First,  that  the  record 
to  prove  the  escape  and  servitude  was  invalid ;  second,  it  did  not 
show  that  the  negro  described  was  a  slave  and  owed  servitude ;  third, 
the  record  described  the  slave  as  copper-colored,  while  the  defendant 
was  black.  The  defense  ably  conducted  prevailed  and  the  commis- 
sioner discharged  the  fugitive.  The  Democrat  of  June  7  said :  "No 
sooner  had  the  commissioner  pronounced  the  words  'I  discharge  the 
defendant,'  than  a  shout  arose  which  shook  the  building.  The  fugi- 
tive was  snatched  from  the  hands  of  the  officers  and  was  in  the 
street  and  in  a  wagon  hurried  off  by  the  crowd  in  a  shorter  space  of 
time  than  it  takes  to  tell  it."  The  Democrat  also  said :  "The  agent 

Vol.   I — 24. 


412  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

of  the  owner  narrowly  escaped  chastisement  from  the  crowd  in  the 
street  as  he  passed  from  the  courtroom.  He  was  saluted  with  hisses 
and  groans  and  thought  it  best  to  make  himself  scarce  as  quickly  as 
possible."  The  trial  took  place  in  the  Swedenborgian  Church.  The 
Democrat  of  June  6  further  said :  "The  speech  of  Mr.  Larned  for 
the  defense  was  a  brilliant  one,  every  way  worthy  of  his  reputation, 
and  is  considered  one  of  the  most  splendid  efforts  ever  made  in  this 
city.  .  .  .  Mr.  Fleshman,  for  the  owner,  has  conducted  the 
case  remarkably  well.  .  .  .  For  legal  ability  and  research,  and 
for  critical  analysis  and  acumen,  we  have  heard  the  speech  of  Mr. 
Manierre  for  the  defense  spoken  of  by  members  of  the  bar  as  an 
effort  that  would  do  abundant  credit  to  a  lawyer  of  the  most  ex- 
tended reputation.  .  .  .  There  is  no  doubt  of  the  negro's  dis- 
charge." This  action  of  Commissioner  Meeker  was  bitterly  de- 
nounced by  every  pro-slavery  advocate  in  the  West.  It  was  referred 
to  for  several  years  as  a  standing  disgrace  to  Chicago,  but  the  Abol- 
itionists here  and  the  free  soil  advocates  were  proud  of  the  record 
and  continued  their  tactics  of  every  description  to  defeat  the  execu- 
tion of  the  fugitive  slave  law.  The  colored  people  of  Chicago  at  a 
public  meeting  voted  to  raise  means  to  present  to  George  Manierre 
and  E.  C.  Larned  suitable  gifts  to  reward  them  for  their  gratuitous 
services;  silver  cups  suitably  engraved  were  selected.  These  two 
men  and  also  Grant  Goodrich  and  John  M.  Wilson,  who  had  aided 
them,  were  publicly  thanked  by  the  colored  people  of  Chicago. 

In  July,  1851,  an  educated  colored  man  from  Boston,  S.  R.  Ward, 
lectured  on  "Inalienable  Rights."  In  September,  1851,  at  the  Na- 
tional Abolition  convention  in  Buffalo,  when  Gerritt  Smith  was 
nominated  for  president,  James  H.  Collins,  of  Chicago,  was  nom- 
inated for  vice-president ;  he  declined  and  Charles  Durkie,  congress- 
man, Racine,  Wisconsin,  received  the  nomination.  In  1851,  a  col- 
ored man  named  John  Jones  succeeded  in  raising,  mostly  here,  $800 
to  be  used  in  purchasing  the  freedom  of  his  brother  in  slavery  in  the 
South.  The  Democratic  Press  of  November  12,  1852,  said :  "The 
vote  at  the  late  election  in  those  localities  which  comprised  the  Anti- 
Slavery  strength  in  1848  proves  conclusively  that  that  element  in 
our  politics  has  about  expended  its  force.  In  the  County  of  Cook, 
for  example,  the  vote  for  Mr.  Van  Buren  in  1848  was  2,120 — being 
512  over  the  vote  for  Taylor  and  598  over  the  vote  for  Cass.  In 
1852  the  vote  for  John  P.  Hale  was  793,  being  2,974  less  than  that 
of  Mr.  Pierce  and  1,296  less  than  that  of  Gen.  Scott.  .  .  .  The 
vote  has  been  reduced  down  to  near  the  level  of  what  it  was  before 
the  days  of  the  Wilmot  Proviso." 

Late  in  1852  Judge  John  Pearson  was  the  colonization  agent  here. 
In  December,  1852,  the  colored  citizens  of  Chicago  held  a  mass 
meeting  to  consider  the  "disabilities  which  the  state  laws  imposed 
upon  them."  The  colored  speakers  were  named  Jones  and  Johnson. 
In  February,  1853,  the  Legislature  still  further  strengthened  the 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  413 

laws  against  the  settlement -in  Illinois  of  free  colored  persons.  Dur- 
ing the  debate  on  the  bill  Mr.  Judd  then  in  the  Senate  moved  to 
amend  the  title  so  that  it  would  read  "A  bill  to  establish  slavery  in 
Illinois."  The  entire  representation  in  the  Legislature  from  Cook 
county  voted  against  the  bill.  One  of  the  newspapers  here  said,  "we 
should  like  to  see  the  man  that  would  mount  the  auctioneer's  block 
in  this  town  and  sell  a  freeman  to  the  highest  bidder  and  we  should 
like  to  see  the  bidder."  In  November,  1853,  the  colored  people 
polled  245  votes  in  this  congressional  district.  To  a  state  convention 
of  the  colored  people  Cook  county  sent  twenty  representatives.  In 
September,  1854,  a  colored  man  named  William  Turner  was  seized 
near  Wells  and  Jackson  streets  by  three  white  men  who  claimed  to 
represent  the  owner ;  but  he  broke  away  and  ran,  one  of  them  firing 
at  him  without  hitting  him.  In  a  moment  a  large  crowd  of  his 
friends  gathered,  whereupon  the  three  white  men  were  arrested  and 
jailed  on  the  charge  of  assault  with  a  deadly  weapon  and  attempt  to 
kidnap.  A  large  crowd  gathered  at  the  trial.  The  three  men  were 
bound  over  by  Justice  DeWolf.  The  Democratic  Press  said :  "Know- 
ing the  light  in  which  slave  hunting  is  regarded  in  this  portion  of  the 
state  it  is  not  a  little  remarkable  that  men  can  be  found  of  sufficient 
temerity  to  undertake  it  without  authority  of  law  and  the  requisite 
proofs  in  broad  daylight  and  in  a  thickly  settled  part  of  the  city. 
Every  such  effort  cannot  but  result  in  failure  and  the  parties  making 
it  may  deem  themselves  fortunate  in  getting  off  as  easily  as  those 
did  yesterday." 

At  the  Abolition  convention  held  in  Ottawa,  May,  1853,  twelve 
citizens  of  Chicago  were  appointed  as  a  state  board  to  advance  the 
interests  of  the  Abolition  party  in  Illinois.  As  a  matter  of  fact  the 
passage  of  the  negro  bill,  so-called,  by  the  Legislature  in  1852-3,  was 
important  because  it  led  to  the  reorganization  of  the  Abolition  party 
in  Illinois.  From  1848  to  1852  the  party  had  remained  compara- 
tively quiet  in  this  state,  but  the  act  of  the  Legislature  prohibiting 
free  colored  people  from  settling  in  Illinois  again  roused  that  party 
into  action.  The  Western  Citizen  was  the  state  organ  of  the  Aboli- 
tionists ;  it  was  issued  in  this  city.  Late  in  1853  a  large  convention  of 
the  colored  people  of  the  state  was  held  here.  One  John  Jones  of 
Chicago  presided.  They  adopted  resolutions  denouncing  slavery, 
criticising  clergymen  who  did  not  work  against  it,  asserted  that  the 
fugitive  slave  law  was  an  outrage,  and  that  the  "black  law"  of  Illinois 
was  unbearable.  Letters  from  Horace  Mann,  Cassius  M.  Clay, 
William  H.  Seward,  Horace  Greeley,  David  P.  Brown  and  Charles 
Durkie  were  read.  Speeches  by  A.  H.  Richardson,  White  of  Galena 
and  Rev.  Byrd  Parker,  colored,  of  Chicago  were  made.  On  the  sec- 
ond day  of  the  convention  Fred  Douglas  addressed  the  assemblage  at 
Warner's  hall.  Later  he  stumped  the  state  in  the  interests  of  the 
Abolition  party. 

In  September,  1854,  Henry  Dwight  of  New  Haven,  Connecticut, 


414  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

representing  the  Kansas  Emigrant  society,  came  here  for  the  pur- 
pose of  forming  a  branch  organization.  The  Democratic  Press 
said :  "There  is  but  one  feeling  we  believe  among  the  people,  and 
that  is  that  in  spite  of  the  machination  of  corrupt  politicians  this 
territory  consecrated  by  our  fathers  to  freedom  shall  be  free."  He 
referred  to  Kansas  and  Nebraska.  In  July,  1854,  Cassius  M.  Clay 
lectured  before  the  Young  Men's  association.  He  declared  that 
Mrs.  Stowe's  Uncle  Tom's  Cabin  was  a  "fair  and  equitable  demon- 
stration of  slavery  as  it  exists."  He  further  said,  "in  Kentucky  in 
the  Green  river  country  I  have  seen  a  man  surrounded  by  a  gang  of 
dogs,  trained  and  kept  to  track  and  run  down  a  fugitive  slave.  But 
recently  a  gentleman  from  Georgia  informed  me  that  a  pack  of  dogs 
which  had  been  trained  to  follow  runaway  slaves  had  been  sold  in 
his  state  for  $1,100."  In  December,  1854,  there  were  in  the  hands 
of  the  United  States  Marshal,  Col.  Harry  Wilton,  warrants  for  the 
arrest  of  four  fugitive  slaves.  Anticipating  trouble,  he  had  suc- 
ceeded in  having  ordered  out  two  militia  companies,  the  Light 
Guards  under  Lieutenant  Harding  and  Company  A,  National 
Guards  under  Captain  Shirley.  Soon  the  city  was  astir.  Judge 
Rucker  announced  that  the  United  States  marshal  had  no  power 
to  order  out  the  state  militia,  whereupon  the  two  companies  dis- 
persed. The  marshal  made  no  attempt  thereafter  to  execute  the 
warrants.  However,  the  runaway  slaves  taking  alarm  started  for 
Canada.  The  Democratic  Press  of  December  9  said :  "We  have 
known  of  many  attempts  being  made  to  take  fugitives  away  from 
Chicago,  but  we  have  yet  to  learn  the  first  instance  in  which  the 
thing  has  been  done."  "Dr.  Dyer  at  this  time  was  a  very  active 
Abolitionist.  He  assisted  many  runaways  to  reach  Canada.  On 
one  occasion  a  Kentuckian  expressing  himself  too  pointedly  in  favor 
of  slavery  was  publicly  caned  by  the  pugilistic  doctor.  For  this 
act  he  was  widely  congratulated  and  was  presented  with  a  gold- 
headed  cane  suitably  inscribed.  At  this  time  the  St.  Louis  and  other 
Southern  newspapers  declared  that  the  fugitive  slave  law  was  wholly 
inoperative  in  Chicago.  Southern  men  were  advised  not  to  come 
here  with  their  slaves. 

It  was  true  that  many  here  who  denounced  Abolitionism  and 
Abolitionists  were  also  opposed  actively  to  slave  hunting  and  slave 
catching.  They  opposed  the  fugitive  slave  law,  opposed  the  exten- 
sion of  slave  territory,  but  objected  to  any  interference  with  slavery 
where  it  already  existed.  The  Democratic  Press  asked:  "Would 
the  editor  of  the  St.  Louis  Republican  engage  in  the  business  of 
slave  catching?  Would  ninety-nine  hundredths  of  the  readers  of  that 
print  do  so?  No,  they  would  shrink  from  it  as  they  would  shrink 
from  a  leper.  So  do  the  great  mass  of  the  citizens  of  Chicago.  No 
earthly  power  can  make  slave  catchers  of  our  people.  Ten  thousand 
fugitive  slave  laws  cannot  do  it.  Such  is  the  general  sentiment 
here."  In  March,  1855,  a  Kansas  Aid  society  was  organized  in 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  415 

this  city,  Messrs.  Goodman,  Chapman,  High,  Slater  and  Sloat  were 
appointed  a  committee  to  set  the  organization  in  operation.  In 
April,  1855,  the  Kansas  Scotch  Free  Settlement  society  was  organ- 
ized in  this  city  with  George  Leslie  as  secretary.  The  object  of  these 
societies  was  to  raise  men  who  were  willing  to  become  settlers  of 
Kansas.  Early  in  1856  public  meetings  denouncing  the  decision  in 
the  Dred  Scott  case  were  held  in  this  county.  At  this  time  it  was  dis- 
covered that  several  policemen  were  guilty  of  slave  catching.  One 
of  them  attempted  to  arrest  a  colored  man  passing  through  Chicago 
to  Canada,  but  soon  learned  that  he  could  not  do  it  owing  to  the 
sentiment  of  the  people  and  open  opposition  to  any  such  step.  In 
March  the  Democratic  Press  said :  "Hundreds  are  now  passing 
through  this  city  every  week  for  Kansas  to  be  on  the  ground  in  the 
territory  at  the  opening  of  spring.  In  1856  Chicago  people  contrib- 
uted about  half  the  money  to  purchase  Aunt  Sally,  a  slave  held  in 
Alabama,  the  mother  of  Rev.  Williams,  a  colored  pastor  of  a  church 
in  Detroit.  In  January,  1857,  at  the  State  Colonization  society 
convention  held  in  Springfield,  Shelby  M.  Cullom  and  Abraham 
Lincoln  represented  their  respective  counties.  J.  L.  Scripps  of 
Chicago  was  one  of  the  vice-presidents.  In  July,  1857,  in  a  suit  by 
a  colored  man  for  assault  and  battery,  the  court  overruled  the  plea 
of  the  non-citizenship  of  the  defense.  In  August,  1857,  several 
negro  catchers  arrived  here  and  applied  for  help  to  the  lieutenant 
of  police  but  were  refused.  One  of  them  asked :  "Shan't  I  want 
some  help  to  get  the  two  boys  away  from  the  city?"  The  officer 
answered,  "Well,  I  rather  guess  you  will."  The  negroes  remained 
in  Chicago. 

In  September,  1857,  a  Southerner  from  Alabama  attempted  to 
carry  off  a  colored  boy,  but  was  roughly  handled  by  the  colored  peo- 
ple who  set  the  boy  free.  A  mass  meeting  of  the  colored  citizens 
held  on  November  18,  1857,  denounced  in  the  severest  terms  the 
course  of  Senator  Douglas  on  the  slavery  question.  In  the  fall  of 
1857,  while  a  negro  congregation  were  baptizing  some  of  their 
would-be  members  at  the  Illinois  Central  basin  on  the  lake  front,  a 
crowd  of  roughs  broke  up  the  meeting  amid  great  confusion.  About 
this  time  a  colored  woman  who  was  being  taken  from  Canada  to 
St.  Louis  was  stopped  in  this  city  and  freed,  greatly  to  the  indigna- 
tion of  her  owner. 

Late  in  August,  1859,  seven  colored  fugitives,  two  women 
and  five  men,  who  were  being  rapidly  pursued  by  their  owners,  were 
assisted  through  Chicago  on  their  way  to  Canada.  About  three 
weeks  before  two  colored  men  from  near  New  Orleans  had  also 
passed  through  Chicago,  bound  for  Detroit.  In  the  southern  part 
of  Illinois  were  organized  bands  of  slave  catchers.  They  attempted 
to  invade  Chicago,  but  were  warned  with  emphasis  to  stay  away. 
In  October,  1859,  the  Northwestern  Christian  Anti-Slavery  con- 
vention, one  of  the  largest  assemblages  of  its  kind  in  the  West,  was 


416  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

convened  here.  The  resolutions  which  were  adopted  covered  every 
phase  of  the  slavery  question  and  were  pronounced  in  opposition  to 
any  extension  of  that  institution  and  to  the  execution  of  the  fugi- 
tive slave  law.  At  this  convention  a  large  sum  was  raised  to  pur- 
chase the  freedom  of  a  certain  colored  person.  The  Press  and  Trib- 
une of  November  19,  1859,  said: 

"The  Underground  Railway  in  Operation. — On  Thursday  night 
the  Underground  Railroad  train  arrived  here  with  thirty  passen- 
gers, five  from  the  vicinity  of  Richmond,  Virginia,  twelve  from 
Kentucky,  and  thirteen  from  Missouri.  The  thirteen  from  Mis- 
souri were  sold  to  go  down  the  river  the  very  day  they  started.  They 
are  now  all  safe  in  Canada.  A  stalwart  six-footer  and  a  Sharp's 
rifle  were  the  only  guards." 

It  should  be  stated  in  this  connection  that  the  municipal  court 
records  of  Chicago  at  that  date  are  full  of  cases  of  small  crimes 
committed  by  the  colored  population.  In  proportion  to  numbers 
the  crimes  thus  committed  by  them  seem  greatly  to  outnumber  those 
committed  by  white  offenders.  It  is  difficult  to  ascertain  why  this 
state  of  affairs  existed.  Perhaps  the  colored  people  were  so  discrim- 
inated against  in  labor  circles  that  they  were  forced  to  steal  in  order 
to  live. 

In  December,  1859,  eight  citizens  of  Ottawa  were  indicted  by  the 
United  States  Grand  Jury  for  violating  the  fugitive  slave  law  in 
rescuing  Jim  Gray  from  Southern  claimants.  Four  of  the  princi- 
pals, John  Hossack,  James  Stout,  Dr.  Joseph  Stout  and  Claudius  B. 
King  were  brought  to  Chicago  and  put  in  jail.  The  Abolitionists 
proceeded  to  make  martyrs  of  these  men.  The  best  lawyers  of  Chi- 
cago volunteered  to  defend  them.  In  January,  1860,  these  men  ad- 
dressed the  following  letter  to  the  editors  of  the  Ottawa  Republican: 
"We  wish  through  the  medium  of  your  paper  to  inform  the  citizens 
of  Ottawa  that  as  humiliating  and  formidable  as  this  prison  life 
would  seem  under  any  other  circumstances,  to  us  it  is  rendered  quite 
tolerable  by  the  sympathy  expressed  by  the  liberty-loving  people  of 
Chicago.  We  wish  to  bear  testimony  to  you  of  the  capacious  souls 
— first  of  our  custodians,  then  of  sheriff  John  Gray  and  the  jailor, 
John  Haskins;  next  of  the  bar;  next  of  the  editors;  then  of  the 
citizens ;  and  last  but  not  least  of  the  ladies.  To  our  wives  and  chil- 
dren we  would  say,  be  of  good  cheer — the  day  is  not  far  distant 
when  we  hope  we  shall  be  released  from  these  bonds.  Chicago  is  a 
large  place,  and  could  it  be  otherwise,  where  such  big  hearts  abide." 
The  Press  and  Tribune  of  January  4  sympathetically  said :  "Let 
our  citizens  remember  that  prominent  citizens  of  a  sister  city  are  in 
our  jail  charged  with  interfering  with  the  return  of  the  fugitive 
slave  "Jim"  to  his  master.  We  have  need  to  utter  no  suggestions." 
At  the  trial  which  was  largely  attended  Hossack  was  sentenced  to 
ten  days  imprisonment  and  a  fine  of  $100,  Joseph  Stout  to  ten  days 
imprisonment  and  a  fine  of  $50  and  Claudius  B.  King  to  one  day's 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  417 

imprisonment  and  $10  fine.  The  total  expenses  to  the  defendants 
were  about  $1,600.  Every  dollar  of  this  was  raised  by  subscription 
in  Ottawa  and  Chicago.  In  1859  and  1860  negro  catchers  were  par- 
ticularly active  in  this  locality.  The  Press  and  Tribune  said :  "The 
goodly  number  of  fine  fat  chattels  most  provokingly  free  about  this 
vicinity,  and  their  market  value  down  the  river,  are  two  circum- 
stances that  are  constantly  inviting  the  scant  moral  sense  of  the 
'nigger  stealers.'  Almost  every  week  attempts  are  made  in  the 
direction  of  the  ultimatum — the  conversion  of  these  chattels  into 
cash." 

Almost  every  device  conceivable  was  resorted  to  by  the  catchers 
to  effect  their  object.  On  one  occasion  a  hackman  was  offered  $50 
if  he  would  convey  four  passengers  (colored)  to  a  railway  station 
thirty  miles  from  Chicago.  The  plan  was  to  drug  the  negroes. 
The  hackman  refused.  On  another  occasion  a  negro  named  Bill 
was  loaded  into  a  wagon  and  carried  off  a  considerable  distance 
before  he  recovered  and  escaped.  It  was  shown  that  he  had  been 
overpowered  with  chloroform  purchased  at  Buck  &  Rayner's  drug 
store.  A  contract  agreeing  to  pay  $500  when  Bill  and  his  two  chil- 
dren Andrew  and  Martha  were  delivered  in  St.  Louis  was  found 
upon  the  person  of  one  of  the  abductors.  The  colored  people  of 
Chicago  on  August  1,  1860,  celebrated  Emancipation  Day  of  the 
West  Indies.  In  November,  1860,  Stephen  E.  Nucholls  of  Ne- 
braska carhe  here  to  re-capture  his  slave  Eliza  Grayson.  He  called 
upon  Deputy  Sheriff  George  Anderson  to  assist  him,  but  that  officer 
refused  and  assisted  the  woman  to  escape.  Nucholls  thereupon  de- 
manded $800  payment  from  Anderson  for  the  loss  of  the  slave. 
The  Tribune  of  December  20,  1860,  said,  "Look  out  for  him — a 
long,  shabby  fellow,  a  large  operator  in  running  off  niggers  is  in 
town.  He  has  come  to  save  the  Union  probably  by  pocketing  the 
profits  of  a  kidnapping  job.  If  what  we  hear  is  true,  no  man  in  the 
state  has  operated  more  successfully  in  this  way.  A  party  from 
Texas  accompanies  him  and  their  sublime  mission  may  be  imagina- 
ble." 

In  January,  1860,  two  colored  men  and  three  colored  women 
from  a  plantation  near  Jackson,  Mississippi,  were  passed  through 
Chicago  in  charge  of  the  Underground  Railroad  bound  for  Canada. 
In  May,  1860,  a  colored  man,  James  Mann,  raised  a  balance  of  $220 
here  to  free  his  son  then  in  slavery  in  Virginia.  Previous  to  this  he 
had  paid  $2,400  for  himself,  wife  and  two  other  children.  In  1860 
the  colored  people  established  a  circulating  library  and  asked  for  a 
colored  school. 

In  the  case  of  Eliza  Grayson  the  grand  jury  indicted  white  resi- 
dents of  Chicago  for  participating  in  her  escape.  Among  them  were 
Deputy  Sheriff  Anderson,  Justice  Calvin  DeWolf,  Chancellor  L. 
Jenks  and  J.  H.  Williams.  All  gave  bail  in  the  sum  of  $2,500  each. 
In  the  end  they  received  but  a  nominal  punishment. 


418  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

In  July,  1859,  it  was  remarked  that  a  colored  man  named  William 
Turner  had  come  back  to  Chicago  as  the  agent  of  Southern  owners 
to  assist  in  identifying  and  recapturing  their  runaway  slaves.  The 
colored  people  made  such  hostile  demonstrations  toward  him  that 
at  his  own  request  he  was  placed  in  jail.  About  this  time  it  trans- 
pired that  white  detectives  of  Chicago  were  really  kidnappers  of 
colored  people.  Among  them  were  Charles  Noyes  and  Charles  W. 
Smith.  They  succeeded  in  decoying  three  colored  men  to  a  car 
which  had  been  chartered  from  the  Illinois  Central  Railway  com- 
pany and  were  conveyed  to  St.  Louis  and  delivered  to  their  owner. 
It  was  afterward  learned  that  they  were  beaten  nearly  to  death  and 
that  Noyes  and  his  associates  had  been  paid  more  than  $1,000  for 
their  services.  Noyes  managed  to  escape,  but  afterward  committed 
a  crime  in  New  York  for  which  he  was  punished.  Upon  the  out- 
break of  the  Rebellion  Southern  men  who  had  lost  slaves  made 
desperate  efforts  to  recapture  them  before  the  progress  of  the  war 
should  prevent.  Chicago  was  visited  late  in  1860  and  early  in 
1861  by  more  than  a  dozen  agents  of  owners  from  the  South. 
The  Tribune  of  April,  1861,  said:  "There  was  a  general  stampede 
yesterday  among  the  fugitive  slaves  harbored  and  residing  in  this 
city,  and  within  a  day  or  two,  hundreds  of  them  will  have  left  for 
Canada,  a  course  we  advise  to  all  who  cannot  make  up  their  minds  to 
save  their  country  by  going  back  to  their  masters."  .  .  .  "The 
city  is  overrun  with  slave  owners  and  manhunters.  The  most  ex- 
traordinary excitement  prevails  among  our  colored  people  and 
within  the  past  few  days  hundreds  of  fugitives,  some  of  them  long 
residents  here,  have  found  safety  in  the  British  dominions.  Some 
of  these  have  left  their  homes  here  under  circumstances  of  peculiar 
hardship,  but  the  hunter  of  human  flesh  was  upon  them.  In  some 
cases  most  narrowly  was  capture  evaded.  On  Thursday  a  mother 
and  her  young  children  were  concealed  under  a  heap  of  manure 
in  the  rear  of  a  barn  on  Buffalo  street  in  this  city,  when  the  master 
of  the  mother  was  turning  over  the  hay  in  the  hope  of  finding 
them  there.  .  .  .  We  object  to  a  Federal  office-holder  under 
Abraham  Lincoln  surpassing  in  zealous  manhunting  all  his  prede- 
cessors in  office.  There  is  a  distinction  between  doing  one's  pain- 
ful duty  under  the  law  and  making  that  duty  a  delight,  and  yet 
the  latter  has  been  chosen  by  Mr.  Jones." 

"There  has  been  an  immense  state  of  excitement  among  the 
colored  people  generally,  as  a  class  our  most  quiet  citizens,  and 
the  actual  presence  of  numerous  slave  hunters  in  town  and  the 
knowledge  that  several  writs  were  in  the  officers'  hands  has  created 
a  perfect  stampede  among  the  numerous  fugitives  resident  here. 
Within  the  week  ending  with  Sunday  last  nearly  three  hundred 
colored  people  from  this  city  have  sought  refuge  in  Canada.  We 
give  the  above  .figures  on  the  best  authority  as  the  outside  limit 
for  the  reason  that  the  number  is  greatly  exaggerated  by  rumors 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY   ,  419 

and  accounts  rife  about  town.  All  through  last  week  they  left  in 
parties  of  from  four  to  twelve  or  fifteen,  quietly  and  without  attract- 
ing attention.  They  went  by  the  regular  trains  and  generally  at 
second-class  fares.  There  was,  however,  a  lar.ge  share  of  those 
for  whom  an  early  departure  was  deemed  prudent  who  were  still 
in  town  when  the  week  closed. 

"A  party  of  thirty  were  concealed  for  several  days  in  the  hold 
of  a  schooner  whose  destination  was  the  other  side  of  the  lake. 
Sunday  came  and  found  upwards  of  one  hundred  pressing  and 
anxious  to  go,  for  whose  transportation  late  in  the  week  prepara- 
tions were  made  in  the  contract  with  the  Michigan  Southern  rail- 
road to  take  them  through  to  Detroit  in  freight  caboose  cars  at  an 
average  of  $2  apiece.  Sunday  was  made  memorable  by  such  an 
exodus  as  no  city  in  the  United  States  ever  saw  before.  While  the 
church  bells  were  calling  our  congregations  to  praise  and  prayer, 
the  same  was  a  signal  for  a  great  gathering  at  the  Baptist  church 
on  the  corner  of  Buffalo  street  near  Edina  place,  most  remarkable 
in  its  character.  The  house,  a  neat  structure  erected  by  our  colored 
residents,  was  densely  packed.  The  services  were  impressive  and 
deeply  affecting.  The  occasion  was  to  be  the  farewell  of  one  hun- 
dred and  fifteen  who  were  to  leave  by  the  train  for  Canada." 

L.  C.  P.  Freer,  who  was  very  active  in  assisting  the  slaves  to 
escape,  issued  the  following  notice  in  April,  1861 :  "To  the  late 
Liberty  Guard :  The  new  United  States  marshal  is  inaugurating 
a  reign  of  terror  among  our  colored  population.  Do  you  wish  to 
take  any  steps  in  the  matter?  If  you  do,  you  are  invited  to  meet 
at  my  office,  51  Clark  street,  at  half  past  7  o'clock  this  evening. 
No  ones  but  live  men  are  invited." 

It  was  declared  by  the  newspapers  at  this  time  that  secession 
sympathizers  were  arranging  to  arrest  a  fugitive  slave  with  the 
expectation  that  a  rescue  would  be  effected.  The  object  was  to  so 
kindle  the  wrath  of  slave  owners  of  the  border  slave  states  that 
they  would  join  the  secession  movement.  J.  R.  Jones  was  United 
States  marshal  in  the  spring  of  1861.  He  arrested  a  colored  man 
named  Harris  and  delivered  him  in  St.  Louis  before  the  people 
here  were  aware  of  the  occurrence.  He  also  arrested  a  colored 
man,  wife  and  three  children  and  delivered  them  to  their  owner 
in  Missouri.  He  was  so  active  that  a  mass  meeting  of  the  citizens 
demanded  his  removal  and  passed  vigorous  resolutions  in  opposi- 
tion to  his  course.  Among  the  most  active  in  opposing  him  were 
L.  C.  P.  Freer,  Philo  Carpenter,  John  Jones,  J.  F.  Temple,  Watson 
V.  Coe,  Chancellor  L.  Jenks  and  Dr.  W.  H.  Kennicot.  It  was  dis- 
closed that  the  colored  man  Harris  who  had  been  conveyed  to 
St.  Louis  by  Marshal  Jones  had  been  betrayed  by  another  colored 
man  named  Hayes,  who  when  the  facts  became  known  was  obliged 
to  flee  the  city  in  order  to  save  his  life.  The  Tribune  investigated 
the  Harris  case  and  announced  that  Harris  was  really  a  free  man 


420  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

and  had  been  abducted.  A  number  of  colored  men  in  this  city 
who  had  assisted  the  colored  man  Hayes  were  fined  in  small  sums. 
They  appealed  and  Chancellor  L.  Jenks  signed  their  bonds.  In 
April,  1861,  the  Baptists  of  Chicago  held  an  immense  anti-slavery 
meeting.  During  1860  and  1861  the  colored  people  of  Chicago 
were  guilty  of  many  offenses  against  the  city  ordinances.  They 
had  established  gambling  houses  and  in  open  defiance  of  the  law 
continued  to  conduct  the  same  in  spite  of  the  officials.  After  1861 
all  further  attempts  to  recapture  runaway  slaves  were  abandoned 
by  Southern  owners.  The  progress  of  the  war  prevented  the 
Southerners  from  recovering  their  property.  The  abolition  of  slav- 
ery in  the  District  of  Columbia  in  1862  met  the  warm  approbation 
of  the  colored  people  here.  In  June,  1862,  there  were  polled  in 
this  county  994  votes  against  Section  1  of  the  negro  act,  9,875 
votes  for  Section  2  of  the  negro  act,  9,620  votes  for  Section  3  of 
the  negro  act  of  the  new  constitution.  When  the  announcement 
was  received  that  Lincoln  had  declared  the  Emancipation  Proclama- 
tion should  take  effect  on  January  1,  1863,  the  colored  people  held 
a  jubilee  of  a  week's  duration.  The  principal  services  were  at 
Quinn's  chapel  on  Jackson  street,  on  which  occasion  sixteen  colored 
m&n  enlisted  in  the  Union  Army.  On  January  1,  1863,  when  the 
Proclamation  went  into  effect,  they  likewise  held  continued  and 
elaborate  services  to  celebrate  the  important  event.  In  1862  the 
colored  people  started  a  school  of  their  race,  with  a  white  teacher, 
Theodore  J.  Ellmore.  The  first  winter  the  term  was  six  weeks, 
but  during  the  second  winter  it  lasted  six  months.  It  was  located 
at  640  West  Lake  street.  A  colored  evening  school  also  was  con- 
ducted. The  repeal  of  the  infamous  black  laws  of  Illinois  in  Feb- 
ruary, 1865,  received  the  plaudits  of  the  colored  people  here.  This 
was  a  step  for  which  they  had  prayed  for  more  than  a  score  of 
years.  The  act  probably  was  passed  largely  in  response  to  an 
elaborate  petition  which  had  been  circulated  here  and  uniformly 
signed  by  both  black  and  white  residents.  The  petition  was  taken 
to  the  Legislature  by  John  Jones,  colored,  of  this  city.  After  the 
war  the  colored  people  had  nothing  to  prevent  their  advancement 
in  education,  morals  and  general  prosperity. 


THE  MEXICAN  WAR 
1846—1848 

ASIDE  from  the  companies  raised  in  Cook  county  for  the  Black 
Hawk  war  and  the  early  militia  companies,  nothing  of  a 
warlike  nature  occurred  until  the  war  with  Mexico  in  1846- 
48.    In  May,  1832,  the  militia  of  this  vicinity  were  mustered 
and  Gholson  Kercheval  served  as  captain  and  .George  W.  Dole  and 
John  S.  C.  Hogan  as  first  and  second  lieutenants.     This  company 
did  not  enter  the  service,  but  was  supposed  to  be  in  readiness  for 
emergencies.     During  the  Black  Hawk  war  Robert  Kinzie  com- 
manded a  company  of  Pottawatomie  scouts.     Capt.  J.  B.  Beaubien 
also  commanded  a  company  of  militia  and  a  few  Indians. 

Under  the  law  of  1829  the  militia  of  Illinois  was  organized. 
Another  law  of  1833  provided  for  the  organization  of  the  militia 
of  Cook  county.  It  was  provided  that  they  should  organize  them- 
selves into  one  regiment  of  two  battalions.  Under  this  law  J.  B. 
Beaubien  and  John  Mann  were  candidates  for  colonel  of  the  Cook 
county  regiment.  At  the  election  held  on  the  Des  Plaines  river  on 
June  7,  1834,  Beaubien  was  elected  colonel  "by  an  almost  unan- 
imous vote."  The  two  battalions  of  this  regiment  were  located  as 
follows:  All  of  Cook  county  from  the  Des  Plaines  river  to  the 
Oak  Woods  and  northward  was  to  constitute  the  first  battalion, 
and  all  southward  of  that  line  was  to  constitute  the  second  bat- 
talion. At  that  time,  of  course,  Cook  county  embraced  a  portion 
or  all  of  the  present  Will,  Du  Page,  Lake  and  McHenry  counties. 
The  above  election  was  held  at  Laughton's  tavern,  distant  about 
twelve  miles  from  Chicago  and  near  the  present  Riverside  on  the 
Des  Plaines.  The  Cook  county  regiment  came  to  be  called  the 
Sixtieth  and  later  the  companies  organized  at  Chicago  were  usually 
attached  to  the  same.  However,  a  number  of  companies  organized 
here  acted  independently.  In  1847  Colonel  Beaubien  became  briga- 
dier general  of  the  Second  brigade,  Sixth  division,  Illinois  militia, 
and  J.  B.  F.  Russell  became  colonel.  Among  the  independent 
companies  was  the  Chicago  City  Guards,  organized  in  1839,  also 
the  Dragoons,  which  had  been  organized  before  1839.  There  was 
another  company  called  the  Washington  Guards,  organized  as  early 
as  1842.  The  Chicago  Cavalry  was  organized  in  the  spring  of 
1842.  The  Montgomery  Guards  were  organized  about  the  same 
time. 

A  short  time  previous  to  the  outbreak  of  the  war  with  Mexico 
a  public  meeting  of  the  citizens,  to  be  held  at  the  courthouse,  was 
called  early  in  January,  1846,  by  Mayor  Garrett.  The  object  was 

421 


422  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

"to  take  into  consideration  the  best  method  of  defending  our  city 
in  case  of  war."  While  war  with  Mexico  had  been  talked  of,  the 
real  reason  for  this  call  was  fear  that  some  trouble  with  Great 
Britain  might  arise  in  the  near  future  whereby  the  safety  of  Chi- 
cago might  be  jeopardized.  Upon  the  outbreak  of  the  war  with 
Mexico  and  the  call  of  the  governor  for  volunteers  immediate  steps 
to  raise  two  companies  under  Capt.  Lyman  Mower  and  Capt.  Elisha 
E.  Wells  were  taken  and  the  companies  were  ordered  to  rendezvous 
at  Alton.  Another  company  was  promptly  raised  in  Lake  precinct 
of  Cook  county  under  the  command  of  William  H.  Davis,  captain. 
Both  of  the  companies  of  Captains  Mower  and  Wells  were  mus- 
tered into  the  service  late  in  June.  Mower's  company  was  assigned 
to  the  First  regiment  under  Colonel  Hardin,  and  Wells'  company 
was  assigned  to  the  Second  regiment  under  Colonel  Bissell.  Both 
of  these  regiments  were  promptly  sent  to  the  relief  of  General 
Taylor  and  participated  in  the  battle  of  Buena  Vista  and  others. 
Other  calls  for  volunteers  spurred  Chicago  to  raise  additional  com- 
panies. One  was  recruited  by  Capt.  C.  C.  Sibley  and  another  by 
Capt.  E.  B.  Bill,  both  of  which  joined  General  Scott  and  partici- 
pated in  the  battles  of  his  campaign.  Early  in  1847  another  com- 
pany was  raised  by  Capt.  T.  B.  Kenny  and  another  by  Capt.  Wil- 
liam Rogers,  and  a  little  later  companies  were  raised  by  Capts. 
George  W.  Cole  and  James  R.  Hugunin.  Captain  Kenny's  com- 
pany was  accepted  May  8.  Captain  Roberts  with  his  company 
tried  to  join  the  regiment  under  Colonel  Hays,  but  arrived  too  late 
and  was  forced  to  go  independently.  The  Democrat  of  July  2, 
1847,  said :  "We  have  raised  nine  companies  and  are  ready  for 
the  tenth.  The  United  States  recruiting  officers  should  be  here  at 
the  Harbor  and  River  convention  if  soldiers  are  wanted  for  Mex- 
ico." Previous  to  this  date  three  or  four  companies  which  had 
been  raised  in  Cook  county  were  compelled  to  disband  and  join 
miscellaneous  commands  because  their  services  could  not  be  ac- 
cepted. The  company  of  Captain  Rogers  was  begun  in  February, 
1847,  but  the  enlistment  was  so  slow  that  it  was  not  ready  until 
June.  It  was  claimed  that  the  slowness  in  raising  volunteers  was 
owing  to  the  "inexpediency,  injustice  and  inhumanity  of  the  war 
with  Mexico."  Generally  the  Democrats  favored  the  war  and  the 
Whigs  opposed  it.  The  opposition  of  the  latter  was  based  upon  the 
fact  that  the  territory  to  be  acquired  as  a  result  of  the  war  would 
be  devoted  to  slavery;  thus  the  South  as  well  as  the  Northern 
Democracy  favored  the  war  and  all  who  opposed  an  extension  of 
slavery  opposed  also  the  war.  The  company  commanded  by  Cap- 
tain Kenny  was  called  the  Chicago  cavalry.  Late  in  1847  the 
company  raised  by  James  R.  Hugunin  took  the  field.  Companies 
by  Captains  R.  K.  Swift  and  Harvey  were  raised  in  1847. 
The  company  under  George  W.  Cole  was  named  the  Shields  Cadets. 
Col.  R.  J.  Hamilton  was  very  active  in  raising  recruits  for  the  war. 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  423 

Captain  Harvey's  company  reached  Alton  July  14,  1847.  A  com- 
pany called  the  City  Guards  was  organized  here  in  November, 
1847,  principally  by  W.  D.  Danenhower.  With  the  end  of  the  year 
1847  the  enlistment  in  Cook  county  for  the  war  with  Mexico  was 
practically  ended.  The  county  of  Cook  furnished  a  total  of  about 
ten  companies  for  the  Mexican  war — say  in  all  about  nine  hundred 
men.  In  December  of  that  year  a  peace  convention  assembled  in 
Chicago  and  demanded  that  the  ante-bellum  status  should  be 
adopted.  They  demanded  the  immediate  cessation  of  the  war  and 
the  restoration  of  former  conditions.  The  Democrat  argued 
against  the  resolutions  of  the  convention,  declaring  that  such  a 
step  would  be  nonsensical.  In  the  issue  of  December  24  that  paper 
said: 

"Call  home  your  troops,  Mr.  President  of  the  United  States! 
Sheath  your  sword,  General  Scott!  Drop  your  heads,  trail  your 
arms  and  sneak  out  of  Mexico,  noble  veterans,  for  the  Chicago 
Peace  society  DEMAND  this  most  peremptorily  at  your  hands,  and 
by  its  potent  influence  it  will  enforce  its  mandate !" 

The  year  1848  was  principally  characterized  by  the  return  and 
ceremonious  reception  of  the  Mexican  volunteers.  Numerous  mili- 
tia companies  remained  as  a  heritage  of  the  war  spirit  kindled  by 
the  Mexican  war.  Among  the  companies  organized  between  that 
date  and  .the  outbreak  of  the  Rebellion  were  the  Montgomery 
Guards,  the  German  Rifle  company,  Ringgold  Guards,  Chicago 
Hussars,  Emmet  Guards,  Chicago  Light  Guards,  Jackson  Guards, 
Garden  City  Guards,  National  Guards,  Washington  Battery,  Chi- 
cago Battery,  Shields  Guards,  William  Tell  Guards,  Highland 
Guards  and  others.  J.  B.  Beaubien  was  general  of  the  Cook  county 
militia.  In  the  spring  of  1848  the  Sixty-third  regiment,  Illinois 
militia,  was  organized  at  Blue  Island  with  Theodotus  Doty  as 
colonel.  The  Sixty-second  regiment  of  Cook  county  militia  was 
organized  at  Wheeling,  on  the  Des  Plaines,  in  1848,  with  Joseph 
Filkins  as  colonel.  J.  B.  F.  Russell  continued  to  be  colonel  of  the 
First  regiment  Cook  county  militia  at  Chicago.  In  the  spring  of 
1854  a  reunion  of  the  soldiers  of  the  war  of  1812  and  of  the  Mexi- 
can war  was  held  at  South  Market  hall,  Chicago;  the  object  was  to 
secure  pensions  for  survivors  of  those  wars.  In  1854  Col.  W.  H. 
Davis  commanded  the  Sixtieth  regiment  Illinois  militia.  In  June, 
1856,  the  annual  encampment  of  the  state  militia  was  held  on  the 
lake  shore  four  miles  south  of  Chicago.  The  camp  grounds  after- 
wards became  Camp  Douglas  at  Cottage  Grove.  Gen.  J.  B.  Beau- 
bien was  supreme  commander  on  that  occasion.  In  the  spring  of 
1858,  upon  the  call  of  volunteers  for  the  war  against  the  Mormons 
in  Utah,  several  hundred  volunteers  were  raised  in  Cook  county. 
In  April  of  that  year  thirty-two  recruits  were  sent  to  Jefferson  bar- 
racks, Missouri,  thence  to  be  marched  to  Utah.  As  a  matter  of  fact 
a  full  regiment  of  Cook  county  militia  for  the  Utah  war  was  ten- 


424  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

dered  and  was  refused.  It  was  commanded  by  S.  B.  Buckner, 
colonel,  who  afterwards  surrendered  Fort  Donelson  to  General 
Grant  during  the  Rebellion.  Late  in  the  fifties  the  marvelous  per- 
formance of  the  Zouaves  under  Col.  E.  E.  Ellsworth  attracted  the 
attention  of  the  whole  country.  Their  triumphant  trip  throughout 
the  East  was  noted  by  every  newspaper  in  the  land.  As  a  whole 
the  Cook  county  militia  were  in  excellent  condition  when  the  Re- 
bellion broke  forth. 


THE  CIVIL  WAR 
1861—1865 

THE  election  of  Mr.  Lincoln  to  the  presidency  in  November, 
1860,  was  variously  received  in  this  city.  Chicago  was  pe- 
culiarly, if  not  unfortunately,  situated  at  this  time  and  during 
the  entire  continuance  of  the  Civil  war.  Many  of  its  fore- 
most citizens  had  previously  been  residents  of  the  slave-holding 
states — particularly  of  Virginia  and  Kentucky — and,  as  might 
have  been  expected,  such  residents  sympathized  with  the  South, 
decried  and  denounced  Abolitionism,  and  from  the  start  openly 
manifested  their  hostility  to  the  probable  restrictive  measures  of 
President  Lincoln's  administration.  To  them  it  was  not  a  question 
of  treason  or  disloyalty,  but  was  one  of  protest  against  any  inter- 
ference by  the  Government  with  the  institutions  of  the  South — 
particularly  slavery.  As  this  interference  was  menaced,  as  they 
thought,  by  the  election  of  Mr.  Lincoln,  they  opposed  his  election 
and  combated  the  views  of  the  Abolitionists  and  of  all  who  fa- 
vored the  restriction  of  slavery.  Their  views  were  openly 
expressed,  bitter  in  sentiment  and  expression,  and  defiant  when 
Abolition  measures  were  suggested  or  advocated.  This  condition 
of  local  opinion  caused  the  election  of  November,  1860,  to  be  one 
of  extreme  tension,  rendered  all  the  more  stringent  when  it  became 
known  that  Mr.  Lincoln  had  been  elected.  To  most  of  the  leaders 
here,  strange  as  it  may  seem,  the  entire  question  was  one  of  politics 
and  expediency.  The  question  of  loyalty  or  treason  had  not  yet 
confronted  the  people.  The  great  war  none  was  wise  enough  to 
forecast.  So  Democrats  and  Republicans  contended  over  the  lesser 
problems  of  political  intrigue,  hoping  in  case  of  the  Democrats  to 
avert  the  threatened  rupture  of  the  Union  of  the  South  by  conced- 
ing their  demands,  and  determined  in  the  case  of  the  Republicans 
to  nullify  the  Kansas-Nebraska  act  and  the  Dred  Scott  decision  and 
to  prevent  the  threatened  nationalization  of  slavery  regardless  of 
consequences. 

"At  midnight  the  special  dispatches  received  at  this  office,  and 
elsewhere  given,  told  the  story  beyond  peradventure  that  Abraham 
Lincoln  had  been  elected  by  the  people.  The  enthusiasm  in  our 
streets  at  the  time  was  something  tremendous.  The  air  rang  with 
jubilant  shouts.  The  Wide  Awakes  were  out,  led  by  a  splendid 
band.  All  was  rejoicing  and  jubilation.  Our  entire  community 
deserve  credit  for  the  eminently  peaceable  manner  in  which  the 
immense  vote  was  polled  yesterday.  There  were  no  fights,  few 
arrests,  no  rows,  and  less  noise  than  we  have  ever  witnessed  here 
on  much  less  exciting  occasions." — (Tribune,  November  7,  1860.) 

425 


426  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

On  November  21,  1860,  Mr.  Lincoln  and  Mrs.  Lincoln  and 
Mr.  Hamlin  arrived  and  stopped  at  the  Tremont  house.  They 
visited  the  various  points  of  interest  and  held  a  public  reception 
at  the  Tremont  house  parlors  on  November  23.  It  required  two 
and  a  half  hours  for  the  line  to  pour  through  the  hotel,  but  Mr. 
Lincoln  shook  hands  with  each  individual.  At  his  right  stood  Mrs. 
Lincoln  and  at  his  left  Mr.  Hamlin.  This  was  a  local  event  of 
great  prominence — one  long  to  be  remembered  by  the  celebrities 
of  Chicago. 

The  immediate  effects  at  Chicago  of  the  election  of  Mr.  Lincoln 
were  somewhat  marked.  Soon  orders  for  produce  from  old  and 
reliable  houses  of  Baltimore  and  New  Orleans  were  declined  unless 
accompanied  with  the  cash.  The  secession  of  South  Carolina  and 
one  by  one  of  the  other  Southern  states  was  regarded  with  direful 
forebodings  by  the  people  of  Cook  county.  The  attitude  of  Mr. 
Douglas  in  the  United  States  Senate  in  December,  1860,  particu- 
larly in  his  masterly  replies  to  Wigfall,  Iverson  and  other  fire-eat- 
ing disunionists,  was  highly  praised  by  all  residents  here.  Coercive 
measures  began  to  be  favored  by  all  Republicans  and  many  Demo- 
crats immediately  after  the  secession  of  South  Carolina  December 
20,  1860.  The  course  of  Maj.  Robert  Anderson  in  retiring  to 
Fort  Sumter  late  in  December,  1860,  received  the  warm  approval 
of  local  Republicans.  It  was  noted  that  during  the  Black  Hawk 
war  in  1832  the  same  Major  Anderson  had  been  inspector  general 
of  Illinois  volunteers  and  under  him  had  served  Capt.  Abraham 
Lincoln;  now  in  1860  the  latter  was  soon  to  be  commander  in  chief 
of  the  Army  and  Navy  of  the  United  States,  while  the  former  was 
major  of  the  First  United  States  artillery  located  at  the  storm  center 
of  the  Union.  Early  in  the  month  of  January,  1861,  the  ringing 
message  of  Governor  Yates  to  the  Legislature  kindled  the  warmest 
comments. 

Late  in  December,  1860,  and  early  in  January,  1861,  the  Times 
and  its  supporters  here  sharply  censured  Major  Anderson  for  occu- 
pying Fort  Sumter.  The  Tribune  of  January  3  in  answering  said : 
"We  do  not  cite  the  Times  article  to  prove  its  sympathy  with  the 
disunionists  and  traitors  of  South  Carolina,  because  that  is  well 
known  wherever  the  paper  is  read,  but  to  show  to  what  lengths  par- 
tisan hate  and  malice  may  go  with  impunity  in  the  North."  The 
following  call,  signed  by  ninety-six  leading  citizens,  was  circulated 
on  January  2 :  "The  citizens  of  Chicago,  without  distinction  of 
party,  who  are  in  favor  of  standing  by  the  Constitution  and  the 
Union  and  the  enforcement  of  the  laws,  are  requested  to  meet  at 
Bryan  hall  on  Saturday  evening,  January  5,  1861,  for  the  purpose 
of  expressing  their  sentiments  in  relation  thereto."  Bryan  hall 
was  crowded  at  this  meeting.  S.  S.  Hayes,  a  Democrat,  presided. 
Speeches  were  delivered  by  S.  A.  Goodwin,  E.  C.  Larned,  S.  S. 
Hayes,  William  Bross,  Henry  Waller,  E.  Van  Buren,  I.  N.  Arnold 


NORTHERN  LIMITS 


HORSE  RA  ILWAY 


1665 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  429 

and  others.  The  committee  on  resolutions  were  as  follows :  S.  A. 
Goodwin,  W.  K.  McAllister,  J.  Lyle  King,  J.  W.  Sheahan,  E.  Van 
Buren,  John  C.  Rogers,  E.  C.  Lamed,  A.  Van  Arman  and  Digby 
V.  Bell.  There  was  no  division  of  the  sentiment  to  maintain  the 
Union  at  all  hazards.  Gen.  R.  K.  Swift  presented  this  resolution, 
"the  reading  of  which  was  followed  by  a  perfect  whirlwind  of  ap- 
plause, the  audience  almost  to  a  man  rising  to  their  feet  in  a  tumult 
of  enthusiasm" :  "Resolved,  That  we  heartily  approve  of  the  de- 
cisive and  patriotic  course  of  Major  Anderson  at  Charleston,  and 
that  in  him  we  see  the  type  of  the  hero  of  New  Orleans." 

This  meeting  of  all  shades  of  opinion  on  the  exciting  questions  of 
that  period  was  abrupt,  violent  and  difficult  to  manage.  Several 
wanted  radical  resolutions,  others  milder  ones,  and  still  others 
wanted  concessions  to  restore  the  Union.  The  following  was  pro- 
posed :  "Resolved,  That  while  we  disapprove  and  denounce  all 
legislative  or  individual  action  calculated  to  impair  or  infringe  upon 
the  constitutional  rights  of  the  people  of  any  section  of  the  Union, 
we  have  neither  compromise  nor  concession  to  offer  disunionists 
arrayed  in  open  rebellion  to  the  Government,  or  their  aiders  or 
abettors."  This  was  too  severe  to  suit  sympathizers  with  the  South. 
All  violent  resolutions  were  rejected.  The  resolutions  reported  by 
the  special  committee  were  adopted.  They  declared:  1.  That  the 
Union  must  be  preserved;  2.  The  right  to  secede  was  denied;  3. 
Federal  laws  must  be  enforced  if  necessary;  4.  Peaceable  measures 
should  be  exhausted  before  the  sword  was  drawn;  5.  There  should 
be  an  honorable  and  constitutional  settlement  of  the  slavery  ques- 
tion; 6.  The  action  of  Major  Anderson  was  endorsed;  7.  All  dif- 
ferences between  the  North  and  South  should  be  adjusted  in  a  spirit 
of  fairness.  The  resolution  most  vehemently  objected  to  was  as 
follows:  "That  whatever  their  difficulties  may  be  (differences  be- 
tween the  Northern  and  Southern  sections  of  the  Union),  they 
will  only  be  aggravated  by  a  dissolution  of  the  Union ;  and  that 
men  of  all  political  parties  in  both  sections  of  the  country  should 
be  ready  to  make  great  concessions  to  restore  peace  and  harmony 
between  the  different  sections  of  the  country." 

The  Tribune  of  January  8  said :  "Had  the  meeting  at  Bryan 
hall  on  Saturday  night  last  contented  itself  with  the  solemn  declara- 
tion that  the  'Union  must  and  shall  be  preserved'  and  that  'the  laws 
must  be  enforced  at  whatever  cost  and  by  the  whole  power  of  the 
Nation,'  its  action  would  have  received  the  unqualified  indorsement 
of  the  people  not  only  of  this  city  but  of  the  whole  Northwest,  and 
the  moral  effect  could  not  have  been  otherwise  than  good.  In 
going  farther  than  this,  the  good  that  might  have  been  done  was 
wholly  defeated,  and  the  whole  moral  effect  of  the  meeting  was 
to  the  encouragement  of  treason  and  secession.  ...  It  is  due  to 
many  who  participated  in  the  meeting  at  Bryan  hall  to  say  that 
they  were  misled  as  to  the  real  force  of  the  resolution  pledging 

Vol.  1—25. 


430  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

to  a  willingness  to  make  'large  concessions.'  .  .  .  The  Tribuiie 
has  only  words  of  denunciation  for  any  resolution  or  scheme  that 
contemplates  the  surrender  of  one  iota  of  the  principles  on  which 
the  late  Republican  triumph  was  achieved.  The  day  of  compromise 
has  gone  by.  To  make  concessions  in  the  face  of  treason  and  of 
threats  is  both  dastardly  and  unpatriotic." 

Dissatisfaction  with  the  proceedings  of  the  Bryan  hall  meeting 
continued  to  grow  until  another,  of  all  persons  "opposed  to  great 
concessions  to  the  disunionists,"  was  called.  The  "great  conces- 
sions" resolution  was  written  by  E.  C.  Larned  with  the  conscien- 
tious design  of  uniting  all  partisans  to  support  Lincoln's  adminis- 
tration in  quelling  the  rebellion  and  saving  the  Union.  While  it 
was  not  satisfactory,  the  general  effect  here  and  throughout  the 
state  was  conciliatory,  quieting  and  therefore  good.  In  the  end, 
however,  the  sentiment  of  "no  concessions  to  the  slave  power"  pre- 
vailed here.  J.  K.  C.  Forrest  openly,  defiantly  and  eloquently  op- 
posed any  concessions,  and  was  the  spokesman  of  hundreds  of  the 
best  citizens.  On  the  other  hand  S.  S.  Hayes  and  a  large  delegation 
favored  the  concession  resolution.  The  proclamation  of  Mayor 
Wentworth  to  observe  January  8  (Jackson's  day)  as  a  day  of 
demonstration  to  approve  the  course  of  Major  Anderson  was  recog- 
nized by  the  whole  city.  The  flag  was  flung  out  everywhere,  salutes 
were  fired,  and  the  militia  companies  paraded. 

On  January  14,  1861,  a  big  meeting  was  called  "to  set  the  people 
right  on  the  'great  concession'  question,"  as  it  was  called.  Judge 
George  Manierre  presided  and  opened  the  proceedings  with  a  strong 
speech  in  favor  of  maintaining  the  Union — with  force  if  necessary. 
Grant  Goodrich,  William  Bross,  Gen.  R.  K.  Swift,  I.  N.  Arnold, 
J.  W.  Waughop,  Van  H.  Higgins,  J.  K.  C.  Forrest,  A.  Huntington, 
S.  B.  Perry  and  A.  D.  Bradley  were  appointed  a  committee  on 
resolutions.  While  they  were  being  perpared,  eloquent  and  loyal 
speeches  were  delivered  by  I.  N.  Arnold,  John  Lyle  King,  Grant 
Goodrich,  A.  D.  Bradley,  John  Wentworth  and  others.  Three  of 
the  resolutions  presented  and  adopted  were  as  follows : 

"Resolved,  That  the  Federal  Government  is  a  government  of  the 
people  and  not  a  compact  between  individual  states ;  that  as  the 
Constitution  is  the  supreme  law  of  the  land,  secession  or  nullifica- 
tion is  revolution  and  treason. 

"Resolved,  That  while  we  disapprove  and  denounce  all  legisla- 
tive or  individual  action  calculated  to  impair  or  infringe  the  Con- 
stitutional rights  of  any  section  of  the  Union,  we  have  neither  com- 
promise nor  concession  to  offer  disunionists  arrayed  with  arms  in 
their  hands  in  open  rebellion  against  the  Government,  or  their  aiders 
or  abettors. 

"Resolved,  That  we  will  maintain  the  flag  of  our  country,  that 
it  shall  remain  the  flag  of  the  whole  country,  and  that  not  a  star 
shall  be  torn  from  it,  neither  by  secession,  rebellion  or  aggression." 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  431 

The  Tribune  of  January  15  said:  "No  one  could  have  witnessed 
the  vociferous  and  almost  ravenous  enthusiasm  with  which  the 
stars  and  stripes  were  greeted  at  the  immense  Union  meeting  in 
Metropolitan  hall  last  evening  without  believing  that  the  men  of 
Chicago  are  ready  to  follow  their  nation's  flag  into  the  most  trying 
scenes  that  ever  beset  the  pathway  of  a  high  and  righteous  patriot- 
ism. It  was  tumultuous  and  prolonged,  rising  and  swelling  like  the 
waves  in  angry  weather." 

On  January  24,  1861,  the  Democrats  held  a  large  meeting  at 
North  Market  hall.  Richard  T.  Merrick  presided.  Among  the 
speakers  were  W.  C.  Goudy,  Charles  C.  Cameron,  T.  Benton  Taylor, 
M.  F.  Tuley,  Robert  S.  Blackwell  and  Charles  M.  Willard.  All 
shades  of  opinion  concerning  the  state  of  the  Union  were  expressed. 
The  meeting  endorsed  the  resolutions  adopted  by  the  recent  Demo- 
cratic state  convention  at  Springfield,  among  which  was  the  solemn 
declaration  that  a  state  had  not  the  right  to  secede  from  the  Union, 
but  if  it  did  the  Government  could  not  prevent  it.  The  most  of  the 
speakers  favored  conciliation  and  compromise.  Strong  resolutions 
to  suppress  the  rebellion,  offered  by  Charles  S.  Cameron,  were 
defeated  by  this  meeting.  This  was  one  of  the  first  Copperhead 
movements  here. 

On  January  25,  1861,  a  big  meeting  was  called  at  Metropolitan 
hall  by  168  young  men  under  the  age  of  30  years,  "for  the  purpose 
of  inaugurating  a  movement  for  the  organization  of  the  young  men 
of  the  county  in  defence  of  the  Constitution  and  the  Union  as  they 
are."  L.  H.  Davis  presided.  The  committee  on  resolutions  were 
as  follows:  Horace  White,  G.  A.  Forsyth,  J.  O.  Parker,  G.  W. 
Whittle,  W.  H.  Blodgett,  J.  W.  Merrill,  C.  T.  Scammon,  D.  L. 
Leiter,  W.  S.  Cadman,  G.  P.  Williams  and  H.  D.  French.  Several 
sets  of  resolutions,  all  fervent,  strong  and  loyal,  were  adopted.  .The 
C.  S.  Cameron  resolutions  which  had  been  defeated  at  the  Demo- 
cratic meeting  the  night  before  were  adopted  amid  roars  of  applause 
by  the  young  men. 

"The  meeting  of  the  young  men  at  Metropolitan  hall  last  evening 
was  overwhelming  in  numbers  and  uproarious  in  enthusiasm.  The 
boys  were  out  in  full  force  and  had  a  jolly  season  of  speeches,  reso- 
lutions, songs  and  cheers.  Every  patriotic  allusion  to  the  stars  and 
stripes  and  every  determined  expression  of  adherence  to  the  Consti- 
tution as  it  is  elicited  irrepressible  applause." — (Tribune,  January 
26,  1861.) 

The  young  men's  meeting  adjourned  to  reassemble  on  January 
29.  The  enthusiasm  was  even  stronger  than  before.  Excellent 
resolutions  to  uphold  the  Union  were  passed  amid  tumultuous 
cheers.  One  was  as  follows:  "Resolved,  That  we  young  men  of 
Chicago  do  hereby  tender  our  personal  services  to  the  Governor  of 
Illinois,  whenever  in  the  judgment  of  the  President  and  Congress 
of  the  United  States  it  mav  be  necessarv  to  call  for  volunteers  to  aid 


432  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

in  vindicating  the  Constitution,  executing  the  laws  and  maintaining 
the  Union  exactly  as  our  fathers  established  it." 

On  February  4,  1861,  the  reception  here  of  the  unfounded  rumor 
that  Major  Anderson  in  Fort  Sumter  had  been  reinforced  occa- 
sioned much  excitement  and  enthusiasm.  Upon  the  receipt  of  this 
rumor  the  value  of  Southern  and  other  stocks  declined  heavily  in 
New  York  and  in  Chicago;  exchange  and  gold  advanced.  The 
Tribune  from  the  start  took  a  radical  Union  course,  while  the  Times 
assumed  an  ultra  Southern  view.  The  Times  in  January  and  Feb- 
ruary sharply  criticised  Douglas  for  his  course  in  Congress  in 
opposing  the  rebels.  The  Post  was  the  organ  of  the  Douglas  wing 
of  the  Democracy.  The  Journal  was  Republican,  but  less  radical 
than  the  Tribune.  The  Stoats  Zeitung  was  thoroughly  loyal,  as 
indeed  were  the  Cook  county  Germans  generally.  As  a  whole  the 
Irish  favored  Democracy,  and  many  of  them  took  the  Times  and 
imbibed  its  Southern  views.  As  might  have  been  expected,  Chi- 
cago's trade  with  the  South  as  a  whole  and  with  New  Orleans 
in  particular  was  almost  wholly  cut  off.  This  occasioned  strenuous 
complaint  from  business  men  here  who  suffered  thereby  and  who 
were  unable  or  unwilling  to  look  beyond  mere  commercialism. 
Finally  they  issued  the  following  call :  "We,  the  undersigned  Re- 
publicans of  the  city  of  Chicago,  who  have  heretofore  left  all  politi- 
cal matters  to  politicians  and  editors  (who  we  think  have  more  or 
less  always  misrepresented  us),  deeming  it  high  time  and  highly 
important  that  a  meeting  be  called  to  have  a  fair  expression  on  the 
political  differences  that  now  distract  and  divide  the  country,  do 
call  a  meeting  on  February  13,  1861,  at  Bryan  hall."  This  was 
really  a  movement  against  the  strong  course  of  the  coercionists  and 
in  favor  of  concession  and  conciliation.  Many  of  the  packers  and 
wholesalers  whose  trade  had  been  injured  were  concerned  in  this 
call.  Their  minds  were  more  on  Mammon  than  on  the  Union.  The 
meeting  was  held,  and  resolutions  deploring  the  distracted  state  of 
the  country  and  recommending  conciliation  were  adopted. 

As  a  matter  of  fact  this  was  a  period  of  change  in  principle. 
The  political  standards  of  the  past  were  thrown  down.  A  revolu- 
tion in  thought  swept  the  country.  There  were  the  Abolitionists 
who  were  determined  to  destroy  slavery  at  any  cost.  Then  came  the 
radical  Republicans  who  cried,  Save  the  Union  and  restrict  slav- 
ery !  Other  Republicans  and  the  Douglas  branch  of  the  Democracy 
cried,  Save  the  Union  and  leave  slavery  as  it  is!  Another  branch 
of  the  Democracy  declared  that  the  South  should  not  be  coerced 
and  could  dissolve  the  Union  if  they  wished  to  do  so.  All  of  these 
factions  were  well  represented  here  at  the  outbreak  of  the  Rebel- 
lion and  all  held  separate  meetings  to  announce  and  disseminate 
their  particular  views.  Party  lines  were  largely  obliterated,  many 
Democrats  in  particular  joining  the  Republicans  who  favored,  if 
necessary,  the  coercive  policy  in  order  to  save  the  Union.  "Leave 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  433 

slavery  alone  and  save  the  Union"  was  the  cry  of  the  majority, 
perhaps,  of  Cook  county.  Thus  the  Union  sentiment  prevailed  here 
at  the  outset ;  the  momentous  step  of  obliterating  slavery  came  at  a 
later  stage  of  the  war  to  distract  still  further  the  revolution  in 
sentiment  and  principle. 

An  immense  Union  meeting  was  held  at  Metropolitan  hall  on 
February  19,  1861,  B.  F.  Millard  serving  as  chairman.  Brilliant 
speeches  were  made  by  the  chairman,  J.  J.  Richards,  Ichabod  Cod- 
ding, E.  C.  Larned,  A.  D.  Bradley  and  John  Wentworth.  Deter- 
mined resolutions  to  save  the  Union  at  any  cost  were  passed.  In 
February  Joseph  Medill,  representing  the  Tribune  in  Washington, 
was  attacked  by  William  Kellogg,  one  of  the  Congressmen  from 
Illinois,  for  having  sharply  criticised  the  public  course  of  that  gen- 
tleman. Never  before  was  Washington's  birthday  celebrated  here  so 
fervently  as  it  was  in  1861.  The  peril  in  which  the  Union  stood 
aroused  all  the  latent  patriotism  of  the  people.  The  memorable 
journey  of  Mr.  Lincoln  from  Springfield  to  Washington,  with  its 
report  of  plots  to  assassinate  or  to  wreck  the  train,  ending  finally 
by  the  sudden  and  secret  advent  of  Mr.  Lincoln  into  Washington, 
swayed  and  rocked  this  county  as  by  a  tornado.  Immense  relief 
was  felt  when  Buchanan  stepped  down  from  the  chair  he  had  dis- 
graced and  Lincoln  assumed  the  scepter  of  state.  The  Tribune  in 
its  transport  said:  "Thank  God!  This  (Monday,  March  4)  is  the 
day  of  deliverance.  .  .  .  Henceforth  a  new  career  is  open  to  the 
Republic.  .  .  .  The  Government  is  rescued  from  the  grasp  of  the 
slave  power.  .  .  .  This  Government — for  the  last  forty  years  the 
creature  of  despotic  institutions — the  machine  for  propagating 
human  bondage — is  to  be  hereafter  on  the  side  of  human  rights  and 
human  liberty." 

In  March  the  appointment  by  Mr.  Lincoln  of  Norman  B.  Judd 
of  Chicago  as  minister  plenipotentiary  to  the  court  at  Berlin  pleased 
the  residents  of  this  county.  After  the  inauguration  of  Mr.  Lincoln 
many  here,  including  the  Tribune,  wanted  and  expected  immediate 
action  to  recover  the  forts  and  other  property  of  the  Government 
which  had  been  taken  possession  of  by  the  South.  But  such  a  step 
was  not  yet  the  policy  of  the  administration.  Local  patriotism 
could  not  understand  the  delay  and  hence  grew  restive  and  fault- 
finding even  with  "Honest  Abe."  The  Tribune  of  March  18,  voic- 
ing the  impatience  effervescing  here,  said :  "The  condition  of  the 
country  demands  action.  A  'masterly  inactivity'  policy  is  the  wisest 
for  some  emergencies,  but  it  is  not  adapted  to  our  present  needs. 
The  Government  must  indicate  its  power  in  the  face  of  treason  and 
rebellion  or  its  destruction  is  certain."  But  the  delay  continued 
for  causes  later  well  known,  until  anxious  hearts,  in  the  darkness, 
almost  lost  hope. 

To  the  Government  loan  early  in  March,  1861,  Walter  L.  New- 
berry  subscribed  $40,000.  It  was  such  acts  that  encouraged  the 


434  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

Government  and  furnished  it  with  the  "sinews  of  war."  Cook  county 
and  indeed  the  whole  North,  like  Micawber,  was  waiting  for  some- 
thing to  turn  up,  and  they  did  not  have  to  wait  much  longer.  Late 
in  March  it  was  advertised  that  the  famous  Wigwam  in  which 
Lincoln  had  been  nominated  would  be  sold  at  auction.  It  was 
bought  by  Orrington  Lunt  for  the  board  of  trustees  of  Garrett 
Biblical  Institute. 

Generally,  nearly  all  of  the  military  companies  were  meeting 
and  drilling,  though  even  they  were  waiting  to  see  what  was  going 
to  happen.  Finally  the  attack  on  Fort  Sumter  awoke  the  waiting 
county  and  city  like  an  earthquake.  Lincoln's  plan  of  throwing 
vipon  the  South  the  burden  of  commencing  the  war  had  succeeded. 
The  Tribune  of  April  13  and  15  said:  "War  Inaugurated. — By 
the  act  of  a  handful  of  ingrates  and  traitors,  war  is  inaugurated  in 
this  heretofore  happy  and  peaceful  Republic.  While  we  write  the 
bombardment  of  Sumter  is  going  on.  .  .  .  The  duty  of  the  Gov- 
ernmen  from  this  moment  is  plain.  The  resources  of  the  Republic 
must  be  put  forth  with  no  grudging  or  tardy  hand.  The  strife  must 
be  short  and  the  war  quick,  sharp  and  decisive.  .  .  .  The  traitors 
commence  the  strife.  They  crown  their  months  of  insult,  aggres- 
sion and  robbery  by  the  act  which  plunges  the  country  into  war. 
Heaven  and  the  civilized  world  needed  not  this  last  enormity  to 
justify  the  Government  in  putting  forth  its  utmost  power  to  crush 
the  men  by  whom  it  is  assailed.  But  rather  upon  the  traitors  than 
upon  the  friends  of  the  Union  be  the  responsibility  for  blood  which 
must  now  be  spilt.  The  most  ample  apologist  for  treason  is  hence- 
forth silenced.  This  on  the  part  of  the  Government  is  today  a  war 
of  self-defense.  Tomorrow  let  it  be  one  of  quick  aggression.  .  .  . 
Yesterday  was  a  day  long  to  be  remembered  in  Chicago.  What- 
ever the  future  has  in  store  to  continue  or  increase  the  present  ex- 
cited state  of  feeling,  the  earliest  effect  of  the  war  news  of  Saturday 
evening  on  and  throughout  yesterday  was  of  too  marked  a  nature 
readily  to  be  paralleled  in  a  city  usually  so  quiet  on  the  Lord's  day. 
The  city  was  given  up  to  intense  and  all  prevailing  excitement  the 
like  of  which  has  never  been  known  in  this  community." 

An  immense  Union  meeting  was  held  at  Metropolitan  hall  on 
the  evening  of  April  15,  called  to  voice  the  sentiments  of  the  people. 
Norman  B.  Tudd  presided.  Among  the  speakers  were  Elliott 
Anthony.  R.  S.  Blackwell.  I.  N.  Arnold,  I.  S.  Rumsev,  T.  J.  Sloan, 
A.  D.  Bradley,  B.  F.  Millard.  George  W.  Gage.  S.  M.  Wilson. 
U.  F.  Linder  and  Owen  Lovejoy.  Mr.  Linder  delivered  a  speech 
of  great  power  and  eloquence.  In  fact,  all  of  the  speakers,  under 
the  inspiration  of  the  hour,  surpassed  themselves.  It  remained  with 
Owen  Lovejoy,  however,  'to  unfetter  the  patriotism  burning  in  the 
bosoms  here  and  to  give  it  vent  in  enthusiastic  cheers  and  in  the 
blazing  spirit  of  war.  He  entered  the  hall  while  the  speaking  was 
in  progress  and  was  promptly  called  to  the  stand  by  the  whole 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  435 

audience  amid  immense  cheering.  The  Tribune  of  April  16  said : 
"Our  brief  limits  can  do  no  justice  to  his  fervidly  eloquent  harangue, 
which  characteristically  passed  through  every  range  from  telling 
hits  and  biting  sarcasm  to  the  most  eloquent  and  pathetic  pathos 
and  beauty.  At  times  his  voice  was  drowned  in  tumults  of  ap- 
plause; at  times  the  very  breathing  of  the  vast  audience  seemed 
hushed  as  he  painted  in  feeling  terms  the  evils  of  the  times  on 
which  we  have  fallen.  The  speech  of  Mr.  Lovejoy  was  followed 
most  appropriately  by  the  Star  Spangled  Banner  sung  in  splendid 
style  by  Frank  Lumbard,  the  vast  audience  swelling  the  chorus 
with  an  intensity  of  feeling  and  effect  we  have  never  seen  equalled. 
.  .  .  Chicago  was  the  scene  of  vast  excitement  yesterday.  Men 
gave  themselves  and  the  day  up  to  the  hearing  and  the  discussion 
of  the  exciting  news.  It  is  most  gratifying  to  note  how  little  the 
varied  political  antecedents  had  to  do  with  the  all-prevalent  and 
fervid  glow  of  patriotic  feeling.  Men  of  all  parties  talked  of  the 
American  flag  and  its  honor  as  a  common  possession  and  heritage. 
Men  of  peace  and  ordinarily  quiet  and  pacific  citizens  seemed  to 
walk  with  fuller  chests  and  to  draw  in  long  breaths,  and  as  they 
heard  this  and  that  accession  of  exciting  news  spoke  and  acted 
as  if  in  a  war  time.  Men  became  intolerant  all  at  once,  and  those 
who  last  week  and  in  the  time  past  have  heard  our  institutions 
attacked  and  the  aggressions  of  slavery  defended,  who  have  dared 
heretofore  to  quote  the  political  and  national  gospel  according  to 
Jefferson  Davis,  sang  small  or  not  at  all  and  we're  made  to  do  little 
and  say  less  that  should  indicate  their  sympathy  with  the  assailants 
of  the  Stars  and  Stripes.  The  war  footing  was  taken  on  suddenly. 
.  .  .  Throughout  all  yesterday  the  city  was  brilliant  with  flags. 
They  floated  from  the  hotels,  public  buildings,  newspaper  offices, 
and  from  many  of  the  stores.  The  newspaper  offices  were  thronged 
all  day,  and  the  bulletins,  issued  as  fast  as  the  dispatches  came, 
found  eager  perusal  by  thousands  and  passed  from  lip  to  lip.  .  .  . 
And  foremost  among  those  who  are  ready  to  dare  all,  brave  all, 
sacrifice  all,  are  the  women  of  Chicago.  ...  In  this  city  there 
is  much  stir  and  consultation  among  our  military  men,  and  prep- 
arations for  the  immediate  future  are  in  progress." 

On  the  evening  of  April  16,  1861,  two  companies  of  United 
States  troops  which  had  been  stationed  in  Minnesota  passed  through 
Chicago  on  their  way  to  Washington  under  command  of  Major 
Pemberton.  So  intense  was  the  military  spirit  at  this  time  that 
fully  10,000  cheering  people  turned  out  to  see  them  as  they  marched 
through  the  streets  from  one  depot  to  another.  By  April  17  the 
effervescent  state  of  public  feeling  had  to  some  extent  given  place  to 
the  determined  sentiments  of  war.  Immediately  upon  the  fall  of 
Fort  Sumter  all  the  fragmentary  militia  companies  here  began 
mustering  volunteers  and  held  daily,  almost  hourly,  drills.  Public 
meetings  in  all  parts  of  the  city  and  county,  both  of  native  and 


436  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

foreign  born  citizens,  were  held  preparatory  to  active  work  in  the 
field.  The  old  United  States  Zouaves  (Colonel  Ellsworth's  pride) 
were  reorganizing  under  Captain  Hayden.  The  Irish  companies 
were  filling  up.  The  German  Turners  were  nearly  ready.  The 
Union  Cadets  were  almost  the  first  to  be  prepared  for  their  arms. 
The  Highland  Guards  were  drilling  almost  nightly  under  Captain 
McArthur.  Their  services  were  tendered  to  Governor  Yates  about 
April  16.  Capt.  Charles  R.  Baker  left  for  Springfield  Tuesday 
evening,  April  16,  for  the  purpose  of  inducing  the  authorities  to 
accept  his  company  of  Chicago  dragoons.  The  students  at  Bryant 
and  Stratton's  college  began  forming  a  company.  Another  com- 
pany was  called  to  rendezvous  at  the  Tremont  house.  All  of  the 
old  companies  were  calling  for  recruits.  The  Tribune  of  April  18 
said :  "Chicago  Volunteers. — Last  night  the  city  was  alive  with 
volunteer  meetings.  The  coolest  resolution,  coupled  with  the  most 
stirring  enthusiasm,  marked  all  the  gatherings.  Between  1,500 
and  1,600  men  are  already  on  the  muster  rolls.  Tonight  there 
will  be  a  general  rendezvous  at  Bryan  hall  for  further  enlistment 
and  to  provide  a  fund  for  meeting  the  contingent  expenses  of  the 
companies  until  the  state  shall  make  provisions  for  the  same.  The 
work  must  go  on.  Though  Illinois  has  been  drawn  on  for  only 
six  regiments,  it  is  inevitable  that  the  call  will  soon  be  doubled 
or  trebled.  There  is  no  time  for  delay." 

In  a  letter  to  the  Tribune,  dated  April  18,  1861,  Mr.  H.  Cox 
asked  if  some  step  should  not  be  taken  to  provide  for  the  families 
of  soldiers.  The  Chicago  Light  artillery  under  Col.  Ezra  Taylor 
had  four  brass  pieces  and  two  howitzers  and  were  nearly  ready. 
By  April  17  the  Washington  Independent  regiment  under  Col. 
Thomas  Shirley  had  seven  companies  nearly  filled.  They  were  the 
Highland  guards,  Washington  Light  cavalry,  Washington  rifles, 
Chicago  grenadiers,  Lincoln  rifles,  Union  rifles  and  Illinois  rifles. 
The  company  raised  at  Bryant  and  Stratton's  was  tendered  to  the 
Governor  April  17.  The  Tribune  of  April  19  said:  "A  move- 
ment is  on  foot,  started  by  private  citizens,  to  uniform  and  equip 
the  Zouaves  by  private  subscription.  A  wealthy,  well-known  citizen 
heads  the  list  with  $1,000."  The  Times  of  April  16  spoke  of  "His 
Excellency  President  Davis."  This  act  kindled  the  wrath  of  the 
Union  enthusiasts.  Before  April  18  Chicago  bankers  had  sub- 
scribed over  $500,000  to  the  state  war  fund  to  be  used  in  carrying 
on  expenses  prior  to  the  assembling  of  the  Legislature. 

The  Tribune  of  April  19  had  this  to  say  of  an  immense  double 
war  meeting  held  here :  "It  would  be  impossible  to  describe  the 
wild  enthusiasm  of  the  double  meeting  at  Bryan  and  Metropolitan 
halls  last  evening,  called  to  procure  subscriptions  for  the  immediate 
expenses  of  our  volunteers.  The  money  came  down  like  rain,  and 
the  people  rushed  forward  in  unprecedented  numbers  at  the  various 
military  headquarters  to  enroll  themselves  among  the  defenders 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  437 

of  the  flag.  Lighted  tar  barrels  illuminated  the  horizon,  and  the 
streets  were  alive  till  midnight  with  martial  music  and  the  shouting 
multitude.  .  .  .  The  wires  are  burdened  with  dispatches  offering 
men  to  the  Governor.  Democrats  are  struggling  with  Republicans 
and  Republicans  with  Democrats,  for  places  in  the  ranks.  The  cry 
is  'Still  they  come!'  How  different  from  the  sluggish  movements 
which  preceded  the  war  with  Mexico,  when  three  successive  proc- 
lamations from  Governor  Ford  failed  to  start  a  volunteer  in  Chi- 
cago, and  when  the  civil  authorities  well  nigh  despaired  of  raising 
the  Illinois  quota.  Then  the  consciences  of  the  people  were  not 
enlisted.  Now  they  are  touched  as  with  a  live  coal  from  off  the 
altar  of  their  country." 

On  April  18  Capts.  Charles  W.  Barker  and  Fred  Harding  re- 
turned from  Springfield  with  the  joyful  news  that  their  companies 
had  been  accepted  by  Governor  Yates.  Another  immense  war 
meeting  was  held  at  Bryan  hall  on  the  evening  of  April  18.  Among 
the  speakers  were  Judge  Drummond,  S.  S.  Hayes,  ex-Governor 
Baker  of  New  Hampshire,  but  in  1861  residing  in  Iowa,  George 
W.  Gage,  Judge  Gookins  of  Indiana,  John  Wentworth,  I.  N. 
Arnold,  Philip  Conley  and  Rev.  Mr.  Corning.  A  splendid  series 
of  resolutions  was  adopted,  among  which  was  the  following: 
"Resolved,  That  the  armed  Southern  rebellion  against  our  beloved 
and  cherished  Union  is  without  excuse  or  patriotism,  an  outcry 
against  freedom  and  humanity,  a  most  wicked  and  diabolical 
scheme  to  subserve  selfish  and  ambitious  ends,  and  that  the  traitors 
who  have  armed  themselves  and  confederates  against  our  govern- 
ment shall  be  conquered,  disarmed  and  crushed  out,  cost  what 
blood  and  treasure  and  time  it  may." 

At  this  meeting  $8,386  was  subscribed  in  a  few  minutes  to  be 
used  to  meet  current  expenses  in  equipping  the  first  Chicago  com- 
panies. Among  the  subscribers  were:  John  Wentworth,  $500; 
R.  M.  Hough,  $500;  S.  F.  Gale,  $500;  J.  L.  Hancock,  $500;  Wal- 
ter L.  Newberry,  $500;  and  E.  W.  Willard,  $500. 

The  same  evening  (April  18)  a  big  neutral  meeting  was  held  at 
Metropolitan  hall,  among  the  speakers  being  Rev.  Mr.  Cox,  Senator 
Bestor  of  Peoria,  H.  E.  Seelye,  Murray  F.  Tuley,  G.  A.  Much, 
S.  S.  Hayes,  Col.  Thomas  Shirley,  C.  G.  Wicker  and  John  A. 
Thompson.  Modified  or  conciliatory  resolutions  were  adopted. 
This  meeting  was  not  a  credit  to  the  participants,  numbers  of  whom 
in  after  years  were  ashamed  of  the  proceedings.  The  same  evening 
an  immense  war  and  patriotic  meeting  was  held  in  West  Market 
hall  by  the  Scandinavians.  On  the  evening  of  April  17  a  deputation 
of  West  Side  Germans  waited  upon  the  editor  of  the  Chicago 
Democrat  and  demanded  that  he  display  the  Stars  and  Stripes  from 
his  office,  as  his  was  the  only  newspaper  office  in  the  city  that  had 
not  already  done  so.  He  complied.  The  war  meetings  were  so 
large  and  so  numerous  that  the  Wigwam  was  prepared  for  that 


438  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

service  and  renamed  "National  hall."  By  April  19  the  fund  to 
equip  volunteers  amounted  to  $36,000.  The  Board  of  Trade  had 
subscribed  $5,000  toward  the  fund,  but  private  individuals  of  the 
board  had  given  $5,000  more.  It  was  announced  April  19  that 
Washington  Independent  regiment,  consisting  of  ten  companies, 
had  been  accepted  entire  by  the  state.  Captain  Harding's  company 
drilled  at  the  old  Board  of  Trade  rooms.  Men  past  .forty-five  years 
talked  of  organizing  a  company  of  home  guards.  Captain  Barker's 
company  drilled  at  the  Armory;  his  Dragoons  numbered  120  by 
April  19.  George  Smith,  the  banker,  subscribed  $1,000  to  the 
volunteer  fund. 

The  first  volunteers 'of  Cook  county  left  here  on  Sunday  night, 
April  21.  The  Tribune  of  April  22  contained  the  following  notice: 
"The  train  on  the  Illinois  Central  road  which  left  at  10  o'clock  last 
night  carried  off  seven  hundred  men — comprising  a  fine  body  of 
troops,  armed  and  equipped  for  active  service,  however  immediate : 
The  Light  artillery  of  Capt.  James  Smith,  the  Lincoln  rifles  under 
Captain  Michalozy,  Captain  Clybourn's  company,  Captain  Hard- 
ing's  company,  the  United  States  Zouaves  under  Captain  Hayden, 
and  the  Union  Cadets  under  Captain  Kowald.  .  .  .  The  scene  at 
the  station  was  a  thrilling  one  as  the  hour  for  departure  drew  near. 
Parents  crowded  about  to  bid  good-bye  to  sons,  wives  to  take  leave 
of  husbands,  sisters  to  brothers,  lovers  parted,  friends  exchanged 
farewells.  It  was  bringing  the  war  home — the  departure  of  these 
troops.  An  immense  concourse  of  spectators  were  present,  who 
gave  them  a  parting  cheer  as  the  long  train  of  twenty-six  cars, 
drawn  by  two  engines,  moved  slowly  out  along  the  pier." 

The  remainder  of  this  regiment  was  to  be  sent  forward  within 
two  weeks.  April  21  was  the  busiest  Sunday  Chicago  had  ever 
experienced.  All  day  the  streets  echoed  with  the  tread  of  troops, 
the  voices  of  the  bugles  and  the  roll  of  the  drums.  The  head- 
quarters of  Gen.  R.  K.  Swift  and  of  the  war  committee  was  on 
Wells  street  between  Lake  and  South  Water.  General  Swift  com- 
manded the  troops  that  left  Sunday  night,  April  21,  for  Spring- 
field. Roger  Fowler  was  appointed  commissary  general  here  and 
Colonel  Baldwin  brigade  inspector.  The  following  day  (Monday) 
was  as  stirring  as  Sunday.  Troops  paraded  the  streets  almost  con- 
stantly. The  excitement  caused  all  the  courts  to  adjourn.  Solo- 
mon Sturges  offered  to  arm  and  equip  at  his  own  expense  a  com- 
pany of  eighty  sharpshooters.  Henry  Farnam,  J.  Y.  Scammon 
and  the  Chicago  Gas  Light  company  each  gave  $1,000  to  the  war 
fund.  New  companies  were  springing  up  all  over  the  city.  Cap- 
tain Barker's  Chicago  dragoons  and  the  Rumsey  guards  under 
Captain  Kellogg  left  for  Springfield  April  22.  A  company  of 
engineers,  sappers  and  miners  began  enlisting  at  the  surveyor's 
office.  Four  companies  of  a  Reserve  corps  were  nearly  organized 
by  April  22.  Company  A  of  the  Highland  guards,  commanded 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  439 

by  Captain  Raffen,  became  the  color  company  of  the  Washington 
regiment.  The  Union  rifles,  a  German  sharpshooting  organization, 
were  ready  April  23.  The  Irish  citizens  were  busy.  At  North 
Market  hall  on  April  20,  in  one  and  a  half  hours,  325  names  were 
enrolled  for  an  Irish  regiment.  Recruiting  stations  for  this  or- 
ganization were  opened  in  many  places  throughout  the  city  and 
county.  Captain  Mulligan  was  active  in  recruiting  and  organizing 
it.  He  later  became  its  colonel.  It  formed  the  famous  "Mulligan's 
brigade."  The  first  Cook  county  troops  to  take  the  field  were  sent 
to  Cairo,  Illinois,  to  guard  that  section  from  a  threatened  attack. 

At  a  preliminary  meeting  of  ladies  held  April  22  at  Bryan's  hall, 
thirty  of  them,  married  and  single,  volunteered  as  nurses,  to  be 
ready  when  called  upon.  The  Chicago  Medical  society  passed  a 
resolution  to  give  to  the  families  of  absent  soldiers  medical  service 
gratis.  At  this  time  organized  provision  to  care  for  sick  and 
wounded  soldiers  was  taken.  The  committee  of  safety  were  A.  H. 
Burley  (president),  E.  I.  Tinkham  (vice-president),  James  Lang 
(vice-president),  Samuel  Hoard  (secretary  and  treasurer),  E.  H. 
Haddock,  W.  T.  Mather,  Julian  S.  Rumsey,  Thomas  B.  Bryan, 
L.  P.  Hilliard  and  Orrington  Lunt.  A  crack  Zouave  regiment  was 
commenced  by  George  E.  Gage,  W.  T.  Barren,  A.  F.  Chadbourn. 
L.  P.  Bradley,  John  Van  Arman,  John  M.  Loomis,  Frank  T.  Sher- 
man, F.  W.  Buckingham  and  others.  By  April  23  there  was  strong 
talk  of  the  necessity  of  a  vigilance  committee  to  hold  in  check 
Southern  sympathizers.  In  his  message  to  the  Legislature  April 
23,  1861,  Governor  Yates  recommended  the  organization  of  ten 
regiments  and  the  appropriation  of  $3,000,000 — all  for  war  pur- 
poses. Tuesday,  April  23,  was  as  busy  a  day  in  military  affairs  here 
as  were  Sunday  and  Monday.  Casper  Butz,  who  had  served  in  the 
Baden  revolution  of  1848,  and  Charles  Torbahl  began  recruiting 
a  German  battalion  April  23.  The  companies  before  and  after 
April  23  began  leaving  for  Springfield,  often  without  ceremony  and 
without  notice.  By  April  24,  according  to  the  Tribune  of  that  date, 
nineteen  full  companies  had  left  Chicago  for  Cairo  and  Springfield, 
but  quite  a  large  number  of  them  had  come  here  from  adjacent 
counties.  The  Chicago  Home  guards,  by  April  23,  consisting  of 
men  over  age,  numbered  140  and  were  commanded  by  Capt.  C.  E. 
Thompson.  By  this  date  companies  commanded  by  the  following 
captains  were  either  entirely  filled  or  nearly  so :  Shambeck,  Rolsh- 
ansen,  Lippert,  Becker,  Putz,  Mattern,  Poull,  George  Schneider 
of  the  Stoats  Zeitung,  Van  Horn  and  Hersch.  The  Swiss  citizens 
were  organizing  a  reserve  corps,  and  some  half  dozen  other  com- 
panies, without  commanders  as  yet,  were  nearly  ready.  Thus 
Chicago  and  Cook  county,  though  bitterly  opposed,  criticised  and 
insulted  by  local  Southern  sympathizers,  were  doing  their  full  duty 
to  aid  the  Government  to  save  the  Union.  On  April  23  about  1,000 
ladies  assembled  at  Bryan  hall  to  complete  an  organization  to  carry 


440  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

on  a  systematic  plan  of  preparing  lint  and  bandages  for  the  hospital 
department  of  the  army.  Forty-nine  of  them  volunteered  to  become 
nurses.  Senator  Douglas  on  his  way  home  from  Washington  made 
several  speeches — one  at  Columbus  and  one  at  Indianapolis — and 
in  each  vigorously  advocated  the  prosecution  of  the  war  for  the 
Union.  One  of  the  duties  of  the  committee  of  safety  was  to  stop 
shipments  of  contraband  to  the  South.  By  April  24  Mulligan's 
brigade  comprised  about  500  men ;  they  received  $400  from  the 
citizens'  committee  for  equipment.  Captains  Fuller  and  Snyder  had 
companies  about  ready  by  April  26.  Several  of  the  companies  of 
the  "Yates  Phalanx"  were  started  about  this  time.  The  "Ten 
Regiment  Bill"  passed  the  Legislature  May  2,  and  $2,000,000  was 
appropriated  to  cover  war  expenses.  The  ten  regiments  were  for 
state  service,  and  were  in  addition  to  the  six  regiments  raised  under 
President  Lincoln's  call  for  75,000  volunteers.  Capt.  Chas.  R. 
Walsh  was  elected  colonel  of  the  Irish  (Mulligan's)  brigade,  ac- 
cording to  the  Tribune  of  May  2,  1861.  Capt.  E.  L.  Brand  had 
recruited  a  company  by  April  24.  The  colored  men  of  the  city 
held  a  public  meeting  April  24  and  passed  resolutions  of  regret 
that  they  were  not  permitted  to  enlist  and  fight  for  the  flag  and 
freedom.  A  company  of  sailors  was  well  advanced  by  April  25. 
The  companies  of  Captains  Kellogg  and  Cooper  left  for  the  front 
April  24.  On  April  25  Senator  Douglas  was  invited  to  address 
the  Illinois  Legislature.  He  did  so  and  made  a  ringing  and  elo- 
quent Union  speech.  The  Tribune  reporter  wrote :  "The  effect  of 
this  most  powerful  oratorical  effort  was  electric.  The  whole  house 
rose  to  their  feet  and  gave  cheer  after  cheer  for  Douglas,  for  the 
Union  and  for  the  Stars  and  Stripes."  A  big  war  meeting  was 
held  at  Lemont  on  April  23,  H.  M.  Singer  serving  as  chairman. 
Strong  Union  resolutions,  offered  by  B.  F.  Brown,  were  adopted. 
A  whole  company  was  enrolled  on  this  occasion,  though  the  town 
had  only  about  400  inhabitants. 

By  April  26  Van  Arman's  company  was  half  filled ;  the  Irish 
brigade  was  600  strong;  Captain  Slaughter's  rifle  corps  was  well 
advanced ;  Colonel  Peaslee's  "Yates  Phalanx"  regiment  was  nearly 
completed ;  Captain  Bross'  company  was  almost  ready ;  the  Shields 
guards  were  ready — both  companies  A  and  B ;  the  Sturges  rifles, 
under  Capt.  James  Steele,  were  complete :  a  fusileer  company  was 
nearly  filled;  a  full  company  was  raised  April  25  at  a  public  meet- 
ing at  Canal  and  Mitchell  streets — George  W.  Spofford  presided  at 
this  meeting;  Henry  Deal  was  elected  captain  of  the  Seaman's  bri- 
gade; at  a  war  meeting  held  in  Palatine  April  24  and  addressed 
by  J.  B.  Bradwell,  thirty  men  were  recruited ;  the  ladies  here  organ- 
ized soldiers'  sewing  societies ;  boxes  of  delicacies  and  medicines 
were  sent  to  the  Cook  county  boys  at  Cairo;  the  gunsmiths  of 
Chicago  were  overrun  with  work ;  all  tailors  were  busy  making 
uniforms  and  hatters  making  Zouave  caps;  one  house  had  made 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  441 

3,000  cartridge  boxes;  the  stock  of  guns  and  pistols  in  the  city 
had  been  exhausted  before  April  26.  At  this  date  exchange  was 
at  10  per  cent  premium,  and  gold  at  15  to  16  per  cent  premium 
selling.  On  April  27  the  Sturges  rifles  were  armed  with  Sharp's 
rifles,  at  the  expense  of  Mr.  Sturges.  The  two  companies  of 
Shields  guards  were  commanded  respectively  by  Capts.  James 
Quirk  and  Daniel  Quirk.  They  were  ready  April  27.  Capt.  M. 
C.  J.  Stolbrand  commanded  the  Scandinavian  company  which  was 
ready  April  29.  By  May  1  the  activity  in  military  affairs  at  Chi-, 
cago  had  apparently  not  abated  in  the  least. 

Senator  Douglas  upon  his  arrival  here  May  1,  1861,  was  given 
a  great  ovation  by  all  Chicago,  regardless  of  party.  His  emphatic 
and  vigorous  course  in  support  of  the  war  for  the  Union  wiped 
out  all  bitterness  here  against  him.  He  delivered  another  of  his 
powerful  speeches  for  the  Union.  The  Tribune  of  May  2,  1861, 
said :  "Three  weeks  ago  there  was  not  a  full  military  company  in 
the  city,  even  for  holiday  purposes.  Today  Chicago  has  thirteen 
companies  in  actual  service,  with  a  reserve  corps  of  twenty-five 
full  companies  ready  to  march  at  the  tap  of  the  drum — twenty-five 
exclusive  of  the  Home  guard  and  Van  Arman's  regiment,  not  yet 
complete.  These  companies  will  average,  rank  and  file,  ninety  men 
each — a  total  of  3,420.  If  any  large  city  has  done  better  in  propor- 
tion to  population  we  would  be  glad  to  know  its  name." 

A  few  of  the  old  Chicago  Zouaves  joined  Colonel  Ellsworth's 
New  York  regiment.  He  left  New  York  for  the  front  April  29. 
The  thirteen  companies  in  actual  service  were  as  follows: 

Chicago  Light  Artillery Captain  Smith 

Chicago  Dragoons    Captain   Barker 

Chicago  Light  Infantry Captain  Harding 

Rumsey  Guards Captain  Kellogg 

Union  Cadets    (German) Captain  Kowald 

Lincoln   Rifles    (Hungarian) Captain   Michalozy 

Washington  Light  Cavalry  (German) Captain  Tobowhertz 

Highland   Guards Captain   Raffen 

Zouave  Company  A Captain  Hayden 

Zouave  Company  B Captain    Clybourn 

Zouave  Company  C Captain   Conner 

Zouave  Company  H Captain   Inness 

Union  Rifles  Captain  Cooper 

The  above  companies  averaged  fully  ninety  men  each.  Early  in 
May,  1861,  a  large  war  meeting  was  held  in  the  Presbyterian 
church  at  Dunton,  on  which  occasion  there  was  present  a  full  com- 
pany under  Captain  Heeler,  recruited  in  Palatine,  Dunton  and 
Harrington.  William  H.  Dunton  was  chairman  and  Ira  Clark  sec- 
retary. William  Bross,  from  Chicago,  addressed  the  assemblage. 
Gen,  James  H.  Lane  of  Kansas  delivered  a  strong  Union  speech 
in  National  hall  (the  Wigwam)  on  May  5.  There  was  complaint 
from  Chicago  at  this  time  that  the  companies  of  Captains  Smith, 
Michalozy  and  Kowald  had  been  assigned  to  detached  duty  and  had 


442  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

not  been  placed  in  one  of  the  early  Illinois  regiments.  By  May 
5  many  of  the  companies  that  had  been  formed  were  disbanded, 
because  it  was  reported  that  they  would  not  be  needed.  By  May  6 
the  Irish  brigade  numbered  864  men;  they  voted  not  to  disband. 
In  May  Solomon  Sturges  offered  the  Government  six  steam  tugs, 
one  of  which,  the  "McQueen,"  was  the  best  on  the  lakes.  The 
Sturges  rifles  were  accepted  directly  from  Washington  by  Simon 
Cameron,  Secretary  of  War,  and  went  into  camp  at  Cottage  Grove, 
on  the  spot  which  soon  afterward  became  Camp  Douglas.  The 
German  Jaeger  regiment  had  four  companies  ready  by  May  10. 
Edward  Hamilton  of  Chicago  invented  a  breech-loading  rifle  can- 
non which  was  tested  on  the  lake  shore  in  May.  The  first  death  of 
a  Chicago  volunteer  was  that  of  George  Matthie,  who  died  at 
Camp  Yates,  Springfield,  about  May  11.  Many  of  the  Illinois 
volunteers  at  Springfield,  finding  they  could  not  be  accepted  for 
the  Illinois  regiments,  entered  the  Union  army  in  Missouri.  Six 
companies  of  the  German  Jaeger  regiment  were  complete  by  May 
14;  Col.  Frederick  Hecker  was  its  commander.  Its  captains  thus 
far  were  Van  Horn,  Lange,  Knobelsdorf,  Becker,  Marschner  and 
Endres.  At  this  date,  also,  the  Yates  Phalanx  regiment  had  900 
men  ready  under  Col.  W.  S.  Peaslee.  The  captains  of  its  nine 
complete  companies  were  Cooper,  Ranstead,  Vaughan,  Light,  Dud- 
ley, Slaughter,  Snyder,  Lambert  and  Barry.  Norman  B.  Judd  left 
for  Berlin  May  14.  Col.  J.  A.  Mulligan,  who  had  gone  to  Wash- 
ington in  the  interest  of  the  Irish  brigade,  wired  to  Chicago  May 
17  that  the  brigade  had  been  accepted  by  the  President.  Great  was 
the  rejoicing.  Capt.  J.  M.  Loomis  was  recruiting  a  company  at  this 
time.  Capt.  H.  D.  Booth  was  raising  another.  There  still  was 
much  complaint  at  the  alleged  discrimination  against  Cook  county 
troops.  The  Tribune  said :  "The  citizens  of  Chicago  would  like 
to  know  why  the  discrimination  against  their  volunteers  has  as- 
sumed the  character  of  a  relentless  persecution.  They  would  like  to 
know  whether  this  fault  lies  principally  at  the  door  of  the  Governor 
or  the  adjutant  general.  They  would  like  to  know  how  it  happens 
that  with  all  the  expenditure  of  money  and  all  the  enlistment  of 
men  in  this  city,  barely  three  Chicago  companies  have  wormed  their 
way  into  the  service  of  the  United  States  through  the  avenue  of  the 
executive  chamber  of  Illinois.  They  would  like  to  know  why  the 
first  companies  on  the  ground  at  Cairo  (Captain  Michalozy's  and 
Captain  Kowald's),  after  being  mustered  into  the  service  of  the 
United  States  by  Captain  Pope,  have  been  excluded  from  any  place 
either  in  the  first  or  second  levy  of  six  regiments.  They  would 
like  to  know  some  reason  for  the  jealousy  that  exists  at  Cairo 
against  Captain  Smith's  artillery  and  Captain  Barker's  dragoons. 
No  less  than  4,700  men  have  been  raised  in  this  city,  drilled  and 
tendered  to  the  Government.  Of  this  number  252  have  run  the 
gauntlet  at  Springfield  so  as  to  get  into  the  service  of  the  United 
States  in  regimental  order." 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  443 

Late  in  May,  1861,  the  Irish  brigade  went  into  barracks  in  the  old 
Kane  brick  brewery  building  on  West  Polk  street.  Early  in  June  the 
board  of  Supervisors  of  Cook  county  appropriated  $30,000  for  the 
equipment  and  sustenance  of  the  Irish  brigade  and  Hecker's  Jaeger 
regiment.  The  Tribune  of  June  12  said:  "Our  city  is  all  astir 
with  military  preparations.  We  have  now  far  more  troops  in  the 
city  than  at  any  time  since  the  war  began.  In  addition  to  our  from 
twenty  to  thirty  home  companies  the  home  guard,  and  other  volun- 
teer corps,  who  will  await  the  future  exigencies  of  the  war,  we  have 
here,  formed  and  forming,  three  fine  regiments,  all  of  whom  have 
been  accepted  by  the  Government  and  are  pushing  forward  their 
preparations  with  all  celerity." 

One  of  the  regiments  here  referred  to  was  encamped  on  Cottage 
Grove  avenue  near  the  Sturges  rifles.  Near  them,  at  what  was  tem- 
porarily called  Camp  Hecker,  was  Hecker's  Jaeger  regiment.  About 
this  time  a  new  regiment  called  Douglas  brigade  was  com- 
menced. Companies  were  leaving  for  camp  almost  every  day. 
The  appointment  of  George  B.  McClellan  to  the  Western  Depart- 
ment and  his  rapid  rise  in  military  affairs  gave  much  satisfaction 
here  where  he  was  well  known.  On  June  16,  he  visited  Chicago 
and  inspected  the  military  camps.  There  had  been  some  contention 
as  to  who  should  be  colonel  of  the  Irish  Brigade;  James  A.  Mulli- 
gan was  finally  elected  to  that  position  on  June  15.  The  first  regi- 
ment of  ten  full  companies  to  leave  Chicago  was  Hecker's  on  June 
18.  They  marched  from  Cottage  Grove  to  Union  Station  on  the 
West  Side  and  filled  twenty  cars.  A  beautiful  flag  was  presented 
to  them  upon  their  departure.  They  went  first  to  Alton.  About 
this  time  the  Sturges  rifles  left  for  Marietta,  Ohio,  ordered  there 
by  General  McClellan.  The  Zouave  regiment  under  Col.  J.  M. 
Loomis  was  well  advanced  by  this  time. 

Late  in  May  and  during  the  month  of  June  many  here,  including 
the  Tribune,  joined  in  Horace  Greeley's  cry  of  "On  to  Richmond." 
They  had  become  impatient  at  the  long  delay  and  wanted  action. 
It  was  assumed  that  it  would  be  no  great  military  undertaking  to 
march  down  from  Washington  some  fine  morning  before  breakfast 
and  take  possession  of  the  rebel  capital.  They  learned  a  little  later 
that  Bull  Run  was  one  of  the  obstacles  in  the  way  of  that  maneuver. 

About  July  3,  1861,  the  Irish  brigade  was  transferred  to  Camp 
Fremont  at  Cottage  Grove.  That  locality  was  known  as  several 
camps  before  it  was  formally  named  Camp  Douglas.  The  Zouave 
regiment  under  Col.  John  B.  Turchin  left  for  the  seat  of  war  in 
Missouri  on  July  12 ;  the  captains  of  its  ten  companies  were  Hay- 
den,  Stewart,  Guthrie,  Colby,  Raffin,  Allard,  Williams,  Garriott, 
Howard  and  Clybourn.  As  they  marched  through  the  streets  sharp 
eyes  detected  a  girl  dressed  as  a  man  among  them ;  she  was  taken 
from  the  ranks  against  her  protest;  her  name  was  Olson.  There 
was  great  joy  here  in  July,  1861,  over  McClellan's  success  in  Vir- 


444  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

ginia.  The  Chicago  Dragoons  under  Captain  Barker,  the  Sturges 
Rifles  under  Captain  Steele  and  the  Hoffman  Dragoons  under 
Captain  Shambeck  were  with  McClellan  in  Virginia.  Many  troops 
passed  through  Chicago,  going  East  or  West,  during  the  summer 
and  fall  of  1861.  On  July  15,  the  Irish  brigade  left  for  Missouri; 
the  captains  of  its  ten  companies  were  as  follows:  McDermott, 
Gleeson,  McMurray,  Simonds,  Hurlburt,  Moriarty,  Phillips,  Cof- 
fey,  Fitzgerald  and  Quirk.  They  were  given  a  brilliant  sendoff. 
A  few  days  later  Hecker's  regiment  left  Alton  for  the  war  in  Mis- 
souri. About  the  middle  of  July,  1861,  the  three  months'  men 
returned  from  the  field;  the  most  of  them  soon  reenlisted.  The 
Audubon  Rifles  under  Captain  Litchfield  were  ready  July  17. 

The  news  of  the  disaster  at  Bull  Run  was  received  here  July  22, 
1861,  and  caused  the  utmost  consternation.  The  Tribune  of  July 
24  said:  "The  thronged  streets,  the  eager  crowds  watching  till 
far  past  midnight  for  further  tidings  from  the  field  of  flight  and 
retreat,  the  anxiety  of  friends  and  relatives  in  behalf  of  their  own 
brothers  and  friends  engaged  in  the  fearful  scenes  at  Manassas, 
all  constituted  Monday  and  Monday  night  memorable  and  marked 
above  all  others  in  the  annals  of  the  war  thus  far." 

The  Yates  Phalanx  was  ready  late  in  July,  1861.  Its  colonel 
was  Austin  Light  and  its  ten  captains  were  Ranstead,  Light,  Clark, 
Pugh,  Clark,  Mann,  Slaughter,  Vaughan,  Munn  and  Knapp.  It 
was  noted  that  the  favorite  song  of  the  volunteers  at  the  camps  in 
and  around  Chicago  was  "John  Brown."  The  death  of  General 
Lyon  in  Missouri  caused  much  grief  here,  and  the  bulletins  were 
scanned  by  immense  crowds.  As  early  as  May  a  Soldiers'  Sewing 
Circle  had  been  organized  here  by  the  ladies.  By  August  12,  they 
had  made  449  flannel  shirts;  100  pairs  of  trimmed  pants;  188  hick- 
ory shirts;  120  camp  blankets;  60  rubber  blankets;  1523  havelocks; 
106  pillows;  453  pillow  slips;  177  hospital  shirts;  156  sheets.  The 
Union  Defence  committee  in  August,  1861,  consisted  of  the  follow- 
ing persons :  John  M.  Wilson,  Grant  Goodrich,  Van  H.  Higgins, 
E.  W.  Willard,  J.  M.  Douglas,  Thomas  Hoyne,  Thomas  B.  Bryan, 
A.  H.  Burley,  E.  C.  Lamed,  J.  H.  Bowen,  J.  C.  Dore,  Thomas 
Drummond,  George  Manierre,  H.  D.  Colvin,  John  Van  Arman, 
George  Schneider,  Eliphalet  Wood,  R.  M.  Hough,  P.  L.  Yoe,  C.  G. 
Wicker  and  J.  H.  Tucker. 

In  April  or  May,  1861,  a  lodge  of  the  Knights  of  the  Golden  Cir- 
cle was  instituted  here,  and  from  this  event  forward  a  spirit  of 
resistance  to  the  war  continued  to  flame  and  expand.  At  the  head 
of  this  opposition  to  the  war  was  the  Chicago  Times  edited  by 
Wilbur  F.  Storey.  The  Tribune  of  August  28  said,  "There  are 
more  Secessionists  in  Chicago  than  people  generally  suspect.  It  is 
well  ascertained  that  a  lodge  of  the  Knights  of  the  Golden  Circle 
was  formed  in  this  city  last  spring  and  still  exists,  holding  stated 
secret  meetings."  Early  in  the  war  Mayor  Rumsey  recommended 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  447 

the  passage  of  a  resolution  by  the  City  Council,  requiring  all  per- 
sons who  were  unwilling  to  take  the  oath  of  allegiance  to  the  United 
States,  to  leave  the  city,  and  empowering  the  Citizens'  Defense 
committee  to  investigate  all  suspected  cases  and  report  names  for 
publication.  This  recommendation  stirred  up  a  storm  of  protest 
from  all  the  Southern  sympathizers.  The  cry  of  the  opposition 
almost  from  the  start  was,  "Peace!  peace!" 

Colonel  Turchin's  regiment  became  the  Nineteenth  Illinois;  and 
Colonel  Hecker's,  the  Twenty-fourth.  The  Northwestern  Rifle 
regiment  was  being  formed  here  in  August,  1861.  Wilson's 
Dragoons  under  Captain  Thielman  left  for  Alton  on  August  21. 
The  Fremont  Rifles  under  Col.  Julius  White  numbered  850  men  by 
August  31.  Their  camp  was  in  Wright's  Grove  at  the  northern 
limits  of  the  city.  Later  this  rendezvous  was  called  Camp  Fry. 
Capt.  J.  W.  Wilson  recruited  a  corps  of  fusileers  here  in  August 
and  September.  A  Georgia  regimental  flag  captured  in  Virginia 
was  exhibited  here  in  September,  1861.  Miss  Dix,  head  of  the 
female  nurses  of  the  army,  was  in  Chicago  September  8,  the  guest 
of  E.  W.  Blatchford. 

Under  the  resolution  of  the  board  of  supervisors  of  January  8, 
1861,  Superintendent  Burley  of  the  Committee  appointed  for  the 
purpose  reported  that  Hecker's  Jaeger  regiment  had  been  provided 
with  the  following  equipment :  Uniform  jackets,  830 ;  brogans,  pairs, 
672;  woolen  socks,  pairs,  1,200;  uniform  trousers,  830;  knap- 
sacks, 830;  the  whole  costing  $9,416.72;  also  camp  utensils,  tools, 
lumber  for  barracks,  provisions,  etc.,  amounting  to  $1,379.80. 
Total,  $10,796.52.  Also  that  the  Irish  Brigade  had  been  supplied 
as  follows:  Uniform  jackets,  1,000;  uniform  trousers,  1,000; 
knapsacks,  1,000;  brogans,  950  pairs;  caps,  950;  woolen  socks, 
1,900;  the  whole  costing  $11,265.75.  Other  expenses  $1,131.59. 
Total  $12,497.34.  The  war  fund  orders  issued  amounted  to  $25,- 
901.94.  Correspondence  from  Washington  indicated  that  this 
expense  would  in  the  end  be  borne  by  the  Government. 

The  Northwestern  rifle  regiment  left  for  St.  Louis  September 
14.  They  had  rendezvoused  at  Cottage  Grove,  were  1,000  strong, 
and  were  commanded  by  Colonel  Knobelsdorf.  They  departed 
amid  much  ceremony  of  speech  making  and  flag  presentations. 
This  regiment  was  among  the  first  to  be  wholly  equipped  by  the 
Union  Defence  committee.  Colonel  Bracket's  cavalry  regiment 
occupied  the  ground  at  Cottage  Grove  just  vacated  by  the  North- 
western regiment.  The  camp  at  Wright's  Grove  was  early  called 
Camp  Webb.  Upon  the  departure  of  the  Fremont  rifle  regiment 
September  19,  1861,  its  colonel,  Julius  White,  was  presented  with 
a  beautiful  black  charger.  The  regimental  flag  had  Fremont's  por- 
trait on  one  side.  On  the  other  were  scenes  from  Fremont's  ex- 
ploits painted  by  D.  P.  A.  Healy,  the  artist.  Isaac  N.  Arnold  was 
present  at  Bull  Run  as  a  volunteer  aid  of  General  Hunter. 

Vol.  I_26. 


443  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

In  September,  1861,  the  county  board  of  supervisors  passed  a 
resolution  that  a  committee  be  appointed  to  disburse  the  fund  raised 
by  tax  for  war  purposes;  that  the  unappropriated  portion  of  such 
tax  and  what  might  be  refunded  by  the  Government  be  used  for  the 
care  and  relief  of  soldiers'  families.  It  was  decided  at  first  to  pay 
to  soldiers'  families  each  week  $2  for  each  adult  and  25  cents  for 
each  child. 

Two  regiments  called  the  Douglas  brigade  were  completed  here 
in  August  and  September,  1861.  By  September  18,  the  first  under 
Colonel  Webb  left  Cottage  Grove  for  St.  Louis;  these  men  were 
equipped  by  the  War  committee.  The  other  regiment  of  this  bri- 
gade was  half  filled  at  this  time.  S.  F.  Wilson,  accused  of  being  a 
Secessionist,  took  the  oath  of  allegiance  and  was  exonerated  by  a 
majority  of  the  county  board  committee.  The  Chicago  legion 
which  became  the  Fifty-first  Illinois  regiment  was  organized  here 
in  September.  Its  colonel  was  G.  W.  Cumming,  and  its  captains 
were  Westcott,  McWilliams,  Heffernon,  Rose,  White,  Brown, 
Hale,  Wentz,  Gardner  and  Roland.  The  fight  of  Mulligan's  bri- 
gade at  Lexington,  Mo.,  in  September,  1861,  stirred  and  fired 
Chicago  as  scarcely  anything  had  done  up  to  that  date.  Though 
captured  and  paroled,  he  had  fought  gallantly,  and  the  news  in- 
flamed the  people,  and  the  whole  county  rang  with  his  praise.  The 
formation  of  a  regiment  was  begun  here  in  August  by  Col.  S.  B. 
Baldwin.  Turner  &  Sidway,  208  Randolph  street,  were  making 
and  shipping  over  one  hundred  cavalry  equipments  daily.  Nearly 
all  military  supplies  were  manufactured  here  in  immense  quantities. 
Thousands  of  horses  were  bought  here  monthly  for  the  army. 

On  September  29,  1861,  Northeastern  Illinois  was  constituted  a 
separate  military  district.  The  camp  for  this  district  was  located 
at  Chicago  and  was  named  "Camp  Douglas."  Col.  Joseph  H. 
Tucker  was  appointed  its  first  commandant.  Previous  to  this  date 
the  camps  had  been  in  existence  in  different  parts  of  the  city, 
though  the  leading  localities  were  on  the  spot  where  Camp  Douglas 
was  established  and  at  Wright's  Grove  on  the  northern  boundary. 
They  were  called  Camps  Long,  Mulligan,  Fremont,  Ellsworth, 
Mather,  Webb,  etc.  The  various  commands  were  soon  consoli- 
dated at  Camp  Douglas.  The  Yates  Phalanx,  Douglas  brigade, 
Mechanic  Fusileers  and  Col.  Bracket's  regiment  were  removed  to 
this  new  camp  if  they  were  not  there  already.  The  Chicago  legion 
numbering  about  400  under  Colonel  Cumming  was  also  ordered 
there.  Several  of  the  previous  commands  had  occupied  the  Wig- 
wam temporarily.  Camp  Douglas  was  built  during  October  and 
November,  1861,  mainly  by  the  Mechanic  Fusileers,  all  of  whom 
were  good  mechanics.  A  cut  of  the  camp  as  it  was  first  built  is 
contained  herein.  Strong  efforts  to  secure  the  location  here  of  the 
contemplated  United  States  arsenal  were  made  during  the  fall  and 
winter  of  1861. 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  449 

On  October  10,  1861,  five  companies  of  Mulligan's  brigade  re- 
turned to  Chicago,  having  been  paroled.  The  Tribune  said,  "An 
immense  crowd  of  friends  and  curious  spectators  assembled  about 
the  depot  and  thronged  the  adjacent  streets.  As  the  train  ap- 
proached the  depot  a  universal  welcome  burst  forth  from  thou- 
sands of  hearty  throats  for  the  gallant  heroes  of  Lexington."  They 
were  entertained  with  a  supper,  and  then  ceremoniously  at  the 
Wigwam. 

The  Yates  Phalanx  left  for  Missouri  on  October  11.  It  had  been 
more  difficult  than  any  other  to  recruit.  Its  uniforms  were  furnished 
by  the  Defence  committee.  They  had  their  own  band  of  eighteen 
pieces,  besides  fifteen  drums  and  fifes.  On  October  11,  1861,  Capt. 
J.  C.  Phillips  of  the  Irish  brigade  assaulted  J.  W.  Sheahan,  editor 
of  the  Post,  for  having,  as  he  claimed,  published  an  unjust  article 
concerning  him.  Early  in  October,  1861,  a  Mrs.  Onderdonk  was 
arrested  here  on  the  charge  of  being  a  rebel  spy.  She  admitted 
being  Secessionist,  but  denied  being  a  spy.  She  had  two  sons 
in  the  rebel  army.  She  was  taken  to  Washington.  In  October, 
1861,  about  300  United  States  Regulars  were  in  Camp  Slemmer  at 
Maine  Station  on  the  Northwestern  Railway.  The  camp  was  on  the 
Des  Plaines  river  and  was  one  of  instruction.  The  several  regi- 
ments of  Douglas'  brigade  was  ready  November  1,  under  Col. 
David  Stuart.  The  battle  of  Belmont,  November  7,  1861,  roused 
Chicago  to  the  highest  pitch  of  enthusiasm. 

Upon  his  arrival  in  Chicago  November  8,  1861,  Col.  J.  A.  Mulli- 
gan was  given  a  reception  a  king  might  envy.  He  was  met  at 
Joliet  by  a  delegation  from  the  Common  Council,  the  Board  of 
Trade,  the  city  clergy,  judges  and  many  military  men.  The  Trib- 
une said  concerning  his  arrival  in  Chicago,  "The  train  arrived  at 
Chicago  about  ten  o'clock.  Thousands  of  people  had  gathered  in 
the  depot  grounds  and  swarmed  in  the  adjacent  streets  for  a  dis- 
tance of  several  blocks.  As  the  train  neared  the  depot  a  signal 
rocket  flamed  through  the  air,  and  upon  that  instant  cannon  boomed 
a  noisy  welcome ;  the  bands  struck  up  patriotic  airs ;  the  immense 
procession  waved  their  torches  which  turned  night  into  day  and 
set  the  sky  aglow  with  the  livid  light ;  deafening  cheers  again  and 
again  repeated  rent  the  air.  The  scene  beggars  description.  Prob- 
ably no  man  ever  received  such  a  spontaneous  and  triumphant  wel- 
come to  the  city  or  was  ever  greeted  by  such  a  vast  assemblage." 
He  was  taken  in  a  coach  drawn  by  four  white  horses  to  the  Tre- 
mont  house  amid  an  immense  and  shouting  multitude.  There  he 
was  tendered  the  hospitality  of  the  city  by  B.  F.  Ayer  on  the  famous 
balcony  on  behalf  of  the  municipal  authorities.  He  was  invited  to 
a  public  banquet  on  November  9,  but  declined.  Soon  after  this 
he  made  an  attempt  to  reorganize  his  old  regiment. 

At  Camp  Douglas,  on  November  15,  1861,  were  4,222  men. 
They  were  Bracket's  Ninth  cavalry  of  1,021  men;  Cumming's 


450  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

Fifty-fifth  regiment  of  512  men;  Baldwin's  Fifty-third  regiment  of 
202  men ;  Stuart's  regiment  of  974  men ;  Winslow's  regiment  of 
432  men;  Lynch's  regiment  of  184  men;  Wilson's  Mechanic  Fusi- 
leers  of  653  men;  Hartman's  German  Guides  of  175  men;  and 
Kurth's  Lyon  color  guard  of  69  men. 

Colonel  McArthur's  Highland  guard  regiment  became  the 
Twelfth  Illinois.  Late  in  November,  1861,  a  delegation  of  citizens 
visited  Paducah  to  present  a  stand  of  colors  to  the  regiment  and 
supply  the  "boys"  with  delicacies.  Colonel  Turchin's  regiment 
became  the  Nineteenth  Illinois.  An  immense  meeting  of  Chicago 
ladies  to  devise  means  to  assist  the  soldiers  in  the  field  was  held  on 
November  29,  1861 ;  delegates  were  present  from  the  three  city 
divisions.  Mulligan's  brigade,  as  such,  was  officially  dropped  from 
the  army  rolls,  as  it  was  found  that  the  men  could  not  be  exchanged 
by  December,  1861.  A.  G.  Throop,  George  Strong  and  A.  H.  Bur- 
ley,  committee  of  war  fund  of  the  county  board,  reported  December 
5  that  they  had  issued  orders  to  date  to  the  amount  of  $28,598.66, 
of  which  $1,500  had  been  handed  to  the  Union  Defence  committee 
to  be  used  for  soldiers'  families.  The  latter  reported  that  between 
300  and  400  families,  drawing  from  $700  to  $800  per  week,  would 
have  to  be  provided  for  during  the  winter.  The  county  board 
finally  appointed  a  new  war  fund  committee  of  five — A.  G.  Throop, 
George  Strong,  H.  Z.  Culver,  Aaron  Haven  and  A.  B.  Johnson — 
and  authorized  them  to  work  in  conjunction  with  the  Union  De- 
fence committee  for  the  relief  of  soldiers'  families.  The  Chicago 
branch  of  the  United  States  Sanitary  commission  was  in  receipt 
of  large  contributions  in  money  and  supplies  from  all  parts  of  the 
West.  The  second  regiment  of  the  Douglas  brigade  under  Colonel 
Stuart  left  Camp  Douglas  for  St.  Louis  about  December  9,  1861. 
This  branch  was  organized  about  the  middle  of  October,  1861,  and 
Judge  Skinner  was  elected  its  president.  Doctor  Tiffany  reported 
about  the  middle  of  December,  that  forty  large  boxes  had  been  sent 
to  St.  Louis  alone;  they  contained  10.234  shirts;  925  pairs  of 
socks;  1,749  pillow  cases;  169  dressing  gowns;  441  comforters;  127 
blankets ;  125  handkerchiefs.  Twenty  boxes  containing  similar 
articles  had  been  sent  to  Cairo. 

The  news  of  the  capture  of  Fort  Henry  early  in  February,  1862, 
caused  great  rejoicing  here.  Colonel  Baldwin's  Fifty-eighth  regi- 
ment left  Camp  Douglas  for  Cairo  about  February  8,  1862.  Colonel 
Cummings'  Fifty-first  Illinois  regiment  left  Camp  Douglas  for 
Cairo  February  14,  1862.  Colonel  Bracket's  regiment  was  also 
ordered  to  take  the  field.  It  was  reported  here  February  13,  1862, 
that  Camp  Douglas  would  be  fitted  up  for  the  detention  of  5,000 
rebel  prisoners.  Captain  Waterhouse's  battery  left  for  Cairo  Feb- 
ruary 14;  they  had  six  superior  James'  rifled  cannon.  Colonel 
Bracket  had  succeeded  Colonel  Tucker  in  command  of  Camp 
Douglas,  but  about  February  14,  Col.  J.  W.  Bell  succeeded  Colonel 
Bracket. 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  451 

The  news  of  the  storming  and  capture  of  Fort  Donelson  about 
the  middle  of  February,  following  as  it  did  closely  upon  the  heels 
of  the  capture  of  Fort  Henry,  caused  intense  excitement  and  great 
rejoicing  here.  The  Tribune  in  its  delirium  of  joy  said,  "The 
storming  of  Fort  Donelson  is  the  turning  point  of  the  war.  The 
back  of  the  secession  serpent  was  broken  by  the  blow  that  captured 
the  rebel  fortress.  It  was  the  center  of  their  western  lines  of  de- 
fense— the  key  of  their  position  which  in  our  hands  opens  wide  the 
door  that  leads  into  the  heart  of  Rebeldom.  The  Kingdom  of 
Davis  will  now  quickly  tumble  about  his  ears  like  a  cob  house.  It 
is  beyond  the  strength  and  resources  of  the  rebels  to  make  a  suc- 
cessful stand  at  any  point.  .  .  .  The  disgrace  of  Bull  Run 
was  wiped  out  at  Donelson  by  the  Western  boys.  The  stigma  no 
longer  stains  our  national  escutcheon.  The  Bull  Run  debt  is  liqui- 
dated in  full." 

"Yesterday  was  a  day  that  will  be  long  remembered  in  Chi- 
cago. The  breathless  anxiety  of  the  public  throughout  Saturday 
night  and  Sunday  found  full  vent  at  an  early  hour  on  Monday. 
At  nine  o'clock  this  dispatch  was  received :  "Fort  Donelson  is 
ours.'  The  dispatch  was  read  to  the  crowd  on  the  street.  It  was 
followed  by  a  pause  whose  hushed  stillness  might  be  felt,  and  then 
broke  out  such  a  cheer  as  men  do  not  often  hear  in  a  lifetime.  The 
scene  that  followed  beggars  description.  Men  went  crazy  with 
delight.  We  have  in  our  eye  the  spectacle  of  strong  men  weeping 
amid  the  shouts  they  gave.  One  elderly  and  sedate  judge  threw 
himself  bodily  upon  a  stout  member  of  the  bar  and  the  two  embraced 
like  urchins  just  blessed  with  a  holiday.  We  do  not  forget  the 
loved  ones  who  were  in  the  fight ;  but  grief  however  is  lightened 
of  half  its  load  by  this  victory,  and  while  sympathy  will  drop  a  tear 
for  the  bereaved,  humanity  will  bless  God  for  a  great  work  accom- 
plished in  Liberty  avenged  and  triumphant,  while  Treason  totters 
to  its  crumbling  base.  .  .  .  There  were  thirty  Illinois  regi- 
ments engaged  in  the  contest.  Here  in  Chicago  the  feeling  of  sus- 
pense is  painful  in  the  extreme,  as  some  thousand  of  our  boys  were 
in  the  fight.  .  .  .  Chicago  was  on  the  rampage  yesterday : 
was  crazv  with  delieht  and  inspne  with  jubilation  upon  receipt  of 
the  gloriotis  news  from  Fort  Donelson.  In  fact  Chicago  didn't 
care  an  expletive  whether  the  school  house  was  kept  open  or  not. 
The  people  heard  nothing,  saw  nothine,  knew  nothing,  except  that 
our  bovs  had  taken  Fort  Donelson.  The  revulsion  of  feeling  and 
the  sudden  and  magical  change  from  Sunday  was  most  noticeable. 
Like  lightning  the  glorious  intelligence  sped  from  lip  to 
lip  and  men  wrung  each  others'  hands :  embraced  each  other ; 
rushed  hither  nnd  thither  shouting  the  glad  news,  all  the  more 
gladlv  that  the  thirty  regiments  of  Illinois  troops  had  so  noblv  vin- 
dicated the  old  flag  and  added  new  incentives  for  State  pride  and 
shed  new  glory  upon  State  arms.  Hour  by  hour  the  dispatches 


452  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

came,  each  received  with  wild  shouts  of  ecstacy  until  men  fairly 
grew  crazy.  The  excitement  culminated  in  the  intelligence  that 
the  renegade  Buckner  was  captured.  Shout  after  shout  rent  the 
air.  Men  sang  and  danced  and  indulged  in  all  sorts  of  patriotic 
gymnastics.  Flags  were  flung  out  from  every  window  and  roof- 
tree  and  across  every  street.  Everywhere  the  air  was  resonant 
with  thrilling  strains  of  music  pealing  out  national  anthems.  The 
bells  rang  with  a  wild  jubilatory  tintinnabulation.  The  windows 
of  the  hotels  swarmed  with  the  ladies  who  answered  the  shout  be- 
low with  the  waving  of  handkerchiefs.  At  no  time  in  our  remem- 
brance has  Chicago  so  suddenly,  so  spontaneously,  so  thoroughly 
burst  into  a  wild  delirium  of  joy  and  rejoicing  as  yesterday.  .  . 
Judge  Manierre's  court  room  was  in  a  whirl  of  excitement  and 
the  officers  attempted  to  check  the  uproar.  The  Court  arose,  and 
letting  legal  dignity,  law  books,  and  law  cases  slide,  fairly  carried 
away  with  the  fire  and  enthusiasm  of  the  moment,  proposed  three 
cheers  for  the  victory.  Three  rousing  cheers  were  given  and  the 
Court  adjourned  for  the  day.  In  the  United  States  Court,  Superior 
Court,  and  Recorder's  Court,  the  same  scenes  took  place." 

The  whole  city  was  on  the  streets.  Camp  Douglas  was  fur- 
nished the  news  by  fast  messengers.  In  a  few  minutes  the  entire 
camp  was  ablaze  with  lights  and  bonfires  and  ringing  with  the 
cheers  of  the  volunteers.  At  night  the  theaters  appropriately  rec- 
ognized the  victory.  Miss  Anderson  of  the  Rob  Roy  company 
grouped  her  players  as  the  American  flag  and  then  sang  the  "Star 
Spangled  Banner."  The  bright  men  of  the  board  of  trade  went 
wilder  than  they  ever  had  in  any  wheat  panic ;  they  adopted  appro- 
priate resolutions.  Half  a  dozen  impromptu  meetings  assembled. 
H.  G.  Miller  presided  over  one  in  the  courthouse.  Immediate 
steps  were  taken  to  care  for  the  wounded.  A  large  sum  of  money 
was  subscribed,  but  the  following  committee  of  ten  was  appointed 
to  collect  more ;  N.  P.  Fairbanks,  C.  G.  Wicker,  Doctor  McVickar, 
A.  D.  Titsworth,  William  Bross,  Walter  B.  Scates,  Grant  Good- 
rich, S.  G.  Catlin,  George  Manierre,  and  A.  E.  Kent.  Among  the 
speakers  at  this  meeting  were  C.  G.  Wicker,  Mark  Skinner,  Mayor 
Rumsey,  Dr.  J.  V.  Z.  Blaney,  and  Charles  Walker.  A  total  of 
$2,783.80  was  subscribed  the  first  evening.  Nurses  were  sent  to 
Cairo  to  meet  and  care  for  the  wounded.  A  disbursing  committee 
of  fifteen  was  also  sent  to  that  city.  The  Tribune  said,  "If  the  day 
was  exciting  the  night  was  Bedlamite."  A  humorous  proclamation 
issued  in  the  forenoon  that  "any  person  found  sober  after  nine 
o'clock  in  the  evening  would  be  arrested,"  was  taken  literally  and 
apparently  accomplished  its  object.  The  city  was  illuminated  with 
rockets,  lights  and  bonfires.  The  rebel  General  Floyd  was  hung 
in  effigy  by  the  North  Market  boys  and  then  burned. 

Everv  battery  at  Camp  Douglas  was  now  called  to  take  the  field. 
Now  it  became  certain  that  rebel  prisoners  would  soon  be  at  Camp 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  453 

Douglas.  On  February  19  it  was  announced  that  7,000  would  ar- 
rive the  following  Saturday;  this  news  caused  a  great  sensation. 
The  newspapers  noted  that  during  the  big  war  meetings  held  at  this 
time,  disloyal  women  objected  to  the  wearing  of  red,  white  and 
blue  as  "it  was  distasteful  to  them."  The  Sanitary  Commission 
had  for  some  time  been  sending  out  from  twelve  to  fifteen  boxes 
daily.  Twenty  car  loads  of  Fort  Donelson  prisoners  arrived  here 
February  21  over  the  Illinois  Central  railway.  At  this  time  Col. 
Arno  Voss  was  commandant  at  Camp  Douglas ;  he  ordered  that  no 
person  be  permitted  to  see  the  prisoners  without  a  pass.  The 
prisoners  were  from  Tennessee,  Texas,  Mississippi  and  Alabama. 

Scarcely  had  they  been  established  in  their  quarters  than  the 
leading  Secessionists  here  inaugurated  the  plan  of  lionizing  them 
and  supplying  them  with  food,  clothing,  delicacies  and  comfort. 
This  course  caused  much  indignation,  and  the  Board  of  Trade 
passed  resolutions  condemning  the  act.  The  first  lot  of  prisoners 
numbered  about  3,200.  About  1,500  more  arrived  on  February 
23.  Colonel  Tucker  again  took  command  of  the  camp  February 
23.  There  was  a  great  rush  of  visitors  to  see  the  prisoners.  One- 
half  of  the  Chicago  Relief  committee  of  fifteen  sent  to  Cairo  con- 
tinued on  to  Fort  Donelson.  On  February  28  there  were  4.459 
prisoners  at  the  camp.  They  were  in  such  bad  condition  upon  their 
arrival  that  they  began  to  die  rapidly ;  soon  200  to  300  were  in  the 
hospital,  but  all  were  given  reasonable  care  and  attention,  and  all 
had  the  same  food  that  was  furnished  the  Union  soldiers.  On 
March  4  about  325  were  in  the  Camp  hospital.  The  dead  were 
buried  in  the  city  cemetery.  The  County  War  Fund  committee 
reported  about  March  1,  1862,  that  they  had  supplied  money  to  441 
families  and  paid  out  $10,236.63.  Colonel  Mulligan  was  com- 
mandant at  the  camp  in  March,  1862.  The  Camp  Douglas  Hos- 
pital association  of  ladies  were  doing  excellent  work.  The  fight 
between  the  Merrimac  and  Monitor  roused  everybody  early  in 
March.  Rebel  sympathizers  held  regular  consultations  with  the 
rebel  prisoners.  At  first  the  prisoners  were  submissive,  but  under 
such  influence  soon  became  outspoken  and  violent.  About  March 
8  visitors  were  forbidden  at  Camp  Douglas. 

The  special  message  of  President  Lincoln  in  March,  1862,  rec- 
ommending gradual  and  compensated  emancipation,  was  well  re- 
ceived here.  The  Tribune  favored  freeing  the  slaves  at  once  and 
arming  them.  When  President  Lincoln  modified  General  Fre- 
mont's proclamation  concerning  the  slaves  in  1861,  the  Tribune 
opposed  the  President. 

The  Democratic  Invincible  Club,  a  partisan  organization,  had 
been  established  here  many  years  before  March,  1862.  They  held 
meetings  everv  Tuesday  night,  and  were  outspoken  against  the 
war.  Often  the  orators  spoke  entirely  from  the  Southern  stand- 
point. Rev.  Wm.  G.  Brownlow  ("Parson")  was  publicly  received 


454:  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

here  April  9  and  delivered  one  of  his  characteristic  addresses  in 
which  he  paid  special  attention  to  the  Times.  On  April  14  there 
arrived  here  about  1,500  rebel  prisoners  from  Island  No.  10.  Chi- 
cago men  killed  at  Shiloh  were  to  be  brought  here,  so  it  was  de- 
cided, and  buried  in  a  lot  at  Graceland  donated  by  Thomas  B. 
Bryan.  The  deaths  of  rebel  prisoners  at  Camp  Douglas  prior  to 
April  18  were  219.  Henry  C.  Work's  famous  song  "Kingdom 
Coming"  was  very  popular  at  this  time.  Colonel  Mulligan  raised 
a  battery  here  early  in  1862  and  received  his  guns — four  6-pound- 
ers  on  April  18.  At  this  time  the  Scotch  regiment  under  Col.  D. 
Cameron  was  at  Camp  Douglas. 

News  of  the  battle  of  Shiloh  was  slow  in  reaching  Chicago,  but 
when  it  came  the  anxiety  and  suspense  were  intense.  The  Trib- 
une of  April  10  said,  "Our  brave  Western  troops  have  achieved 
another  glorious  victory  in  Tennessee.  The  whole  country  from 
Maine  to  California  is  in  a  blaze  of  excitement.  The  valor  of  our 
men,  the  sacredness  of  our  cause  and  the  imperishable  glory  of  the 
result — all  conspire  to  make  this  a  most  memorable  day."  The 
Board  of  Trade  promptly  donated  $5,000  and  raised  $975.50  addi- 
tional to  care  for  the  wounded.  Nineteen  physicians  and  over 
forty  volunteer  nurses  (men)  left  for  Cairo  at  five  o'clock  p.  M., 
April  9,  taking  with  them  104  boxes  of  hospital  supplies.  They 
chartered  a  special  train  and  on  the  way  down  thoroughly  organ- 
ized themselves  for  work.  At  Cairo  the  hospital  boat  "Louisiana" 
was  placed  at  their  command  and  on  April  11  at  4  o'clock  p.  M., 
they  reached  Pittsburg  Landing  and  immediately  went  to  work. 
They  distributed  apples,  butter,  dessiccated  vegetables,  tapioca, 
brandy,  bandages,  tea,  tin  cups,  oranges,  lemons,  eggs,  brooms, 
bed  ticks,  pillows,  socks,  drawers,  plasters,  chambers,  urinals,  etc. 
The  commission,  upon  their  return,  said :  "We  busied  ourselves  till 
after  midnight  in  waiting  upon  these  sad  objects  brought  from  the 
tents  on  the  bank  through  the  rain,  groaning  with  pain  at  the 
motion,  with  filthy  clothing,  and  wounds  that  had  not  been  dressed 
since  the  day  of  the  battle,  many  with  limbs  needing  amputation, 
or  balls  not  yet  extracted  from  their  bodies.  Oh,  how  gratefully 
they  received  the  soft  beds,  the  clean  shirts  and  drawers  and  the 
refreshing  water  and  lemonade." 

It  was  found  necessary  to  build  a  prison  in  Camp  Douglas  for 
the  close  confinement  and  punishment  of  offenders.  It  was  built 
of  heavy  oak,  and  the  first  story  had  no  windows  and  was  the  dark 
room  into  which  malefactors  were  placed  when  severe  punishment 
was  meted.  This  jail  was  called  "White  Oak"  and  in  the  end  was 
something  of  a  terror.  Squads  of  rebel  prisoners  continued  to 
arrive  weekly  or  oftener  and  escapes  were  frequent.  At  this  time 
there  were  about  twenty-five  rebel  surgeons  confined  in  Camp 
Douglas.  They  were  permitted  on  daily  paroles  to  visit  the  city 
for  supplies,  etc.  News  of  the  capture  of  New  Orleans  was  re- 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  455 

ceived  with  joy.  Members  of  the  Chicago  artillery,  killed  at  Shi- 
loh,  were  brought  here  and  with  much  ceremony  buried  at  rose 
Hill.  Before  this  there  was  organized  here  the  Chicago  Female 
Nurse's  association.  Rev.  Dwight  L.  Moody,  who  had  spent  three 
weeks  on  the  Shiloh  battlefield  described  his  experiences  at  Bryan 
hall  in  May.  General  Sigel  visited  Chicago  in  May,  1862,  and  was 
serenaded  at  the  Tremont  house;  he  spoke  from  the  balcony. 

There  were  hurried  calls  from  the  front  for  troops  in  May,  1862. 
The  Ellsworth  Zouaves,  Light  Guard  and  Home  Militia  were  left 
alone  to  guard  Camp  Douglas.  Soon  they  were  joined  by  the  An- 
derson Rifles  under  Captain  Cole.  The  confiscation  bill  gave  satis- 
faction here  to  all  who  favored  the  war.  In  May  Cook  county 
learned  that  one  or  two  regiments  for  the  three  months'  service 
would  have  to  be  raised.  Promptly  a  big  war  meeting  was  called 
in  Metropolitan  hall  on  May  24.  Mayor  Sherman  presided.  Ad- 
jutant-General Fuller,  from  Springfield,  explained  the  call.  Wash- 
ington, the  capital,  was  in  danger.  All  organized  bodies  must  be 
sent  forward,  and  short  time  men  must  be  raised  to  take  their 
places.  Within  a  few  days  a  dozen  recruiting  offices  were  opened 
in  the  county.  By  May  30  Captain  Bond  had  35  enrolled ;  Captain 
Van  Buren,  35 ;  Captain  Hall,  34 ;  Captain  Manchester,  60 ;  Cap- 
tain Caldwell,  34;  the  Signal  Guards,  40;  Captain  Hallagren,  35; 
Captain  Heilig,  40;  Captain  Freund,  12;  Captain  Turner,  40; 
Captain  Dudley,  60,  and  others  smaller  numbers.  Other  war 
meetings  were  held.  Order  No.  3  of  General  Halleck  forbidding 
fugitive  slaves  to  enter  his  lines,  was  severely  denounced  by  the 
Tribune  and  others.  About  1.000  rebel  prisoners  were  sent  to 
Camp  Douglas  from  Madison,  Wis.,  so  that  the  Nineteenth  Wis- 
consin regiment  could  take  the  field. 

Mulligan's  battery  was  ready  for  the  field  June  2,  1862.  By  this 
date  496  rebel  prisoners  had  died  at  Camp  Douglas.  Cook  county 
was  now  being  recompensed  by  the  Government  for  the  money 
spent  in  equipping  the  earliest  companies  sent  to  the  field.  A  total 
of  310  families  of  soldiers  were  receiving  assistance  in  June,  1862, 
from  the  County  War  Fund  committee.  The  report  showed  that 
they  had  been  paid  regularly  on  borrowed  money.  Captain  Round's 
Emmet  Guards  were  ready  June  7,  1862.  The  War  committee  of 
the  Young  Men's  Christian  association  held  regular  meetings  while 
the  war  continued  and  sent  large  quantities  of  papers,  magazines 
and  books  to  the  various  hospitals. 

In  June,  1862,  Camp  Douglas,  which  had  been  enlarged,  em- 
braced 114  acres,  but  had  at  first  only  87  acres.  On  June  8,  1862, 
there  were  8,962  rebel  prisoners  confined  there.  About  2,000  more 
could  be  accommodated.  Their  rations  consisted  of  potatoes,  pork, 
beef,  flour,  beans,  rice,  coffee,  sugar,  molasses,  vinegar,  soap,  can- 
dles— in  all  respects  just  the  same  as  the  Union  soldiers  there. 
They  were  required  to  exercise  regularly  and  were  permitted  to 


456  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

play  ball,  pitch  quoits,  etc.  Of  the  prisoners  5,717  had  come  from 
Fort  Donelson;  736  from  Shiloh;  1,809  from  Island  No.  10,  and 
700  from  other  places.  The  Scotch  regiment  and  the  Irish  brigade 
left  for  the  East  early  in  June,  1862. 

The  Tribune  of  June  10,  1862,  said,  "A  Day  of  Rejoicing. — 
Yesterday  was  a  day  of  general  rejoicing  and  jubilation  over  the 
glorious  news  from  Memphis.  Everybody  was  happy  and  over- 
flowed with  joy  at  the  downfall  of  that  prison  hole  of  secession  in 
the  Southwest.  The  rejoicing  was  doubly  significant  from  the  fact 
that  probably  not  less  than  five  hundred  of  our  citizens  were  ex- 
pelled from  Memphis  by  the  Regulators.  A  still  greater  number 
had  property  and  business  interests  there  confiscated  by  the  rebels. 
Many  of  our  citizens  were  not  only  driven  out,  but  were  beggared 
by  the  sweeping  confiscation.  Hence  their  great  joy  at  the  over- 
throw of  this  nest  of  secession." 

The  Sixty-seventh  regiment  of  three  months'  men  under  Col. 
R.  M.  Hough  was  placed  on  guard  at  Camp  Douglas  about  June 
10.  The  splendid  letter  of  Governor  Yates  to  President  Lincoln 
in  July,  1862,  advocating  a  still  more  vigorous  prosecution  of  the 
war,  struck  a  responsive  chord  in  many  loyal  hearts  here.  Green- 
backs began  to  make  their  appearance.  When  they  first  arrived 
the  Democratic  county  treasurer  refused  to  receive  them  in  pay- 
ment of  taxes.  The  Tribune  of  July  16,  1862,  said,  "One  of  'Bin. 
— The  man  in  the  city  of  Chicago  who  is  most  blatant  and  abusive 
in  his  talk  of  Republicans,  designating  them  as  "nigger  worshipers," 
promoters  of  "nigger  equality,"  etc.,  is,  we  are  told  by  good  author- 
ity, the  father  of  at  least  five  children  by  a  negro  woman — not  a 
yellow  woman,  but  a  regular  African  with  all  the  peculiarities  of 
her  race.  And  it  is  hinted  by  our  informant  that  of  these  children 
four  were  sold  into  slavery  by  their  father  though  the  mother  was 
free.  Of  such  are  the  Secession  Democracy."  The  Tribune  of 
July  19,  said,  "Chicago  is  full  of  Secessionists — a  startling  but  true 
assertion.  There  are  Secessionists  in  our  schools,  in  our  churches, 
in  almost  every  civic  organization  in  Chicago.  There  is  scarcely 
a  hotel  in  the  city  that  does  not  contain  them.  You  will  find  them 
in  every  saloon,  and  in  some  of  these  holes  it  is  fairly  unsafe  to 
proclaim  yourself  an  unconditional  Union  man.  You  can  find  them 
on  the  street  corners.  It  was  not  an  insignificant  boast  nor  an  in- 
frequent one,  made  yesterday  at  the  corner  of  Clark  and  Randolph 
streets,  that.  'By  God,  Jeff  Davis  will  be  up  here  pretty  soon  and 
then  we  will  fix  things  all  right.'  It  is  not  unknown  to  everybody 
that  a  law  office  in  this  city  is  in  the  confidence  of  the  Confederate 
Government  and  that  it  received  funds  to  pay  out  to  the  Confederate 
surgeons  at  Camp  Douglas.  It  may  be  a  matter  of  news  to  some, 
but  not  to  all,  that  regular  meetings  of  Secessionists  are  held  in  this 
city,  at  which  most  treasonable  sentiments  are  uttered,  and  at  these 
festive  orgies,  healths  to  Jeff  Davis  and  his  crew  are  drunk,  some- 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  457 

time  with  as  much  enthusiasm  as  to  be  audible  to  parties  in  the 
street." 

The  Union  Defence  committee  called  a  mass  meeting  at  Bryan 
hall  on  July  19,  1862,  for  the  purpose  of  devising  measures  to  meet 
the  last  call  for  volunteers.  They  asked  the  Board  of  Trade,  the 
Mercantile  association,  Young  Men's  association,  Young  Men's 
Christian  association  and  the  Common  Council  for  assistance.  An 
extra  session  of  the  County  Board  was  also  called.  The  meeting 
assembled  and  Thomas  B.  Bryan  presided.  He  delivered  the  open- 
ing speech,  and  was  followed  by  Doctor  Tiffany,  H.  G.  Miller, 
Robert  S.  Wilson,  J.  Y.  Scammon,  George  Steele,  E.  C.  Larned, 
J.  C.  Van  Arman,  Rev.  W.  W.  Patten,  and  others.  Mr.  Scammon 
said  he  had  already  given  $50,000  and  his  only  son  for  the  war, 
but  would  give  $50,000  more.  George  C.  Cook  offered  $200 
bounty  for  the  first  two  volunteers.  Eliphalet  Wood  and  J.  H. 
McVicker  made  similar  offers.  George  Manierre,  chairman  of 
the  committee  on  resolutions,  introduced  them  with  a  strong  speech 
and  they  were  unanimously  adopted.  The  speech  by  E.  C.  Larned 
was  especially  eloquent  and  loyal.  At  its  conclusion  J.  G.  Lumbard 
sang  "Three  Hundred  Thousand  More,"  with  thrilling  effect.  One 
verse  was  as  follows : 

"If  you  look  upon  our  valleys  where  the  growing  harvests  shine, 
You  may  see  our  sturdy  farmer  boys  fast  forming  into  line; 
And  children  from  their  mothers'  knees  are  pulling  at  the  weeds, 
And  learning  how  to  reap  and  sow  to  meet  their  country's  needs; 
And  a  farewell  group  stands  weeping  at  every  cottage  door; 
We  are  corning,  Father  Abraham — three  hundred  thousand  more." 

The  resolutions  adopted  recommended  a  county  tax  to  be  used 
as  a  bounty  to  raise  volunteers — $200,000  asked  for,  $100  to  each 
volunteer.  T.  J.  Sloan  of  Sloan's  Commercial  college  announced 
that  he  and  others  had  just  raised  two  full  companies  for  the  war. 
J.  H.  Read  &  Co.,  druggists,  subscribed  $500;  J.  L.  Hancock,  $500; 
A.  C.  Hesing  said  he  was  willing  to  take  the  field  at  the  head  of  a 
company  or  a  regiment  of  colored  troops.  The  same  evening  a 
big  meeting  in  the  courthouse  square  was  addressed  by  George  C. 
Bates,  Robert  S.  Blackwell,  William  C.  Goudy,  Robert  Collyer,  U. 
F.  Linder,  E.  G.  Asay  and  Gilbert  C.  Walker.  Still  another  meet- 
ing at  Metropolitan  hall  was  addressed  by  John  Knox,  U.  F.  Lin- 
der, and  William  K.  McAllister.  The  war  people  were  terribly  in 
earnest,  but  the  volunteers  were  slow  in  coming  forward,  because 
definite  bounty  was  not  yet  offered. 

In  this  emergency  the  Board  of  Trade  came  bravely  to  the  rescue. 
Previous  to  July  19,  1862,  they  had  given  about  $10,000  to  the 
war.  Now  they  resolved  to  raise  a  battery  and  appropriated  $10,- 
000  with  which  to  raise  the  volunteers.  They  subscribed  $5,121 
in  a  few  minutes  the  first  evening — July  21.  By  July  23,  the  sub- 
scriptions amounted  to  $17,000  and  172  volunteers  were  enrolled — 


458  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

more  than  enough  for  the  battery.  This  was  accomplished  so 
quickly,  that  the  Board  resolved  to  raise  a  whole  regiment  and  im- 
mediately began  work.  A  dozen  or  more  fragmental  companies 
were  promptly  turned  over  to  the  Board  of  Trade  regiment.  Cap- 
tains Williams  and  Robinson  furnished  nearly  two  companies.  The 
Young  Men's  Christian  association,  upon  certain  conditions  and 
through  the  influence  of  J.  V.  Farwell  and  J.  C.  Wright,  tendered 
five  companies  for  the  regiment.  All  this  gave  assurance  of  the 
speedy  completion  of  a  full  regiment  in  addition  to  the  battery. 
The  County  Board  passed  the  asked-for  $200,000  ordinance  and  or- 
dered the  levy  of  a  five  mill  tax  for  war  purposes.  By  July  25  the 
Board  of  Trade  fund  amounted  to  $29,000.  Other  immense  war 
meetings  were  held  July  26.  The  speakers  were  O.  H.  Tiffany, 
I.  N.  Arnold,  Colonel  Farnsworth,  Joseph  Knox,  Colonel  Eastman, 
Rev.  W.  H.  Ryder,  Daniel  Mcllroy,  Michael  McAuley,  S.  B. 
Perry,  Grant  Goodrich,  E.  C.  Larned,  R.  S.  Blackwell,  William 
Bross,  Henry  Greenebaum,  W.  S.  Cameron,  J.  S.  Wilson,  George 
C.  Bates,  Elliott  Anthony,  U.  F.  Linder,  Daniel  Brainard,  Lambert 
Tree,  J.  C.  Van  Arman,  E.  G.  Asay,  W.  Campbell,  Dr.  Davis  and 
Judge  Gookins.  Mr.  Sloan  agreed  to  furnish  six  full  companies 
if  the  Mercantile  association  would  furnish  the  other  four.  So 
easily  was  the  first  Board  of  Trade  regiment  raised,  that  the  Board 
determined  to  raise  a  second  one.  About  July  23,  1862,  a  band  of 
rebel  prisoners  at  Camp  Douglas,  assisted  by  Secessionist  friends 
here,  broke  out  and  escaped,  but  nearly  all  were  finally  recaptured. 
The  Tribune  of  July  25  said : 

"There  is  a  fact  vividly  brought  up  by  the  affair  at  Camp  Doug- 
las. It  points  most  clearly  to  an  active  rebel  element  in  this  city. 
The  whistles  and  signals  heard  in  the  vicinity  of  the  camp  through- 
out the  night,  the  attempted  assault  upon  a  Federal  officer  just  be- 
low the  camp  early  in  the  evening,  are  to  be  added  to  the  other 
facts.  If  there  is  evidence  implicating  the  citizens  of  Chicago  in 
acts  tending  to  incite  and  aid  outbreaks  at  Camp  Douglas  let  us 
have  the  needed  light  on  the  subject.  It  is  not  enough  for  Col.  J. 
H.  Tucker  to  point  to  a  pile  of  letters  in  his  possession,  seized  and 
intercepted  by  his  officers  and  men  and  avow  that  'in  those  letters 
exists  damning  evidence  against  manv  of  our  first  citizens,'  and 
that  at  such  exposure  of  the  writers  and  actors  'the  city  would  stand 
appalled'  and  the  development  'fall  like  a  thunderbolt' — we  want 
to  have  that  appallment  take  place.  It  is  preciselv  that  thunderbolt 
we  would  call  down.  He  is  recreant  to  his  trust  and  false  to  the 
country  whose  commission  he  bears,  if  he  withhold  the  evidence 
against  these  home  traitors  at  this  juncture.  Let  it  be  sent  to  the 
Secretary  of  War  at  once.  What  have  thev  been  doing — these 
Chicago  men  and  women  sympathizers  with  treason?  Go  to  the 
Provost  Marshal's  office  at  Camp  Douglas  and  see  a  wasron  load 
of  arms  and  ammunition  smuggled  in  by  their  agency  to  the  rebels. 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  459 

It  is  time  that  this  should  cease.  We  would  invoke  no  frenzied 
mob  to  drag  sleek  lawyers  and  smug  bankers  and  simpering  dillet- 
tanti  to  their  doom  at  the  lamp  posts;  least  of  all  would  we  make 
tender  women,  however  venturous  their  treason,  the  victims  of  pop- 
ular fury ;  but  we  ask  that  all  the  evidence  against  them  be  brought 
to  light  and  men  and  women,  rich  and  poor,  high  and  low,  punished 
as  traitors  unsparingly." 

Of  the  county  tax  of  $200,000  it  was  proposed  to  pay  $60  to  each 
recruit,  which,  with  the  $40  of  Government  bounty,  would  give 
each  volunteer  $100.  On  July  21  there  was  deposited  here  $2,500,- 
000,  brought  from  Cincinnati  to  escape  possible  capture  by  the 
rebel  army  which  threatened  that  city.  In  July,  1862,  a  draft  was 
threatened.  Late  in  July  the  Common  Council  ordered,  at  a  cost 
not  to  exceed  $30,000,  about  1,000  stand  of  arms  and  a  battery 
of  artillery  for  home  defense.  In  July  the  recruiting  was  lively  in 
the  extreme.  Nearly  fifty  would-be  captains  applied  to  the  adjutant 
general  for  authority  to  raise  companies.  The  express  companies 
here  offered  half  pay  to  those  of  their  employes  who  would  enlist. 
Authority  to  enlist  men  was  given  to  nearly  all  applicants,  but  they 
were  informed  that  unless  they  could  fill  their  companies  within 
ten  days  the  men  would  be  merged  with  other  squads.  Among  the 
men  recruiting  at  this  time  were  John  A.  Bross,  W.  P.  Knight, 
John  Reid,  A.  S.  Chadbourne,  E.  L.  Brainard,  D.  Whittle,  Stock- 
ton and  Chester,  Underwood  and  Sexton,  Holbrook  and  Mowry, 
J.  E.  Burk,  Joseph  Scates,  Jr..  G.  W.  Smith,  J.  R.  Morgan,  M.  R. 
Hawley,  Evarts  Van  Buren,  O.  H.  Miller,  Jesse  Ball,  H.  W.  Handy, 
Sylvester  Titsworth  and  N.  W.  Wright.  By  the  last  of  July  the 
Board  of  Trade  had  raised  its  battery  and  its  first  regiment  and  was 
well  advanced  in  its  second  regiment.  Governor  Yates  was  re- 
ceived here  July  30  with  a  salute  of  fifty  guns.  He  was  serenaded 
and  delivered  a  strong  speech.  Hon.  John  Sherman  of  Ohio,  who 
happened  to  be  in  the  city,  was  present  and  was  called  out.  In  his 
speech  he  used  these  words :  "I  regard  the  present  chief  magis- 
trate (Lincoln)  of  the  nation  as  a  pure,  patriotic  and  honest  man; 
but  he  is  unfortunate  in  some  degree  as  to  his  surroundings;  he 
has  not  yet  caught  the  spirit  which  should  animate  him  in  the  prose- 
cution of  this  gigantic  war.  We  have  used  honeyed  words  and  con- 
ciliatory terms  heretofore,  but  now  this  must  be  ended.  Now  we 
must  use  more  potent  instruments — every  means  which  God  has 
put  into  our  hands — bond  and  free,  white  and  black."  Time  showed 
that  he  was  wrong  and  Lincoln  was  right.  Had  not  the  latter 
used  just  the  policy  he  did,  he  would  not  have  received  the  sup- 
port of  war  Democrats,  without  whose  help  the  rebellion  would 
not  have  been  crushed  nor  the  Union  saved.  Governor  Kirkwood 
of  Iowa  also  made  a  speech  on  this  occasion.  Owen  Lovejoy 
delivered  a  speech  of  rare  power.  War  meetings  were  held  in  all 
parts  of  the  county — Palatine,  Evanston,  Blue  Island  and  Thorn- 


460  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

ton  leading.  A  Union  Typographical  battalion  was  started.  In- 
tense effort  was  made,  and  the  cry  at  every  war  meeting  was,  "Arm 
the  slaves!  Fight,  confiscate  and  emancipate!" 

A  resolution  of  the  Board  of  Trade  on  August  3,  1862,  caused 
an  inquiry  as  to  the  presence  of  traitors  in  Chicago.  A  committee 
appointed  to  investigate  reported  that  Colonel  Tucker  claimed  not 
to  be  in  possession  of  sufficient  evidence  to  warrant  action  against 
suspects.  Early  in  August,  when  the  call  for  600,000  more  men 
was  announced,  the  Tribune  said :  "The  country  will  hail  with 
joy  this  new  call.  It  means  that  the  work  of  every  citizen  from 
this  time  until  the  end  of  the  war  is  to  save  the  Republic.  The 
whole  trade  of  the  country  is  to  be  war  until  the  last  rebel  suc- 
cumbs. There  is  to  be  no  shrinking  now.  Six  hundred  thousand 
men!  What  joy  it  will  carry  throughout  the  lines  of  our  army 
to  know  that  in  ten  days  time  their  shattered  regiments  are  to  be 
filled  up,  that  our  fighting  force  is  to  be  more  than  one  million 
strong  with  another  million  ready  to  follow  if  need  be.  The  war 
has  begun  in  earnest,  and  henceforth  the  enemies  of  the  country 
will  not  be  spared  nor  sheltered." 

The  draft  was  threatened  early  in  August  and  dozens  of  cowards 
and  disloyalists  began  to  leave  for  Canada.  Disloyalty  was  ram- 
pant here  in  August.  On  August  3  a  Secessionist  tore  down  a 
Union  flag  at  557  Wabash  avenue.  In  all  parts  of  the  city  disloyalty 
was  openly  and  often  furiously  manifested.  Numerous  personal 
encounters  occurred.  Exempt  citizens  began  to  form  a  company 
of  home  guards.  The  Tribune  of  August  6,  8  and  10  said :  "The 
cowards'  hegira  for  Canada  still  continues,  and  people  are  leaving 
daily  for  that  region,  which  is  soon  likely  to  be  populated  with 
sneaks.  Why  cannot  martial  law  be  proclaimed  here  at  once  until 
after  the  draft  and  stop  the  cowards?  .  .  .  "The  Coivards. — Two 
hundred  and  fifty  cowards  left  by  the  Central  line  and  lake  for  the 
Canadas  on  Monday,  we  understand  to  avoid  the  draft.  A  woman 
ought  to  be  stationed  at  every  landing  place  in  Canada  to  horsewhip 
them  back.  Shame  on  the  sneaks!"  .  .  .  "Sneaks. — Seven  hun- 
dred cowards  left  on  the  evening  train  of  the  Michigan  Central 
Wednesday  night  for  Canada.  At  Ainsworth  station  (South  Chi- 
cago) four  wagon  loads  of  sneaks,  leaving  the  city  to  avoid  the 
draft,  took  passage  for  Her  Majesty's  dominions."  .  .  .  "Chicago 
is  at  last  under  martial  law  and  the  exodus  of  cowards  and  sneaks 
is  henceforth  to  be  stopped.  Every  man  hereafter  must  stand  by 
his  post  will  he  nill  he.  For  nearly  a  week  our  city  has  presented 
the  disgraceful  spectacle  of  full-grown,  able-bodied  men  slinking 
off  to  Canada  like  whipped  curs,  by  rail  and  lake,  with  no  apparent 
method  of  stopping  them.  The  prompt  and  stern  action  of  the  War 
Department,  however,  has  put  a  period  to  this  hegira." 

In  August,  1862,  Dr.  Levi  D.  Boone,  ex-mayor  of  Chicago,  was 
arrested  for  furnishing  money  to  rebel  prisoners  at  Camp  Douglas 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  461 

contrary  to  orders,  and  was  confined  at  the  camp,  but  later  managed 
to  explain  what  he  had  done,  to  the  partial  satisfaction  of  the 
authorities,  and  was  released.  In  August  the  enrollment  of  all 
persons  liable  to  do  military  duty  was  carried  into  effect.  The 
draft  was  fixed  to  begin  August  15  unless  the  quota  was  full  by  that 
date.  Many  persons  bound  for  Canada  were  arrested — nineteen 
were  taken  August  8  at  Hyde  Park,  where  they  had  gone  to  board 
the  train.  Men  going  East  were  required  to  have  passes. 

There  was  much  indignation  expressed  here  in  August,  1862, 
over  the  court-martial  of  Col.  John  B.  Turchin.  He  was  called  a 
martyr  and  was  tendered  an  immense  and  enthusiastic  reception 
upon  his  arrival  here  August  19.  Colonel  Turchin  in  the  end  was 
made  a  brigadier  general  and  the  court-martial  was  set  aside.  The 
charge  against  him  was  disobedience  of  orders  for  failing  to  protect 
the  property  of  rebels  in  his  district  in  Alabama. 

By  August  7,  1862,  the  following  recruits  had  recently  been 
raised  here:  By  Chandler,  140  men;  Holbrook,  116;  WilliamSj 
eighty-two;  Cooley,  101 ;  James,  Jr.,  fifty-six;  Bruning,  twenty-five; 
Murphy,  twenty-one;  Kelly,  twenty-nine;  Weihe,  twelve;  Greenhut, 
forty-five;  Breman,  thirty-three;  Whittle,  sixty-two;  Brainard, 
sixty;  Bross,  eighty;  Underwood,  eighty;  Casey,  forty;  Horton, 
about  100;  Smith,  twenty-five;  Morgan,  fifty-three;  G.  S.  Hubbard, 
about  400;  Swarthout,  fifty;  Hughes,  eighty;  Prior,  seventy-two; 
Hall,  forty-two ;  Spaulding,  about  a  dozen ;  Chester,  eighty ;  Board 
of  Trade  battery,  160  strong — in  all  about  1,878  men.  Previous 
to  4  o'clock  P.  M._,  August  8,  1862,  the  War  Fund  committee  of  the 
County  Board  had  paid  $60  to  each  of  700  volunteers — total, 
$42,000.  It  was  found  necessary,  owing  to  the  occupation  of  Camp 
Douglas  by  the  rebel  prisoners,  to  form  other  camps  for  the  Union 
recruits.  Camp  Hancock  was  located  a  few  hundred  yards  south 
of  Camp  Douglas.  A  big  camp  was  at  Wright's  Grove  on  the 
North  Side.  Capt.  C.  P.  Bradley  was  acting  provost  marshal.  The 
exempt  battalion  of  home  guards  numbered  412  by  August  9.  By 
August  1 1  Board  of  Trade  subscriptions  amounted  to  $48,779.  The 
Tribune  of  August  16  said :  "Sheriff  Hesing  yesterday  mustered 
in  101  volunteers  in  the  little  towns  of  Palatine  and  Barrington 
in  this  county.  They  are  all  farmer  boys.  Palatine  and  Barrington 
will  have  hardly  enough  men  left  to  take  care  of  the  women  and 
children." 

A  big  war  meeting  in  the  interest  of  the  Irish  legion  was  held 
at  Bryan  hall,  the  leaders  being  Father  Dunne  and  Thomas  J.  Kin- 
sella.  In  August  the  Jews  of  Chicago  subscribed  $6,000  and 
pledged  $4,000  more  for  a  Jew  company  to  be  organized.  The 
new  Catling  gun,  invented  by  Dr.  R.  J.  Gatling  of  Indianapolis, 
was  exhibited  here  August  13.  The  captains  of  the  First  Board  of 
Trade  regiment  were  Stockton,  James,  Sexton,  Holbrook.  Curtiss, 
Prior,  French,  Williams,  Haynie  and  Reid.  By  August  15,  when 


462  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

the  draft  was  to  begin,  there  had  been  recruited  here  under  the 
last  call  about  3,700  men,  of  whom  probably  two-thirds  were  from 
Cook  county.  The  Second  Board  of  Trade  regiment  was  about 
ready  and  the  Third  was  commenced.  So  great  was  the  demand 
for  bread  in  August  from  the  large  numbers  of  rebel  prisoners  and 
Union  recruits  in  this  vicinity  that  the  bakers  ran  short  and  con- 
tinued to  be  so  for  several  days.  The  Palatine  company  under 
Captin  Sutherland  was  named  Bradwell  guards  to  signalize  the 
fact  that  J.  B.  Bradwell  had  done  much  to  raise  it.  The  Railroad 
regiment,  composed  largely  of  railway  employes,  was  started  here 
in  July,  1862.  By  August  19  the  first  two  Board  of  Trade  regi- 
ments were  ready  for  the  field  and  the  third  has  seven  companies 
recruited.  By  August  19  the  $200,000  county  war  bonds  had  been 
sold  to  C.  C.  Parks  &  Co.  of  Chicago,  bankers,  and  G.  S.  Robbin 
&  Sons  of  New  York,  at  a  little  above  par.  Col.  F.  A.  Starring 
became  commander  of  the  First  Board  of  Trade  regiment.  In 
August  the  soldiers  here  were  paid  in  greenbacks.  The  First  Board 
of  Trade  regiment  became  the  Seventy-second  Illinois.  Capt. 
W.  B.  Holbrook's  men  received  the  stand  of  colors  offered  by 
Gilbert  Hubbard  &  Co.  and  the  $100  offered  by  C.  H.  Walker,  by 
becoming  the  first  company  organized  for  the  First  Board  of  Trade 
regiment.  This  command  left  Camp  Hancock,  near  Camp  Douglas, 
on  August  23  for  the  South  and  were  given  a  beautiful  and  cere- 
monious send-off.  The  Second  Board  of  Trade  regiment  became 
the  Eighty-eighth  Illinois,  the  Railroad  regiment  became  the 
Eighty-ninth  Illinois,  and  the  Irish  regiment  became  the  Ninetieth. 
Dr.  Stanley  was  arrested  on  the  North  Side  in  August  on  account 
of  his  expressed  Secessionist  sentiments.  The  secrets  and  purposes 
of  the  Knights  of  the  Golden  Circle  were  published  here  in  August. 
James  H.  Stokes  became  captain  of  the  Board  of  Trade  battery, 
and  C.  G.  Cooley  of  the  Mercantile  battery.  Recruits  were  being 
sent  to  all  the  old  regiments  in  the  field. 

John  Ross,  chief  of  the  Cherokees  in  Indian  Territory,  a 
thorough  Union  man,  and  his  party  of  fifty  persons  passed  through 
Chicago  late  in  August,  1862,  on  their  way  to  Washington;  they 
stopped  at  the  Adams  house.  Frank  T.  Sherman,  son  of  Mayor 
Sherman,  became  colonel  of  the  Second  Board  of  Trade  regiment. 
Governor  Campbell  of  Tennessee  was  here  August  29  and  secured 
the  release  of  387  rebel  prisoners  who  took  the  oath  of  allegiance. 
Sloan's  Commercial  regiment  rendezvoused  at  Springfield.  The 
Railroad  regiment  rendezvoused  at  Cottage  Grove  near  Camp 
Douglas.  The  Second  Board  of  Trade  regiment  and  the  Railroad 
regiment  were  ordered  to  the  front  early  in  September,  1862.  All 
of  the  rebel  prisoners  at  Camp  Douglas,  having  been  exchanged, 
started  South  in  squads  early  in  September.  The  Christian  com- 
munity of  Chicago  generally  addressed  a  memorial  to  President 
Lincoln  in  September  praying  for  an  "emancipation  decree."  The 


MAP  OF 

ILLINOIS 

SHOWING        • 
COUNTY  BOUNDARIES 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  465 

big  meeting  held  to  prepare  this  memorial  was  presided  over  by 
Judge  Otis,  and  addressed  by  Owen  Lovejoy,  Grant  Goodrich, 
J.  W.  Wilson,  Dr.  O.  H.  Tiffany,  Rev.  T.  M.  Eddy,  Nathan  Culver, 
H.  L.  Hammond,  J.  E.  Ray,  Mark  Skinner,  Revs.  Evarts  and 
Pattoh,  and  others.  The  ladies  here  organized  a  new  War  Relief 
committee  in  September,  1862,  to  assist  the  Board  of  Trade  regi- 
ments ;  it  consisted  of  Mesdames  H.  Reynolds,  Van  Higgins,  O.  E. 
Hosmer,  Smith  Tinkham,  J.  C.  Haines,  C.  N.  Holden,  H.  M.  Sim- 
monds,  W.  V.  Coe,  J.  G.  Hamilton,  G.  M.  Gray,  M.  T.  Dewey  and 
E.  Peck. 

The  Railroad  regiment  was  commanded  by  Col.  John  Christopher. 
At  a  big  war  meeting  held  September  6,  1862,  on  the  courthouse 
square,  the  speakers  were  Gen.  S.  R.  Curtis  of  Iowa  and  Gen.  John 
A.  McClernand.  At  the  evening  meeting  in  Bryan  hall  the  speeches 
were  made  by  Lyman  Trumbull,  ex-Governor  Randall  of  Wiscon- 
sin, Gen.  H.  Walbridge  of  New  York,  and  General  McClernand. 
Powerful  resolutions  were  adopted ;  one  recommended  the  organiza- 
tion of  all  the  militia  of  the  state  by  Governor  Yates.  Another  war 
meeting  was  held  at  Bryan  hall  September  7.  The  County  War 
Fund  committee  reported  September  12  that  $199,260  bounty  had 
been  paid  to  2,321  volunteers.  Gen.  John  Pope,  fresh  from  the 
Army  of  the  Potomac,  was  here  September  12;  he  was  entertained 
at  the  Fremont  house.  Governor  Yates  appointed  John  C.  Haines 
draft  commissioner  for  Cook  county.  The  Third  Board  of  Trade 
regiment  was  completed  about  the  middle  of  September  and  be- 
came the  One  Hundred  and  Thirteenth  Illinois.  By  September  21 
there  were  no  rebel  prisoners  at  Camp  Douglas  except  those  in  the 
hospital;  the  barracks  were  thoroughly  renovated  after  their  de- 
parture. Soon  all  the  Union  squads  were  collected  there  and 
numbered  about  3,500,  consisting  of  six  regiments  and  three 
batteries  in  process  of  formation.  Col.  John  Van  Arman's  One 
Hundred  and  Twenty-seventh  regiment  was  nearly  ready.  The 
Ninety-third  regiment,  from  other  counties,  was  there.  The  Third 
Board  of  Trade  regiment  under  Colonel  Barry  was  about  complete. 

President  Lincoln's  Emancipation  Proclamation,  issued  in  Sep- 
tember, 1862,  to  take  effect  January  1,  1863,  was  heralded  here 
with  delight  by  the  Union  element  and  received  with  contempt  by 
the  Secessionists  or  Copperheads.  The  Abolitionists  particularly  and 
the  Tribune  were  almost  hysterical  with  joy.  The  Tribune  of  Sep- 
tember 3  said :  "President  Lincoln  has  set  his  hand  and  affixed 
the  great  seal  of  the  nation  to  the  grandest  proclamation  ever  issued 
by  man.  ...  So  splendid  a  vision  has  hardly  shone  upon  the 
world  since  the  day  of  the  Messiah.  From  the  date  of  this  proclama- 
tion begins  the  history  of  our  Republic  as  our  fathers  designed  to 
have  it — the  home  of  freedom,  the  asylum  of  the  oppressed,  the 
seat  of  justice,  the  land  of  equal  rights  under  the  law,  where  each 
man,  however  humble,  shall  be  entitled  to  life,  liberty  and  the  pur- 

Vol.   I — 27. 


466  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

suit  of  happiness.  Let  no  one  think  to  stay  the  glorious  reforma- 
tion. Every  day's  events  are  hastening  its  triumph,  and  whosoever 
shall  place  himself  in  its  way,  it  will  grind  him  to  powder." 

Five  regiments  and  three  batteries  at  Camp  Douglas — in  all 
nearly  5,000  troops — were  nearly  ready  by  September  23.  They 
had  come  from  all  parts  of  Northern  Illinois.  The  batteries  were 
Miller's  Elgin  and  the  Mercantile  of  Chicago.  Late  in  Septem- 
ber, 1862,  General  Tuttle,  then  at  Cairo,  telegraphed  to  Mayor 
Sherman,  asking  permission  to  send  to  Chicago  a  number  of  negroes 
and  requesting  him  to  appoint  a  committee  to  find  work  for  them, 
but  was  answered  in  the  negative  by  the  mayor,  and  the  Common 
Council  approved  his  course  by  a  vote  of  eleven  to  six.  The  Times 
and  the  Secessionists  here  generally  bitterly  and  fiercely  assailed 
President  Lincoln  for  the  Emancipation  Proclamation. 

Late  in  September  there  arrived  here  about  8,000  Union  soldiers 
who  had  been  captured  at  Harper's  Ferry  and  paroled.  They  were 
given  quarters  at  Camp  Douglas.  At  this  time  there  were  at  Camp 
Douglas  about  13,000  Union  troops  and  a  few  hundred  rebels. 
The  old  Kingsbury  block  in  Chicago  had  been  owned  by  Major 
Kingsbury  of  the  United  States  army,  whose  son,  Colonel  Kings- 
bury,  a  graduate  of  West  Point,  was  killed  at  Antietam,  aged  25 
years,  commanding  the  Eleventh  Connecticut  regiment.  Colonel 
Kingsbury  had  married  a  niece  of  President  Taylor.  His  sister  was 
the  wife  of  the  rebel  General  Buckner,  who  was  captured  by  Gen- 
eral Grant  at  Fort  Donelson.  General  Buckner  had  had  an  interest 
in  the  Kingsbury  block  in  Chicago,  but,  fearing  confiscation,  sold 
out  when  the  war  commenced  and  went  South.  Two  carloads  of 
negroes  arrived  here  October  6,  and  many  found  work  on  the 
adjacent  farms.  The  battles  of  luka,  Corinth  and  Perryville  roused 
the  citizens  in  October.  By  OctoberlO  there  had  arrived  here  thus 
far  in  1862  about  136,000  bales  of  cotton  on  their  way  East;  they 
were  immensely  valuable.  By  October  6  there  were  at  Camp  Doug- 
las and  vicinity  about  9,000  paroled  Union  troops  from  Harper's 
Ferry  and  about  7,000  new  recruits.  The  fair  grounds  adjacent 
were  occupied  by  part  of  them.  Immediately  after  tlie  Emancipa- 
tion Proclamation,  the  cry  of  the  Times  was  the  "Africanization  of 
Illinois."  War  meetings  were  held  throughout  the  county  in  Octo- 
ber, 1862— Worth,  Thornton,  Northfield,  East  Wheeling,  Evans- 
ton,  Blue  Island,  Palatine,  etc.  These  meetings  were  addressed  by 
I.  N.  Arnold,  Grant  Goodrich,  E.  C.  Larned,  A.  C.  Hesing,  L. 
Brentano,  J.  L.  King,  J.  B.  Bradwell  and  other  good  speakers  from 
Chicago.  In  October,  on  three  or  four  different  occasions,  fire  de- 
stroyed the  old  barracks  at  Camp  Douglas.  The  Tribune  of  October 
18  said :  "The  rapidity  with  which  these  fires  occur  precludes 
entirely  the  theory  of  accident  and  points  directly  to  camp  incen- 
diaries who  are  taking  this  method  to  abate  nuisances  of  which  there 
has  been  much  complaint."  Gen.  Ben  Prentiss,  of  Shiloh  fame, 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  467 

arrived  here  October,  1862,  and  was  given  a  formal  reception. 
Parson  Brownlow  delivered  one  of  his  unique  and  epigrammatic 
addresses  here  October  25.  The  Knights  of  the  Golden  Circle  held 
regular  meetings  here  during  1862.  The  following  recruits  were 
at  Camp  Douglas  October  31,  1862:  Ninetieth  regiment,  Colonel 
O'Mara,  781  men;  Ninety-third  regiment,  Colonel  Putman,  956 
men;  One  Hundred  and  Thirteenth  regiment  (Third  Board  of 
Trade),  Colonel  Hoge,  883  men;  One  Hundred  and  Twenty- 
seventh,  Colonel  Van  Arman,  156  men;  Elgin  battery,  Captain 
Rennick,  117  men;  total,  3,797  men.  The  Tribune  of  November 
3  said:  "It  is  reported  that  1,600  persons  who  have  been  in  the 
habit  of  voting  at  every  election  in  this  city  have  taken  out  British 
protection  papers  to  prevent  from  being  drafted." 

The  Third  Board  of  Trade  regiment  (One  Hundred  and  Thir- 
teenth), under  Colonel  Hoge,  left  for  Kentucky  on  November  6; 
only  four  of  its  companies  were  from  Cook  county.  The  Ninety- 
third,  Colonel  Putman,  left  for  the  same  field  November  9.  The 
Mercantile  battery  and  the  One  Hundred  and  Twenty-seventh  left 
November  8  and  9.  The  enrollment  of  September,  1862,  showed  in 
the  county  29,293  liable  to  draft,  and  that  3,839  had  enlisted  under 
the  recent  call.  The  War  Fund  committee  of  the  County  Board 
reported  about  December  1,  1862,  that  they  had  paid  $60  bounty 
to  each  of  3,633  men,  and  had  borrowed  $20,000  from  the  banks 
to  be  used  to  assist  soldiers'  families.  The  bounty  received  by  the 
soldiers  was  in  many  cases  placed  with  the  War  Fund  committee 
to  be  by  them  disbursed  to  the  families ;  and  as  the  soldiers  received 
their  pay  in  the  field  much  of  it  was  sent  to  the  committee  to  be 
likewise  disbursed.  In  December  two  men  named  Johnson  and 
Sheehan,  who  had  been  arrested  for  treason,  confined  in  Fort  La- 
fayette and  released,  tried  to  deliver  treasonable  speeches  from  the 
balcony  of  the  Sherman  house,  but  were  hissed  and  hooted  down 
by  the  people.  They  were  permitted  to  say  what  they  desired  before 
the  Invincible  club,  a  Democratic  political  organization. 

About  December  31,  1862,  the  Board  of  Trade  passed  the  fol- 
lowing resolution :  "Resolved,  By  this  Board  of  Trade,  while  dis- 
claiming all  partisan  feeling  and  being  actuated  by  no  other  motive 
than  the  public  welfare  and  the  fair  fame  of  our  city,  that  the 
Chicago  Times  is  unworthy  of  countenance  or  support  and  that  the 
directors  are  hereby  requested  to  exclude  it  from  the  reading  rooms 
of  this  Board." 

Early  in  January,  1863,  the  Chicago  branch  of  the  Sanitary  Com- 
mission sent  by  special  messenger  thirty-three  large  boxes  of  hos- 
pital stores,  clothing,  etc..  to  the  wounded  soldiers  of  the  battle  of 
Murfreesboro.  The  Board  of  Trade  War  committee  promptly  dis- 
patched agents  and  nurses  to  care  for  the  sick  and  wounded  at  Mur- 
freesboro, Vicksburg  and  Memphis.  The  Second  Board  of  Trade 
regiment,  Colonel  Turchin's  regiment  (the  Nineteenth),  and  the 


468  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

Board  of  Trade  battery  participated  at  Murfreesboro,  while  the 
Third  Board  of  Trade  regiment  and  the  Mercantile  battery  had 
been  fighting  near  Vicksburg.  On  January  6,  1863,  150  ladies  were 
at  work  in  the  committee  rooms,  State  and  Randolph,  preparing 
bandages  and  other  hospital  supplies.  On  January  8  the  Young 
Men's  association  passed  the  following  resolutions :  "Resolved, 
That  the  Chicago  Times  be  excluded  from  the  reading  room.  Re- 
solved, That  the  files  of  the  Chicago  Times  for  the  past  year  be 
publicly  burned  next  Monday  evening  on  Clark  street  opposite 
Bryan  hall." 

In  one  week  176  boxes  of  hospital  supplies  were  sent  to  Murfrees- 
boro and  301  boxes  to  Vicksburg.  Also  $3,000  in  cash  had  been 
raised  and  spent  for  tea,  tobacco,  arrowroot,  barley,  farina,  butter, 
eggs,  whisky,  etc.,  all  of  which  was  promptly  forwarded.  On 
January  27  about  1,500  rebel  prisoners  from  Murfreesboro  arrived 
at  Camp  Douglas.  It  cost  $7,652  to  replace  the  barracks  burned 
by  the  paroled  Union  soldiers  at  that  camp. 

Immense  meetings  to  indorse  the  Emancipation  Proclamation 
and  commemorate  its  going  into  effect  were  held  here  January  12, 
1863.  All  of  the  best  Union  men  of  the  city,  Republicans  and 
Democrats,  were  present  at  the  meetings  held  in  Bryan  and  Metro- 
politan halls,  the  First  Baptist  church  and  elsewhere.  At  Bryan 
hall  the  speakers  were  G.  C.  Bates,  E.  H.  Bracket,  Dr.  Daniel 
Brainard,  S.  A.  Goodwin,  Emory  A.  Storrs,  Prof.  M.  C.  Butler  of 
Lake  Forest,  Rev.  F.  W.  Fisk,  Rev.  Robert  Colyer  and  John  Went- 
worth.  At  the  Baptist  church  the  speakers  were  Rev.  W.  W. 
Evarts,  Elliott  Anthony,  G.  C.  Bates,  Prof.  Haven  and  John  Went- 
worth.  At  Metropolitan  hall  were  Casper  Butz,  William  Rapp, 
Caroun  Schmidt  and  others,  this  being  an  assemblage  of  Germans. 
In  Lower  Bryan  hall  the  speakers  were  D.  V.  Bell,  J.  Y.  Scammon, 
C.  R.  Jones,  Paul  Cornell  and  J.  R.  Druman.  At  all  the  meetings 
the  Proclamation  was  warmly  welcomed,  Lincoln  was  glorified,  and 
the  vigorous  prosecution  of  the  war  was  advocated.  Every  meeting 
adopted  strong  resolutions.  The  Tribune  of  January  13  said  :  "The 
people  of  Chicago  love  liberty.  Never  in  the  history  of  the  city 
was  this  truth  made  more  manifest  than  by  the  monster  meetings 
of  last  night  to  endorse  the  President's  edict  of  freedom.  By  it  they 
believe  the  rebellion  is  hit  a  death  blow  and  hence  they  rejoice. 
By  it  Abraham  Lincoln  has  placed  his  name  beside  that  of  Wash- 
ington and  all  the  noblest  benefactors  of  the  race." 

By  February,  1863,  the  Chicago  Times  had  suffered  the  following 
repulses  without  having  its  secession  utterances  checked  in  the  least : 
Three  of  its  editors  had  been  imprisoned ;  it  had  been  expelled  from 
the  Board  of  Trade  and  Young  Men's  association  reading  rooms; 
many  news  dealers  had  refused  it ;  General  Sullivan  had  banished 
it  from  his  lines ;  the  same  of  General  Hurlbut  at  Memphis ;  General 
Curtis  had  sanctioned  its  banishment  from  his  army  in  Missouri ; 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  469 

special  dispatches  had  been  denied  it  by  the  military  telegraph.  An 
attempt  was  made  early  in  1863  by  the  Times  and  its  warmest  sup- 
porters to  establish  here  a  chamber  of  commerce.  This  was  in 
retaliation  for  having  been  expelled  from  the  Board  of  Trade  read- 
ing room.  They  managed  to  put  through  the  disloyal  Legislature 
a  bill  incorporating  such  an  institution.  The  Conscription  bill 
passed  Congress  late  in  February,  1863.  The  Union  League  lodges 
were  springing  up  over  all  the  North  to  offset  the  Sons  of  Liberty. 
By  March,  1863,  the  County  War  Fund  committee  had  paid  in 
bounties  $217,989  and  had  spent  much  of  its  $41,786  of  family 
relief  fund.  On  March  6,  1863,  Supervisor  Rexforth  of  Worth 
offered  the  following  preambles  and  resolution  at  a  meeting  of  the 
County  Board : 

"WHEREAS,  Our  country  is  passing  through  a  crisis  such  as  she 
never  experienced  before;  and  WHEREAS,  She  demands  to  know 
her  strength  as  nearly  as  may  be;  and  WHEREAS,  It  is  feared  that 
we  have  those  in  the  North  who  sympathize  with  the  rebels  in  their 
wicked  deeds ;  and  WHEREAS,  We  wish  to  record  our  votes  in  some 
way  that  will  unmistakably  place  us  on  the  side  of  loyalty  to  our 
Government  and  that  a  record  of  the  same  be  kept  for  future  genera- 
tions to  look  upon,  therefore  be  it 

"Resolved,  That  we  will  in  every  lawful  and  laudable  way 
strengthen  the  arms  of  the  President  of  the  United  States  in  his 
efforts  to  put  down  this  rebellion  ;  that  we  frown  indignantly  on  any 
and  every  attempt  to  discourage  or  demoralize  our  army  now  in 
the  field ;  and  that  the  efforts  of  one  portion  of  the  Legislature,  cal- 
culated in  their  very  nature  to  give  aid  to  the  rebels  and  discourage 
and  dishearten  our  brave  army,  meet  with  our  deepest  detestation 
and  abhorrence;  and  we  believe  for  such  traitorous  acts  the  civilized 
world  in  all  coming  time  will  assign  them  a  place  in  public  esteem 
to  which  the  tories  of  the  Revolution  bear  no  comparison." 

These  preambles  and  resolutions  were  warmly  opposed  and  de- 
fended and  were  finally  voted  on  with  the  following  result :  Ayes — 
Allen,  Alger,  Baer,  Brown,  Cornell,  Culver,  Dolton,  Dunlap,  Ed- 
brook,  Farwell,  Gibbs,  Gund,  James,  Johnson,  Kott,  Kingsley,  Mor- 
gan, Pahlman.  Pennoyer,  Reed,  Rees,  Russell,  Randall,  R'exford, 
Strong,  Shierding,  Werner,  Ward,  Eli  Whitney,  S.  S.  Whitney  and 
chairman.  Nays — Gebel,  Gormly,  Hoffman,  Kean,  Murphy,  New- 
house,  Pendergast,  Sheils,  Taylor.  Absent  during  the  session,  Cam- 
mack,  Doty,  Gallager,  Niles,  Haskins. 

The  smallpox  first  made  its  appearance  at  Camp  Douglas  about 
November  10,  1862,  and  spread  rapidly  after  the  3,800  rebel  pris- 
oners arrived  in  January,  1863.  By  March  11  there  were  125 
cases  in  the  hospitals  there,  and  about  700  had  died  of  smallpox 
and  other  diseases.  The  Times  charged  neglect,  but  the  Tribune 
of  April  4  said :  "The  per  cent  of  mortality  is  large,  but  no  deaths 
have  occurred  from  any  neglect,  want  of  care  or  proper  medical 


470  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

attention.  When  they  arrived  fully  one-third  of  them  were  only 
fit  for  the  hospital.  Especially  was  this  the  case  with  those  from 
Arkansas  Post.  Those  who  have  just  gone  have  greatly  improved 
in  condition  during  their  imprisonment  here.  They  have  been  well 
fed,  carefully  treated  by  the  surgeons,  and  most  of  them  have  new 
suits  of  clothing.  They  are  all  much  better  clad  now  than  the 
soldiers  in  the  rebel  army." 

Pursuant  to  act  of  the  Legislature,  the  County  Board  in  April 
ordered  $100,000  worth  of  war  bonds  sold.  In  April,  1863,  the 
War  committee  of  the  Board  of  Trade  reported  that  they  had  col- 
lected $51,366  and  had  paid  out  $36,566,  leaving  on  hand  $14,799. 
Of  the  collections  $30,000  had  been  invested  in  United  States  7-30 
bonds,  which  had  been  sold  as  money  was  needed.  The  War  Fund 
committee  of  the  County  Board  gave  a  big  dinner  party  to  soldiers' 
families  in  April.  An  immense  Union  meeting  was  held  at  Bryan 
hall  April  9,  judge  Thomas  Drummond  presiding ;  he  delivered  the 
first  speech,  and  was  followed  by  W.  A.  Howard,  Senator  Trum- 
bull,  John  F.  Farnsworth,  John  Wentworth  and  Mason  Jones.  Of 
this  meeting  the  Tribune  said :  "Many  great  and  successful  meet- 
ings have  been  held  in  this  city,  but  never  was  a  meeting  of  any 
sort  convened  here  that  was  greater,  more  successful  or  more  grati- 
fying to  the  promoters  of  it  than  the  Union  mass  meeting  held  at 
Bryan  hall  last  night.  .  .  .  But  our  home  orators  on  this  occasion — 
all  strong  and  full  of  loyal  zeal — must  stand  aside  for  once.  The 
great  speech  of  the  evening  was  by  Mason  Jones,  the  Irish  orator. 
We  do  not  remember  an  address  in  this  city  by  any  distinguished 
orator  or  statesman  on  any  occasion,  that  was  more  fraught  with 
good  sense  and  more  replete  with  eloquence.  It  was  as  close  and 
logical  as  Webster's  and  as  burning  as  Clay's  best  off-hand 
speeches." 

The  Sixty-fifth  regiment,  which  had  been  at  Camp  Douglas  on 
parole  from  Harper's  Ferry  for  about  seven  months,  left  about  780 
strong  for  Kentucky  on  April  19.  There  was  received  here  about 
May  1,  1863,  for  the  families  of  soldiers  in  the  Eighty-second  and 
Eighty-eighth  regiments,  about  $18,700.  The  following  is  an  ex- 
tract from  the  inaugural  address  of  Mayor  Sherman,  May  4,  1863 : 

"This  devotion  to  law  as  the  only  arbiter  of  public  rights  neces- 
sarily requires  that  the  Democratic  party  should  give  their  undi- 
vided support  to  the  Government,  no  matter  by  whom  administered, 
in  every  effort  to  maintain  the  Constitution.  This  rebellion  is  an 
effort  to  overturn  the  Constitution  and  destroy  the  Union;  it  must 
be  put  down,  no  matter  at  what  cost  of  money  or  sacrifice  of  life; 
it  is  a  struggle  for  national  existence,  in  which  the  individuals  must 
be  prepared  to  sacrifice  all  that  the  nation  may  legally  demand 
to  preserve  the  national  life.  No  Democrat  can  be  true  to  his  prin- 
ciples who  does  not  render  to  his  Government  all  the  aid  in  what- 
ever form  it  may  be  legally  required  to  put  down  the  rebellion.  .  .  . 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  471 

If  there  be  men  in  this  city  who  have  any  sympathy  for  the  rebel- 
lion, who  desire  the  recognition  of  the  Southern  Confederacy,  who 
desire  a  withdrawal  of  our  troops  from  the  rebel  states  and  coast, 
who  desire  a  peace  that  will  directly  or  indirectly  impair  the  terri- 
torial or  political  integrity  of  the  Union,  such  men  are  strangers  to 
me  personally  and  politically.  I  have  no  relations  of  any  kind 
with  them ;  I  am  not  their  friend  nor  are  they  my  friends." 

Early  in  May,  1863,  William  James,  ex-coroner  of  Cook  county, 
was  appointed  provost  marshal.  News  of  the  bloody  battle  of  Chan- 
cellorsville  moved  Chicago  profoundly.  The  Tribune  of  May  9 
said :  "All  day  Thursday  the  Copperheads  came  out  of  their  holes 
and  stood  upon  the  street  corners  chuckling  to  themselves  over  the 
supposed  defeat  of  Hooker.  .  .  .  Twelve  hours  passed  by  and 
the  news  changed.  There  might  have  been  a  disaster — not  a  defeat. 
There  might  have  been  a  retrograde  movement — but  no  dishonor. 
.  .  .  The  Copperheads  were  down  in  the  mouth  and  hunted  their 
holes.  .  .  .  Canard  after  canard  was  attempted  by  them  on  'Change, 
but  the  loyal,  staunch  old  board  were  not  frightened;  there  was 
no  panic  on  the  market  as  the  Secesh  hoped."  Cook  county  watched 
almost  breathlessly  General  Grant's  movements  against  Vicksburg. 
A  sanitary  gift  concert  in  May  netted  $805  for  the  soldiers.  On 
May  13  John  L.  Hancock  was  elected  colonel  of  the  regiment  of 
Chicago  City  guards.  The  few  hundred  rebel  prisoners  at  Camp 
Douglas,  except  the  sick,  were  sent  East  for  exchange  in  May. 
Allotments  for  distribution  to  soldiers'  families  were  received  from 
all  the  Cook  county  troops  in  the  field.  General  Grierson's  raid 
through  Mississippi  was  viewed  with  satisfaction  here.  Late  in 
May  Chicago  became  very  much  excited  over  General  Grant's  suc- 
cesses in  Mississippi.  The  Tribune  of  May  26  said :  "The  news 
of  the  great  successes  of  Grant's  army  has  electrified  the  country. 
All  loyal  men,  Democrats  as  well  as  Republicans,  rejoice.  But  the 
Copperheads  look  glum.  They  deeply  sympathize  with  their  afflicted 
Southern  brethren  and,  like  Rachel  mourning  for  her  children,  will 
not  be  comforted."  During  May  the  Sanitary  Commission  here 
forwarded  960  boxes  of  supplies  to  Grant's  army,  besides  nearly 
$3,000  worth  of  beef,  sugar,  tea,  condensed  milk,  candles,  whisky, 
etc.  The  canal  convention  then  in  session  here  promptly  subscribed 
$5,056  for  the  Sanitary  Commission.  Late  in  May  enrollment 
under  the  Conscript  act  was  begun.  An  enrolling  officer  for  each 
town  and  two  for  each  ward  were  appointed. 

At  4  o'clock  A.  M.  June  3,  1863,  two  companies  of  soldiers  from 
Camp  Douglas  under  Captain  McDonald,  pursuant  to  an  order 
of  General  Burnside  at  Cincinnati,  took  possession  of  the  Chicago 
Tintes  office,  destroyed  a  large  number  of  papers  just  run  off,  and 
placed  a  guard  over  the  establishment.  This  step  was  taken  under 
an  order  to  suppress  disloyalty  in  this  department.  Mr.  Storey 
and  his  friends,  through  hand-bills,  called  for  a  public  meeting  at 


472  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

8  o'clock  P.  M.,  to  be  held  on  the  street  in  front  of  the  Times  office. 
Of  this  meeting  Judge  Fuller  was  made  chairman,  and  speeches 
were  made  by  General  Singleton  of  Quincy,  M.  M.  Strong  of  Wis- 
consin, B.  G.  Caulfield,  Wirt  Dexter,  M.  F.  Tuley,  E.  S.  McComas 
and  E.  G.  Asay.  All  pompously  demanded  the  right  of  free  speech 
and  free  press  and  denied  that  there  was  any  necessity  here  for 
military  rule  to  take  precedence  over  civil  law.  The  speakers  were 
severe  and  disloyal,  but  all  counseled  moderation.  At  12  o'clock  M. 
on  the  3rd  a  meeting  of  citizens  was  held  in  the  Circuit  court  rooms 
and  Mayor  Sherman  was  chosen  chairman.  Conciliatory  addresses 
were  made  by  Van  H.  Higgins,  Lyman  Trumbull,  Isaac  N.  Arnold, 
W.  B.  Ogden,  S.  S.  Ayers,  James  F.  Joy,  A.  W.  Arrington,  Samuel 
W.  Fuller,  Wirt  Dexter  and  others.  W.  B.  Ogden  in  the  interest 
of  local  harmony  presented  the  following  preamble  and  resolution, 
which  were  adopted : 

"WHEREAS,  In  the  opinion  of  this  meeting  of  citizens  of  all  par- 
ties, the  peace  of  this  city  and  state,  if  not  the  general  welfare  of 
the  country,  is  likely  to  be  promoted  by  the  suspension  or  rescinding 
of  the  recent  order  of  General  Burnside  for  the  suppression  of  the 
Chicago  Times;  therefore, 

"Resolved,  That  upon  the  ground  of  expediency  alone  such  of  our 
citizens  as  concur  in  this  opinion,  without  regard  to  party,  are  hereby 
recommended  to  unite  in  a  petition  to  the  President,  respectfully  ask- 
ing the  suspension  or  rescinding  of  said  order." 

The  proceedings  of  this  meeting  were  telegraphed  to  President- 
Lincoln,  who  immediately  advised  General  Burnside  to  rescind  his 
order,  whereupon  the  following  direction  was  issued  by  the  latter: 
"By  direction  of  the  President  of  the  United  States,  the  order  sup- 
pressing the  circulation  of  the  Times  is  hereby  revoked.  Take 
no  further  action  in  the  matter."  Thus  the  trouble  ended  as  a 
matter  of  expediency  only.  A  short  time  before  this  event  the 
Times  had  said :  "So  long  as  the  present  political  policies  of  the 
war  are  persisted  in — so  long  as  the  war  is  continued  as  a  war 
of  a  political  party — every  dollar  expended  in  it  is  wasted  and 
worse  than  wasted,  and  every  life  lost  in  it  is  an  abominable  sacri- 
fice and  a  murder,  indeed,  by  those  upon  whom  the  responsibility 
rests  of  the  prevailing  policies.  The  man  who  does  not  wash  his 
hands  of  all  participation  in  such  a  war  shares  the  guilt  of  those 
by  whom  it  is  prosecuted.  Support  of  this  war  and  hostility  to 
it  show  the  dividing  line  between  the  friends  and  enemies  of  the 
Union.  He  who  supports  the  war  is  against  the  Union,  because 
the  war  is  the  most  terrible  engine  for  the  destruction  of  the  Union 
which  Beelzebub  himself  could  have  invented.  The  professed  Dem- 
ocrat, therefore,  who  has  his  senses  about  him  and  is  deliberately 
for  the  war,  is  not  a  Democrat  in  fact,  but  an  Abolitionist  of  the 
most  radical,  violent  and  destructive  kind." 

How  extraordinary  all  that  sounds  now.     What  an  astonishing 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  473 

difference  of  opinion  concerning  the  war.  It  will  not  do  to  say 
that  the  editor  of  the  Times  did  not  speak  his  actual  opinions,  be- 
cause many  sensible  and  prominent  men  here  held  similar  extraor- 
dinary views,  took  and  read  the  Times  with  relish,  and  regarded 
Lincoln's  administration  with  grief  and  indignation  and  as  a  great 
wrong.  How  different  is  the  following  from  the  Tribune  of  June 
5,  1863 :  "It  is  here  charged  that  the  Eresident  and  every  man 
who  supports  the  war  is  against  the  Union  and  is  a  murderer.  No 
paper  published  in  the  seceded  states  has  ever  uttered  more  false, 
disloyal  or  atrocious  sentiments.  General  Burnside  directs  that  no 
more  such  infernal  issues  should  circulate  in  his  department.  But 
the  Government,  at  the  instance  of  a  few  frightened,  weak-kneed 
Unionists  and  the  bellowings  of  a  drunken  Copperhead  mob,  re- 
voked the  order  and  humiliated  its  supporters.  Is  that  the  way  to 
cultivate  a  loyal  sentiment  and  to  deserve  the  support  of  true  men  ? 
Is  that  the  way  to  encourage  the  army  and  to  put  down  the  slave- 
holders' rebellion?  Perhaps  it  is,  but  we  don't  see  it." 

All  the  facts  taken  together  indicate  that  the  Secession  or  Cop- 
perhead element  here  was  so  strong  as  to  make  it  advisable  to 
revoke  the  order  of  suppression.  Had  it  not  been  done,  there 
would  no  doubt  have  been  a  riot,  and,  what  is  worse,  the  alienation 
of  many  of  the  war  Democrats  would  have  resulted.  So  while  the 
suppresion  order  was  just  and  deserved,  its  revocation  was  a  matter 
of  wisdom  upon  the  ground  of  prudence  and  expediency — was 
really  an  act  of  sound  diplomacy  after  the  prompt  execution  of  the 
suppression  order  had  produced  a  salutary  moral  effect  and  had 
shown  the  Copperheads  the  claws  and  teeth  of  the  Administration. 
In  order  to  give  additional  momentum  to  the  suppression  order  and 
to  show  more  clearly  to  the  people  the  fairness  and  moderation  of  the 
Administration,  a  large  public  meeting  was  held  in  the  Courthouse 
square  on  the  evening  of  May  4  by  the  advocates  of  the  prevailing 
war  policy.  John  L.  Hancock  presided  and  explained  in  a  strong 
speech  the  necessity  of  the  war  to  save  the  Union  and  the  wisdom, 
as  a  war  measure,  of  quelling  treason  or  disloyalty  at  home. 
Speeches  to  the  same  effect  were  delivered  by  Senator  Doolittle,  of 
Wisconsin,  and  Col.  Jemison,  of  Kansas.  Resolutions  favoring  the 
arrest  of  persons  and  the  suppression  of  newspapers  guilty  of  violat- 
ing any  law  were  passed.  Many  of  the  best  Union  men,  rather  than 
incur  the  ill-will  of  the  Copperhead  element,  refrained  from  attend- 
ing this  meeting.  The  large  number  of  Copperheads  here  rendered 
this  course  one  of  sound  wisdom. 

During  June,  1863,  many  wounded  soldiers  from  Grant's  army 
arrived  here  almost  daily.  The  first  meeting  to  establish  a  tempo- 
rary soldiers'  home  was  held  at  the  Scotch  Presbyterian  church 
(Dr.  Robert  Patterson)  early  in  June,  1863,  and  was  presided  over 
by  Thomas  B.  Bryan.  Many  ladies  were  present  and  interested. 
An  adjournment  was  taken  to  Bryan  hall,  and  there  a  committee 


474  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

was  appointed  to  commence  operations  and  report  at  a  subsequent 
date.  The  Home  was  duly  established.  The  prorogation  of  the 
Copperhead  Legislature  by  Governor  Yates  on  June  10,  1863,  was 
hailed  with  delight  by  the  Union  men  here.  A  big  meeting  held 
the  next  day  indorsed  his  act.  The  speakers  were  Mark  Skinner, 
Senator  Mack,  Adjt.  Gen.  Fuller  and  F.  A.  Eastman.  During  June 
many  arrests  of  persons  charged  with  resisting  or  beating  the  en- 
rolling officers  were  made.  There  was  much  excitement  here  in 
July,  1863,  upon  receipt  of  the  news  that  General  Lee  had  started 
to  invade  Maryland  and  Pennsylvania.  Late  in  June  the  Tribune 
said,  "The  Crisis  of  the  War. — We  can  hardly  resist  the  conclu- 
sion that  the  next  two  weeks  will  prove  the  most  thrillingly  event- 
ful of  the  whole  war  and  go  far  toward  furnishing  the  solution  of 
the  strife  the  most  gigantic  that  ever  shook  the  world."  On  July 
2  the  Tribune  said,  "Probably  never  in  the  history  of  human  war- 
fare was  any  present  laden  with  a  heavier  burden  than  that  on 
which  our  immediate  future  now  waits.  The  entire  armies  of  the 
Union  and  of  the  Rebellion  are  opposed  to  each  other  at  five  sev- 
eral points  of  contact — Port  Hudson,  Vicksburg,  Rosecrans'  new 
field,  Pennsylvania,  Richmond.  If  Port  Hudson  falls  and  Vicks- 
burg becomes  ours  and  Rosecrans  finishes  the  lesson  of  Stone 
River  and  Meade  defeats  Lee  and  Dix  marches  into  Richmond,  it 
will  only  be  answering  what  loyal  men  are  hoping  and  praying  in 
each  case."  Scarcely  had  these  lines  been  published  than  the  an- 
swer came. 

"It  never  rains  but  it  pours"  was  the  thought  here  when  all  the 
victories  became  known  early  in  July,  1863.  First  came  the  news 
of  Gettysburg,  and  while  not  decisive  was  inspiring:  this  was  on 
the  morning  of  the  7th.  Soon  after  came  the  news  that  Prentiss 
had  taken  Helena  from  Price.  At  eleven  o'clock  A.  M.  came  the 
news  of  the  capture  of  Vicksburg.  Such  news  had  come  before  and 
all  more  or  less  distrusted  the  report,  but  soon  came  official  confir- 
mation and  then  everybody  gave  themselves  up  to  the  free  enjoy- 
ment of  the  glorious  news.  In  the  evening  the  bells  rang  merrily, 
cannon  pealed  and  general  jubilation  and  rejoicing  pervaded  the 
entire  city.  In  the  streets  huge  bonfires  were  built,  and  from  the 
tops  of  several  buildings  splendid  fireworks  were  exhibited. 

All  business  was  suspended.  The  board  of  trade  adjourned  at 
noon  amid  enthusiastic  cheers.  The  courthouse  bell  rang  out  its 
joyful  chimes.  Flags  appeared  as  if  by  magic  everywhere.  Every- 
body came  down  town  and  the  streets  were  densely  packed  with  the 
happy  and  shouting  populace.  The  celebration  continued  far  into 
the  night.  The  Tribune  was  so  delirious  that  it  placed  a  light  at 
every  pane  of  glass,  literally  covered  its  building  with  banners,  and 
from  the  roof  let  off  a  splendid  lot  of  fire  works.  The  clerks  bril- 
liantly illuminated  the  Postoffice  building — had  over  six  hundred 
tapers.  The  Staats  Zcitung  made  a  beautiful  display.  The  Jour- 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  475 

nal  was  brilliantly  decorated.  Warner  hall,  occupied  by  the  Union 
League,  and  Michigan  terrace  were  covered  with  flags  and  decora- 
tions. Fireworks  were  set  off  from  the  Tremont,  Sherman  and 
other  hotels  and  from  scores  of  private  dwellings.  The  Tribune 
of  July  8  said,  "The  Times  alone  amid  all  this  widespread  and  gen- 
eral rejoicing  was  silent.  Not  a  shout,  not  a  cheer,  not  a  bonfire, 
not  even  the  expenditure  of  a  tallow  candle,  at  the  Copperhead  con- 
cern on  Randolph  street,  to  testify  their  joy  at  the  downfall  of  the 
stronghold  of  the  rebellion  in  the  Southwest.  So  far  as  actions  are 
indicative  of  opinions  we  might  be  led  to  think  that  they  regretted  the 
glorious  achievement.  It  is  a  noticeable  fact  in  the  history  of  this 
day's  rejoicing  that  the  great  majority  of  our  citizens,  even  those  who 
profess  to  follow  the  teachings  of  the  treasonable  Times,  were  sin- 
cerely gratified  at  the  glorious  news.  It  speaks  volumes  for  the 
loyalty  of  the  mass  of  the  Democratic  party  as  compared  with  that 
of  their  leaders." 

On  the  night  of  July  8  Governor  Yates  was  serenaded  at  the 
Tremont  house.  He  appeared  on  the  famous  balcony  and  deliv- 
ered an  eloquent  speech  that  was  received  with  vociferous  cheers. 
In  July  the  draft  riots  in  New  York  caused  Chicago  to  think  of 
what  might  happen  here.  The  enrollment  of  June,  1863,  showed 
in  the  city  27,756  men  liable  to  military  duty,  of  whom  18,986  were 
first  class  or  single  men  between  the  ages  of  twenty  and  forty-five 
and  married  men  between  the  ages  of  twenty  and  thirty-five 
years.  In  the  whole  county  including  the  city  were  33,477  men  lia- 
ble, with  22,541  of  the  first  class  as  above.  Many  sick  and  wounded 
soldiers  were  here  in  July,  1863 — over  300  at  a  time.  The  capture 
of  Port  Hudson  July  15  was  hailed  with  joy.  In  July  Alderman 
Comisky  introduced  an  ordinance  in  the  Council  making  provision 
for  raising  $120,000  "to  be  paid  as  bounties  to  members  of  the 
volunteer  companies  organized  to  take  the  places  of  men  who 
should  be  drafted  as  conscripts."  There  was  much  opposition  to 
the  draft,  but  the  Germans  generally  favored  the  step.  In  July 
great  preparations  began  all  over  the  county  to  enlist  men  to  avoid 
the  draft.  The  Germans  were  particularly  active  and  loyal.  By 
the  last  of  July  they  had  five  or  six  companies  about  complete. 

Late  in  July,  1863,  the  ladies  of  Chicago  projected  the  first  great 
Fair  for  the  benefit  of  the  soldiers.  The  first  meeting  was  held  in 
Bryan  hall,  and  at  a  subsequent  meeting  the  following  officers  were 
chosen  :  Mrs.  Hoge,  president ;  Mrs.  Tinkham,  secretary ;  execu- 
tive committee :  Mesdames  Robinson,  Hosmer,  Medill.  Ambrose 
Foster,  Charles  Follansbee,  James  Bowen,  I.  N.  Arnold,  N.  Lud- 
dington,  E.  Higgins,  Franklin,  J.  C.  Harris,  Colonel  Foster,  Allen, 
Hoge,  Livermore  and  E.  A.  Haddock.  It  was  resolved  to  hold  the 
Fair  at  Bryan  hall  in  October  and  November,  1863.  During  June 
a  total  of  2,937  packages  were  shipped  to  the  front  and  the  hos- 
pitals by  the  Chicago  Sanitary  Commission.  The  Comisky  ordi- 


476  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

nance  above  mentioned  was  amended  so  as  "to  appropriate  $120,000 
in  bounties  to  married  men  who  may  be  conscripted  in  case  they 
serve,  or  to  substitutes  that  may  take  their  places  in  the  army." 

The  Knights  of  the  Golden  Circle,  or  as  they  were  called  at  a 
later  date  Sons  of  Liberty,  were  the  extreme  peace  branch  of  the 
Democracy.  In  June,  1863,  at  a  secret  state  meeting  in  Springfield 
they  concluded  to  oppose  the  war,  resist  conscription,  make  peace 
with  the  South  and  acknowledge  the  Confederacy.  At  this  meet- 
ing lodges  in  all  parts  of  the  State  were  represented.  The  Chicago 
lodge  was  in  touch  and  harmony  with  the  other  lodges  and  with 
the  objects  of  the  order.  But  the  Union  victories  in  the  field  in  June 
and  July  completely  disconcerted  their  designs.  Had  the  rebels 
won  in  Pennsylvania,  Tennessee,  Vicksburg,  Port  Hudson,  Helena, 
etc.,  the  order  would  have  come  out  publicly  with  all  their  power 
for  peace  along  the  above  lines.  The  certainty  that  the  North  was 
the  stronger  and  would  triumph  in  the  end  checked  the  order  and 
in  the  end  terminated  its  career. 

On  August  10,  1863,  John  A.  Logan  delivered  here  a  powerful 
speech — so  good  that  it  was  printed  in  pamphlet  form  and  sent 
all  over  the  State  and  the  Union.  The  Tribune  of  August  14,  1863, 
said,  "Deserters. — Within  the  last  sixty  days  the  commandant  at 
Camp  Douglas  has  returned  to  their  regiments  over  four  hundred 
deserters.  Every  night  just  before  dark  a  squad  of  soldiers  can  be 
seen  escorting  these  gentry  to  the  depot  whence  they  take  passage 
for  Cincinnati.  On  Wednesday  night  nineteen  were  so  shipped, 
and  yesterday  another  batch.  These  men  were  arrested  by  the  Pro- 
vost Marshal  of  this  district  and  his  deputies."  The  following 
articles  were  sent  to  Vicksburg  the  week  ending  August  15,  1863, 
by  the  Chicago  Sanitary  Commission,  all  valued  at  about  $9,000: 
200  tons  of  ice;  1,000  bottles  of  lemon  syrup;  200  barrels  of 
soda  crackers;  20  barrels  of  dry  peaches;  20  barrels  of  dry 
apples;  5,000  codfish;  50  caddies  of  green  tea;  50  H.  F.  barrels 
crushed  sugar;  50  ounces  quinine;  50  barrels  stock  ale;  100  quar- 
ter barrels  stock  ale;  50  H.  F.  barrels  of  stock  ale;  500  mosquito 
bars,  10J/2  barrels  of  pickled  cabbage;  225  palm  leaf  fans;  and  2,000 
bottles  of  concentrated  milk.  This  is  a  sample  of  the  splendid 
work  done  by  the  Commission  at  all  the  emergency  calls  of  the  war. 

The  medical  purveyor  of  the  Army  stationed  here  sent  to  the 
fields  and  hospitals  immense  quantities  of  drugs.  About  August  18 
from  6,000  to  8,000  rebel  prisoners  arrived  here  for  Camp  Doug- 
las ;  they  were  guarded  by  the  First  Michigan  sharpshooters  ordered 
here  for  that  purpose ;  among  the  latter  was  a  company  of  Indians. 
The  Copperhead  branch  of  the  Common  Council  passed  a  resolu- 
tion requesting  the  enrolling  officers  to  submit  to  them  copies  of  the 
rolls,  but  were  refused.  Many  of  the  rebel  prisoners  here  late  in 
August  were  Morgan's  guerrillas.  A  considerable  subscription  for 
the  sufferers  of  Lawrence,  Kansas,  was  raised  here.  The  Soldiers' 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  477 

Home,  for  the  week  ending  August  29,  furnished  to  soldiers  1,134 
meals  and  351  lodgings;  there  were  544  arrivals  and  513  depart- 
ures. The  Home  was  located  at  45  Randolph  street. 

Delegates  to  the  Convention  of  ladies  called  to  arrange  the  Great 
Northwest  Fair,  assembled  in  Bryan  hall  September  2,  1863.  It 
was  the  largest  assemblage  of  ladies  ever  convened  in  the  North- 
west up  to  that  time,  and  was  magnificent  in  its  personnel  and  ap- 
pearance. Complete  preliminary  arrangements  for  the  Great  Fair 
were  made.  By  September  10  the  Lawrence  relief  fund  amounted 
to  $2,169.  In  September  there  was  organized  a  Freedman's  Aid 
committee.  The  soldiers  allotment  receipts  for  several  months  in 
1863  amounted  to  $49,263;  of  this  sum  $48,269  had  been  paid  to 
soldiers'  families.  In  September  news  of  the  battle  of  Chicka- 
mauga  again  roused  the  county  to  a  fighting  pitch.  At  this  time 
residents  of  Chicago  who  wished  to  see  their  rebel  friends  in  Camp 
Douglas  were  permitted  to  do  so  upon  taking  the  oath  of  allegiance. 
On  September  10,  1863,  the  Common  Council  appropriated  $120,- 
000  "to  be  expended  in  procuring  volunteers  to  take  the  place  of 
poor  men  of  families  who  might  be  drafted  from  Chicago."  The 
people  of  Chicago  thought  the  enrollment  of  28,000  men  for  this 
city  was  too  large,  when  the  highest  vote  ever  polled  was  only 
about  23,000.  Permission  to  examine  the  rolls  was  asked  of  President 
Lincoln,  but  he  referred  the  inquirers  to  Governor  Yates,  who  in 
turn  referred  them  to  Adjt.-Gen.  A.  C.  Fuller.  The  latter  instructed 
Col.  James  Oakes,  provost  marshal,  to  afford  the  inquirers  every 
facility  consistent  with  the  public  service  to  discover  errors  in  the 
rolls.  The  rolls  were  placed  before  the  inquirers,  but  did  not  sat- 
isfy them  and  more  correspondence  was  had  with  President  Lin- 
coln. Mayor  Sherman  and  Comptroller  Hayes  led  the  inquiry. 
During  the  month  of  September,  1863,  the  Soldiers'  Home  fur- 
nished 4,805  meals  and  1,412  lodgings.  There  were  965  arrivals 
and  952  departures.  Rebel  prisoners  from  Cumberland  Gap  and 
Chattanooga  arrived  here  in  September.  By  October  4  there  were 
5,780  of  them  at  Camp  Douglas.  On  October  5  twenty  colored 
recruits  left  to  join  the  Rhode  Island  Black  brigade.  About  this 
time  Governor  Yates  authorized  the  formation  of  a  colored  regi- 
ment in  Illinois.  The  Germans  in  two  months  from  August  15  to 
October  15  raised  six  and  a  half  companies  for  a  regiment  under 
Colonel  Knobelsdorf.  The  people  of  Jefferson  met  October  14 
at  the  town  house  and  organized  a  Soldiers'  Aid  society.  Mrs. 
William  P.  Gray  was  elected  president;  Mrs.  William  Dymond 
and  Mrs.  Augustus  Boyington,  vice  presidents;  Miss  Almira  Si- 
mons, secretary;  and  Mrs.  John  Gray,  treasurer. 

There  were  in  Camp  Douglas  on  October  18,  6,075  rebel  prison- 
ers, nearly  half  of  whom  had  belonged  to  the  Guerrilla  Morgan's 
command.  At  this  time  there  were  many  Southerners  here,  en- 
deavoring by  all  sorts  of  schemes  to  liberate  their  friends  or  rela- 


478  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

tives  from  the  Camp.  About  this  time  twenty-five  of  them  escaped. 
The  call  for  300,000  more  men  in  October  spurred  the  county  to 
redoubled  action. 

Early  in  October  the  ladies  met  and  fully  prepared  for  the  Great 
Northwestern  Pair.  It  was  decided  to  open  October  27  and  con- 
tinue to  November  7.  Mayor  Sherman  declared  the  opening  day 
a  holiday.  A  regular  program  was  fixed  for  each  day.  The  open- 
ing was  celebrated  with  a  grand  parade  three  miles  in  length.  The 
opening  address  was  made  by  Thomas  B.  Bryan.  The  Fair  was 
unique  and  in  every  way  successful.  The  total  receipts  at  the  end 
of  the  last  day  amounted  to  $51,850.01.  The  largest  receipts  were 
$6,786.18  on  November  5,  and  the  lowest  $3,005.47  on  the  open- 
ing day.  The  dining  room  receipts  amounted  to  $6,074.27.  The 
average  daily  attendance  was  5,090.  Miss  Anna  Dickinson  was  paid 
$600  for  two  lectures  which  netted  the  Fair  $1,100.  When  every 
thing  had  been  sold  the  Fair  netted  over  $78,000.  The  Tribune 
of  November  7  said,  "No  other  Fair  held  for  benevolent  purposes 
has  ever  yielded  similar  results.  It  has  been  an  enterprise  that  has 
doubly  blessed  and  honored  its  originators,  mangers,  and  the  people 
upon  whose  unflinching  loyalty  all  its  profuse  drafts  were  honored. 
It  is  quite  time  to  give  credit  due  for  such  a  result.  And  first,  it  is 
not  to  be  arrogated  as  a  Chicago  institution.  We  may  well  feel  a 
pride  for  the  way  in  which  our  city  has  cradled  and  fostered  the 
scheme.  We  cannot  forget  that  on  its  altar  were  laid  contributions 
attesting  the  kindred  sympathy  of  all  our  Northern  States.  With 
this  splendid  result  the  whole  people  are  to  be  credited  and  their 
great  offering  of  sympathy  and  aid  to  the  army  and  the  Union  and 
to  Freedom  will  shine  long  after  the  turf  has  smoothed  our  scarred 
battle-fields  and^  peace  has  turned  our  cannon  foundries  to  the  uses 
of  her  mechanic's  art.  Chicago  is  honored,  in  that  it  has  thus  been 
made  temporarily  a  focus  of  loyalty." 

A  big  fire  at  Camp  Douglas  on  November  1 1  destroyed  six  thou- 
sand feet  of  barracks  valued  at  $3,500.  About  this  time  the  board 
of  trade  took  steps  to  erect  in  Rosehill  cemetery  a  monument  to 
Union  soldiers.  Late  in  November  came  the  welcome  news  of  the 
battles  of  Lookout  Mountain  and  Mission  Ridge.  Steps  to  build  a 
permanent  Soldiers'  Home  were  taken  November  30  by  the  ladies, 
at  the  head  of  whom  were  Mesdames  Hoge,  Hosmer,  Sherman, 
Wadsworth,  Lang,  Bird  and  Fuller.  There  was  much  apathy 
shown  here  in  November  and  December,  1863,  concerning  the  en- 
listment of  volunteers.  Great  efforts  to  secure  the  release  of  the 
rebel  prisoners  in  Camp  Douglas  were  made  at  this  time.  Mr. 
Bushnell  alone  had  $36,000  belonging  to  them.  For  $1,200  a  guard 
was  bribed  to  permit  a  squad  of  about  a  dozen  to  escape.  On  De- 
cember 2  seventy-eight  of  them  escaped  through  a  tunnel.  The  most 
were  recaptured — many  of  them  in  the  down-town  hotels.  Thomas 
B.  Bryan  was  elected  president  of  the  Permanent  Soldiers'  Home 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  479 

association.  From  August,  1863,  to  December,  1863,  Colonel 
DeLand,  commandant  at  Camp  Douglas,  arrested  and  returned 
about  six  hundred  stragglers  and  deserters.  The  enrollment  lists 
of  each  ward  were  posted  up  therein  for  inspection  in  December, 

1863.  The  Common  Council  appropriated  on  behalf  of  the  city  a 
bounty  of  $75  for  each  volunteer,  and  the  County  Board  appropri- 
ated 25  bounty  for  each  volunteer  in  the  city  and  $100  for  each 
outside  of  the  city.     The  Ladies'  Relief  society  for  soldiers'  fami- 
lies was  organized  December  13.     Mrs.  A.  H.  Hoge  was  elected 
president;  Mrs.  E.  I.  Tinkham,  vice  president;  Mrs.  C.  A.  Lamb, 
secretary ;  Mrs.  H.  D.  Smith,  treasurer ;  executive  committee,  Mes- 
dames  A.  H.  Hoge,  R.  I.  Tinkham,  C.  A.  Lamb,  H.  D.  Smith, 
Eben  Higgins,  D.  P.  Livermore  and  Goodrich. 

It  was  seen  about  the  middle  of  December  that  much  greater 
efforts  would  have  to  be  made  to  evade  the  draft.  Accordingly  the 
County  Board  passed  resolutions  calling  for  war  meetings  in  all 
parts  of  the  county  and  city,  and  recommended  systematic  and  vig- 
orous work.  This  course  met  the  approval  of  all  Unionists  and  soon 
in  all  directions  stirring  war  meetings  were  held  and  recruits  secured. 
The  County  Board  ordered  a  three  mill  tax  to  raise  the  "Cook  County 
Bounty  Fund."  On  December  1 1  a  bounty  of  $1 12  for  every  volun- 
teer outside  of  Chicago,  and  $28  for  every  one  within  the  city  limits, 
was  paid  by  the  county.  Late  in  December  the  County  Board 
passed  resolutions  asking  the  State  authorities  to  permit  Cook 
county  soldiers  in  the  field  to  vote  at  the  Presidential  election  of 

1864.  Two  Supervisors  voted  against  this  resolution.     But  the 
bounty  offered  by  the  city  and  county  combined  was  not  sufficient 
to  cause  rapid  enlistments.    Accordingly  at  a  big  meeting  held  De- 
cember 16,  of  which  Thomas  B.  Bryan  was  chairman  and  at  which 
fiery  and  urgent  speeches  were  delivered  by  Rev.  O.  H.  Tiffany, 
E.  Van  Buren,  Col.  Hasbrouck  Davis,  George  A.  Meech,  Edward 
Jussen,  John  Wentworth,  Colonel  Mann  and  others,  a  private  sub- 
scription of  $25,200,  to  be  used  as  additional  bounty,  was  raised 
in  a  few  minutes.     Ten  men  gave  $1,000  each  and  twenty-two 
gave  $500  each.     After  the  meeting  this  subscription  continued  to 
grow.     About  7,000  rebel  prisoners  were  at  Camp  Douglas  De- 
cember  17.      From  about   September    15   to   December    15,   over 
10,500  horses  were  purchased  here  for  the  army.     An  average  of 
$120  was  paid  for  each  horse.     By  December  21  about  700  vol- 
unteers had  been  secured  under  the  last  call.     A  new  camp  at 
Wright's  Grove  was  named  Camp  Potter.     Camp  Fry  was  still 
there.     Adjt.  Gen.  Fuller  in  December  officially  stated  that  Cook 
county  prior  to  October  1,  1863,  had  furnished  10,455  men  for  the 
war.     This  list  did  not  include  the  three  months'  volunteers.     On 
January  1,  1864,  there  were  about  6,500  rebels  in  charge  of  about 
1,800  Union  soldiers.     By  January  4,   1864,  there  had  been  re- 
cruited here  seventy-two  colored  volunteers  for  the  Illinois  colored 


480  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

regiment;  they  were  organized  into  a  company  and  were  ready 
January  7.  About  945  soldiers'  families  were  on  the  relief  rolls  in 
January,  of  whom  about  900  were  paid  weekly  allowances.  The 
effective  fund  for  soldiers'  families,  etc.,  during  1861  and  1862 
was  $117,809.70,  of  which  $5,722.63  went  to  the  Sanitary  Com- 
mission; $19,815.31  was  spent  for  arms;  $72,683.09  was  paid  to  sol- 
diers' families;  leaving  on  hand  $19,535.98. 

The  payment  of  bounty,  which  had  been  limited  by  the  County 
Board  to  January  15,  1864,  was  by  them  extended  to  March  7. 
John  H.  Bross,  of  Chicago,  became  colonel  of  the  Illinois  colored 
regiment.  The  colored  company  eighty-eight  strong  left  for  Quincy 
January  10,  and  soon  afterward  thirty  more  joined  them.  As  this 
company  departed  they  sang  "John  Brown"  as  they  marched 
through  the  streets.  By  January  11  bounties  had  been  paid  to  622 
volunteers  under  the  last  call,  though  912  had  actually  enlisted  here 
and  250  more  were  at  St.  Charles;  total,  1,162.  During  the  severe 
cold  weather  early  in  January,  1864,  there  was  much  suffering 
among  the  soldiers  at  the  camps.  About  300  from  Camp  Fry  were 
for  a  while  quartered  in  Metropolitan  hall.  Fac-similes  of  the 
Emancipation  Proclamation  were  sold  for  the  benefit  of  the  Sol- 
diers' Home.  Early  in  1864  the  three  year  regiments  began  to 
come  home  on  "veteran  furlough."  By  January  20,  1864,  1,062 
volunteers  had  been  paid  bounties.  Of  the  outside  towns  Jefferson 
was  ahead  with  15,  Niles  next  with  12.  About  this  time  nearly 
all  the  big  merchants  here  gave  one  day's  profits  of  their  stores 
to  the  relief  fund.  Many  business  establishments  of  Chicago  se- 
cured contracts  to  furnish  Government  supplies — beef,  bacon,  mess- 
pork,  hams,  beans,  rice,  hard  bread,  corn  meal,  medicines,  harness, 
etc. 

On  January  30,  W.  R.  Messick  was  arrested,  charged  with  being 
a  rebel  spy.  Residents  were  implicated  in  his  efforts  to  effect  the 
escape  of  rebel  prisoners.  By  February  1,  1864,  1,372  recruits 
under  the  last  call  had  been  paid  bounties.  The  Cook  county  quota 
under  the  calls  of  1861  was  4,036;  under  the  calls  of  1862  was 
2,761,  and  under  the  calls  of  1863  was  7,375,  total  14,172.  On 
October  1,  1863,  the  county  was  officially  credited  with  having  fur- 
nished 10,455,  leaving  a  deficit  of  3,717.  To  meet  this  deficit  about 
1,600  had  been  recruited  by  February  5,  1864.  The  call  of  Febru- 
ary for  500,000  more  men  was  hailed  with  joy  by  the  Union  men 
here,  as  it  meant  such  an  increase  in  the  army  as  to  crush  the  rebel- 
lion in  a  short  time.  Soldiers  in  considerable  numbers  passing 
through  Chicago  were  compelled  to  scatter  over  the  city  in  order 
to  secure  accommodations.  To  remedy  this  state  of  things  the  high- 
minded  here  in  seven  days'  time  erected  between  Randolph  and 
Washington  on  the  lake  shore  a  building  50x200  feet  and  named 
it  "Soldiers'  Rest."  Here  thousands  were  provided  at  one  time 
with  a  warm  meal  or  meals  and  a  place  to  sleep.  As  high  as  3,000 


SECOXD  AXD  THIRD  COURTHOUSES. 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  483 

men  could  be  accommodated  at  once.  It  was  a  Godsend  and  should 
have  been  thought  of  before.  The  soldiers  called  it  "Soldiers' 
Paradise."  There  was  preaching  there  every  Sunday.  By  Febru- 
ary 9  bounties  had  been  paid  to  1,616  volunteers,  and  about  300 
more  were  ready  to  receive  bounties. 

About  the  middle  of  February,  1864,  the  County  Board  ordered 
that  veterans  as  well  as  new  recruits  should  be  paid  the  county 
bounty.  An  additional  county  war  tax  was  levied.  The  quotas 
under  the  calls  of  1861  and  1862  were  assessed  according  to  popu- 
lation, but  the  quotas  of  1863  were  made  upon  the  basis  of  the 
first  class  enrollment — twenty  to  thirty-five  years.  Chicago  was 
unfortunately  situated.  She  had  about  4,000  aliens  who  had  voted 
here,  but  who  became  exempt  when  wanted  for  the  army.  They 
were  unfairly  counted  when  the  Cook  county  quotas  were  fixed. 
By  January  1,  1864,  the  Northwest  Sanitary  Commission  had 
shipped  to  the  soldiers  a  total  of  28,618  boxes  of  supplies.  County 
orders  were  at  a  discount  in  February,  1864,  so  that  the  Board  was 
obliged  to  give  an  order  for  $112  for  each  $100  bounty  paid. 
These  orders  were  receivable  for  county  taxes.  By  February  18, 
1864,  1,930  recruits  had  been  paid  bounties.  These  recruits  were 
assigned  as  follows:  Chicago  1,749,  Jefferson  31,  Niles  12,  Evans- 
ton  16,  Elk  Grove  8,  Bremen  6,  Wheeling  9,  Lemont  6,  Lyons  8, 
Bloom  14,  Lake  View  1,  Calumet  4,  Barrington  15,  Thornton  2, 
Rich  2,  Lake  3,  New  Trier  6,  Leyden  7,  Proviso  3,  Cicero  5,  Worth 
7,  Palatine  5,  Palos  4,  Northfield  4,  Orland  2,  Maine  1 ;  total  1,930. 
The  first  enrollment  gave  33,552  subject  to  draft  in  Cook  county. 
Of  these  2,996  were  dropped  from  the  rolls,  but  4,883  had  been 
added,  making  the  number  subject  to  draft  in  February,  1864, 
35,439.  It  was  a  common  occurrence  for  the  new  Soldiers'  Rest 
to  furnish  meals  to  a  whole  regiment  at  one  time.  Previous  to 
February,  1864,  there  were  several  hospitals  scattered  in  Camp 
Douglas,  but  then  all  were  concentrated  in  one  two-storied  building 
116x160  feet,  each  story  13j^  feet  high.  Camp  Fry  at  Wright's 
Grove  enclosed  about  ten  acres.  The  Government  corral  was  on 
the  west  side  of  State  street  between  Twenty-third  and  Twenty- 
fourth  streets.  It  covered  twenty  acres  and  accommodated  2,500 
horses  with  stabling.  About  four  hundred  yards  south  of  Camp 
Douglas  and  twenty  yards  apart  were  the  Union  and  the  rebel 
pest-houses.  Each  contained  small-pox  patients  in  February,  1864. 
On  February  29  about  $4,000  worth  of  barracks  and  tools  were 
destroyed  at  Camp  Douglas.  All  the  local  regiments  returning  and 
all  regiments  passing  through  here  were  fed  at  Soldiers'  Rest.  By 
March  1  bounties  had  been  paid  to  2,380  recruits;  but  the  provost 
marshal  reported  833  recruits  and  the  United  States  mustering 
officers  1,934  more,  total  2,767,  all  since  October  1,  1863.  Thus 
by  March  1,  1864,  Cook  county  was  still  short  nearly  1,000  men, 
not  counting  the  quota  under  the  call  of  February,  1864.  Colonel 

Vol.   1—28. 


484  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

DeLand,  of  the  Michigan  Sharpshooters,  had  commanded  at  Camp 
Douglas  during  the  winter  of  1863-64,  but  in  March,  1864,  was 
succeeded  by  Col.  J.  C.  Strong  of  the  Thirty-eighth  New  York 
infantry. 

Previous  to  March,  1864,  the  Union  and  rebel  soldiers  in  Camp 
Douglas  could  mingle,  but  at  that  date  a  high  board  fence  was  built 
between  them.  Prior  to  and  including  March  5,  1864,  bounties 
had  been  paid  under  the  October  call  as  follows:  1,067  orders  for 
$112,  total  $119,504;  1,433  orders  for  $23,  total  $40,124;  grand 
total  $157,628.  Gen.  Phil.  Sheridan  was  here  March  10,  1864; 
he  was  feted  at  the  Sherman  house.  Bounty  payments  were  ex- 
tended to  the  first  Monday  in  June.  Grant's  elevation  to  the  head 
of  the  army  in  March,  1864,  gave  great  satisfaction  in  Chicago. 
By  March  14  the  recruits  numbered  2,681.  General  Burnside  was 
here  March  19;  he  addressed  the  citizens  at  Bryan  hall.  Twelve 
rebel  prisoners  escaped  from  "White  Oak"  prison  in  Camp  Doug- 
las March  22.  During  the  war  there  were  liberal  subscriptions  here 
to  the  various  Government  loans.  For  three  days  in  April,  1864, 
subscriptions  of  $62,550  to  the  10-40  loan  were  received  by  the 
Second  National  Bank.  Before  the  British  consul  alone,  in  April, 
1864,  1,015  persons  made  oath  that  they  were  aliens,  and  yet  nearly 
all  had  voted  here  and  many  were  well-known  ward  politicians.  Of 
this  number  551  were  Irish.  Gen.  Daniel  E.  Sickles  was  here 
April  20,  1864,  and  was  given  a  splendid  reception  at  the  Tremont 
house  and  on  'Change. 

The  defeat  of  General  Banks  at  Pleasant  Hill,  Louisiana,  was 
deeply  regretted  here.  The  Illinois  colored  regiment  became  the 
Twenty-ninth  United  States  Colored  regiment.  It  arrived  here 
April  27,  1864,  under  the  command  of  Col.  Bross  of  Chicago,  and 
was  entertained  at  Soldiers'  Rest.  After  the  repast  the  regiment 
turned  the  tables  on  the  white  ladies  of  the  Rest,  and  served  them 
a  splendid  supper  from  the  restaurant  of  Ambrose  &  Jackson,  the 
most  popular  eating-house  of  the  city.  Late  in  April,  1864,  Gov- 
ernor Yates  called  for  20,000  men  for  100  days  for  garrison  duty 
within  the  State.  Cook  county  recruited  many  very  young  men  for 
this  service.  By  May  3  three  new  regiments  for  this  service  were 
well  advanced  here.  The  colonels  of  the  first  two  were  John  L. 
Hancock  and  R.  M.  Hough. 

In  May,  1864,  the  Soldiers'  Home  was  removed  to  Fairview, 
near  the  grave  of  the  Late  Senator  Douglas,  where  a  house  owned 
by  Mrs.  Langley  was  rented  for  temporary  occupancy  until  the 
proposed  new  brick  building  could  be  erected  on  adjacent  ground 
recently  bought.  The  new  brick  Home  was  to  be  ready  in  Septem- 
ber, 1864. 

At  a  war  meeting  held  in  Bryan  Hall  on  May  9,  to  advance  re- 
cruiting for  the  Hundred  Day  service,  Generals  Hurlbut  and  White 
and  Colonel  Mulligan  made  speeches,  Frank  Lumbard  then  sang 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  485 

"Old  Shady,"  after  which  E.  C.  Lamed,  General  Fuller  and  Emory 
A.  Storrs  delivered  spicy,  brilliant  addresses.  The  meeting  ended 
with  all  singing  the  "Battle  Cry  of  Freedom."  In  order  to  stimu- 
late enlistments  under  the  Hundred  Day  call,  the  board  of  trade 
offered  as  an  additional  inducement  to  each  man  $15  per  month  for 
three  months  or  a  total  of  $45.  At  this  time  recruits  were  being 
raised  by  Captains  Lyon,  Palmer,  Baxter,  Baldwin,  Randall  and 
by  Colonels  Hancock,  Hough  and  Shimp.  At  Camp  Douglas  on 
May  12  there  were  5,600  rebels  in  charge  of  two  regiments  of  the 
Reserve  corps. 

The  news  of  the  terrific  fighting  in  the  Wilderness  by  Grant's 
army  roused  this  city  to  the  highest  pitch  of  excitement  in  May, 
1864.  As  the  news  came  bulletins  were  issued,  cheering  crowds 
gathered,  flags  were  flung  out,  and  the  people  seemed  wild  with 
joy.  The  Tribune  of  May  14  said,  "Yesterday  was  a  day  long 
to  be  remembered.  We  have  seen  this  city  excited,  but  never  to 
that  degree  as  yesterday.  The  loyal  men  of  Chicago  were  utterly 
beside  themselves  with  delight."  Grant  was  doing  what  all  here 
wanted  him  to  do  and  what  all  felt  was  bound  to  win  success — fight. 
The  crowds  on  the  streets  were  wrought  up  to  fighting  pitch.  Mr. 
Storey  of  the  Times  and  John  S.  Newhouse,  police  commissioner, 
were  assaulted  for  uttering  remarks  derogatory  to  Grant's  suc- 
cesses. Business  was  suspended — a  remarkable  event  for  busy 
Chicago — and  the  evening  was  given  up  to  parades,  fireworks  and 
general  jollification.  The  fact  that  Grant  held  on  and  was  not 
repulsed,  was  the  cheering  sign.  It  was  noted  that  the  Copper- 
heads kept  in  their  holes  all  day,  not  caring  to  incur  the  wrath  of 
the  crowds.  The  Tribune  of  May  15  jubilantly  said,  "Saturday 
was  marked  by  scarcely  less  excitement  in  the  streets  of  Chicago 
than  the  day  preceding.  The  exuberant  flush  was  over,  but  the 
people  were  not  less  anxious.  All  along  the  streets  the  question 
resounded,  What  is  the  news?  .  .  .  Now  all  feel  that  the 
clouds  are  indeed  breaking.  .  .  .  Loyal  men  rejoice  as  only 
they  can  who  have  watched  and  waited  and  longed  for  the  morning 
till  hope  was  almost  gone."  But  Richmond  was  not  yet  to  be 
captured  as  they  ardently  hoped  nor  was  the  galling  and  bloody 
war  soon  to  be  ended.  At  this  time  the  Copperheads  had  much  to 
say  of  "Grant  the  butcher  and  Butler  the  beast."  By  May  17  the 
board  of  trade  had  raised  about  $30,000  to  be  paid  under  their  offer 
to  recruits  for  the  Hundred  Days'  service.  Gen.  Richard  Oglesby 
visited  Chicago  May  16. 

About  the  middle  of  May  a  new  enrollment  for  the  whole  State 
was  ordered.  Owing  to  the  large  number  of  rebel  prisoners  at 
Camp  Douglas,  Camp  Fry  was  made  headquarters  for  recruiting. 
The  colonels  of  the  three  Hundred  Day  regiment  were  Hancock, 
Hough  and  Shimp.  By  May  20  Hough's  regiment  had  741  men, 
Hancock's  704  men  and  Shimp's  about  200.  At  a  meeting  of  the 


486 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 


ladies  held  about  this  time  it  was  resolved  not  to  indulge  in  finery 
and  delicacies  during  the  remainder  of  the  war.  Hough's  regiment 
became  the  One  Hundred  and  Thirty-second  Illinois ;  and  Hancock's 
the  One  Hundred  and  Thirty-fourth  Illinois.  •  Chicago  citizens 
made  large  contributions  to  the  Pittsburg  Sanitary  Fair. 

The  following  table,  .furnished  by  Captain  James,  provost  mar- 
shal of  this  district  (Cook  county),  showed,  first,  the  total  quota 
of  this  district  under  all  calls  from  the  commencement  of  the  war, 
including  that  of  July  18,  1864,  arranged  by  sub-districts;  second, 
the  total  credits  of  July  1,  1864,  arranged  as  above;  third,  the 
deficit  of  each  sub-district  on  July  1,  1864: 


First  ward.... 
Second  ward.. 
Third  ward... 
Fourth  ward . . 
Fifth  ward.... 
Sixth  ward. . . 
Seventh  ward. 
Eighth  ward  . . 
Ninth  ward. 


Quota. 

2,209 

1,515 

1,306 

738 

821 

1,029 

997 

693 

833 

Tenth   ward 1,120 

Eleventh    ward 1,352 

Twelfth    ward 794 

Thirteenth    ward 519 

Fourteenth  ward 669 

Fifteenth    ward 1,068 

Sixteenth    ward 1,549 

Harrington    113 

Palatine     124 

Wheeling    156 

Northfield    125 

Evanston    109 

Hanover    66 

Schaumberg    75 

Elk  Grove   87 

Maine   119 

Niles    121 

Leyden    109 

Jefferson    133 


Proviso 
Cicero    .... 

Lyons     

Lake    

Lernont     . . . 

Palos    

Worth    .... 
Calumet 

Orland    

Bremen    .  . . 
Thornton    . 

Rich    

Bloom 
Lake  View 
New  Trier 
Hyde  Park 


144 
76 

155 
98 

181 
62 

127 

157 
92 

113 

133 
89 
82 
90 
75 
79 


Credits. 

1,992 

1,257 

1,054 

660 

673 

773 

807 

512 

621 

896 

1,114 

600 

356 

554 

935 

1,454 

81 

80 

93 

80 

86 

47 

39 

59 

73 

77 

56 

88 

83 

46 

86 

51 
113 

41 

84 

99 

61 

72 

81 

45 

53 

53 

45 

43 


Deficit. 
217 
258 
252 

78 
148 
256 
190 
180 
212 
224 
238 
194 
1C3 
115 
133 

85 

32 

44 

63 

45 

23 

19 

36 

28 

46 

44 

53 

45 

61 

36 

69 

47 

68 

21 

43 

58 

31 

41 

52 

44 

29 

37 

30 

36 


Totals 20,305 


16,177 


4,128 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  487 

Important  changes  in  Camp  Douglas  were  made  in  June,  1864. 
The  barracks  were  cut  in  two,  raised  four  feet  and  arranged  in 
streets.  They  were  placed  four  abreast  and  nine  deep.  Under  the 
new  arrangement  the  camp  could  accommodate  12,000  prisoners. 

The  Camp  Douglas  Hospital  Aid  society  was  founded  December 
18,  1861,  mainly  by  the  ladies  of  Grace  church  who  wished  to  aid 
the  Federal  soldiers  at  the  camp.  The  operations  were  extended 
to  soldiers'  families  and  to  other  hospitals,  particularly  to  the  city 
hospital  when  it  passed  to  the  United  States.  In  the  Spring  of  1863 
they  opened  a  repository  at  51  State  street  to  aid  wives  of  soldiers. 
Later  the  society  changed  their  name  to  St.  Luke's  Hospital  society 
and  established  free  beds  and  care  at  539  State  street.  Their  report 
June  20,  1864,  shows  total  receipts  of  $4,451.89  and  total  expenses 
$4,110.38.  Scores  of  soldiers'  families  suffered  for  food  in  July, 
1864,  and  urgent  calls  for  help  were  made  of  all  the  aid  organiza- 
tions. Protracted  sickness  had  caused  the  resignation  of  Mark 
Skinner  from  the  presidency  of  the  Chicago  Sanitary  Commission 
in  December,  1863,  greatly  to  the  regret  of  everybody.  John  V. 
Farwell  was  treasurer  of  the  Freedmen's  Aid  Commission. 

The-call  of  July,  1864,  for  500,000  men  to  serve  one,  two  and 
three  years,  staggered  the  county,  but  all  went  resolutely  to  work 
to  raise  the  quota.  The  Tribune  of  July  19  valiantly  said,  "The 
strain  is  hard.  The  trial  is  severe.  But  the  people  are  equal  to  the 
effort.  We  have  suffered  too  much;  we  have  fought  too  success- 
fully :  wre  are  too  near  the  end  to  fall  back  into  defeat,  anarchy  and 
endless  civil  war  for  want  of  the  reinforcements  for  which  the 
country  through  the  President  has  now  called."  In  all  parts  of 
the  county  and  city  tremendous  effort  began.  Stirring  calls  and 
eloquent  appeals  were  made  by  press,  pulpit  and  rostrum.  It  was 
hoped  and  believed  that  this  effort  would  be  the  last.  Many  of 
the  prisoners  at  Camp  Douglas  took  the  oath  of  allegiance  at  this 
time  and  were  provisionally  released ;  there  were  6,575  in  the  camp. 
An  immense  war  meeting  at  Metropolitan  hall  on  July  20  was 
addressed  by  John  Wentworth,  Grant  Goodrich,  J.  D.  Ward  and 
Emory  A.  Storrs;  the  latter  ridiculed  in  his  humorous  and  inimita- 
ble style  the  Niagara  Peace  convention  just  adjourned.  News  of 
the  capture  of  Atlanta  was  received  with  joyful  acclaim.  The 
death  of  Colonel  Mulligan  caused  much  sorrow  in  July;  his  public 
funeral  was  large  and  impressive.  On  August  13,  1864,  the  County 
War  Fund  committee  was  paying  weekly  allowances  to  about  1 ,200 
soldiers'  families.  Wealthy  men  in  all  parts  of  the  county  were 
busy  hiring  substitutes,  in  order  to  have  their  names  taken  from  the 
draft  rolls.  Among  those  who  obtained  substitutes  about  this  time 
were  J.  V.  Farwell,  C.  B.  Farwell,  Wilbur  F.  Storey,  W.  C.  D. 
Grannis,  Samuel  S.  Kellogg,  U.  R.  Hawley  and  Nelson  Morris.  A 
number  of  Canadian  negroes  arrived  here  about  this  time  to  enlist 
as  substitutes  for  the  large  private  bounty  offered.  Col.  John  A. 


488  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

Bross  of  the  colored  regiment  died  of  wounds  in  August;  he  was 
hated  by  Secessionists  and  rebels  for  having  taken  command  of  a 
colored  regiment,  and  his  death  may  have  been  the  result  of  that 
hate. 

The  draft  was  set  for  September  5,  1864.  Recruiting  was  slow, 
but  many  substitutes  were  hired  late  in  July.  The  County  Board 
late  in  July,  1864,  sent  Col.  J.  L.  Hancock  to  Springfield  to  secure 
definite  information  as  to  the  quota  of  the  county  under  the  recent 
calls.  Upon  his  return  he  made  the  following  report:  "The  total 
quota  of  this  district  (First  or  Cook  county),  under  all  calls  from 
the  commencement  of  the  war,  including  that  of  July  18,  1864, 
is  20,005;  total  credits  to  July  1,  1864,  is  16,177;  the  deficit  is 
4,128.  This  number  will  be  reduced  somewhat  by  credits  from 
enlistments  for  the  navy  and  substitutes  procured  since  April  1, 
1864.  It  appears  by  the  records  that  about  sixty  counties  are  de- 
ficient a  total  of  32,347  men,  while  about  fifty  counties  have  fur- 
nished 16,165  over  their  quota  on  all  calls,  leaving  a  balance  due 
from  the  state  of  16,182  men.  By  giving  to  Cook  county  her 
proportion  of  the  surplus  of  16,165  men,  it  leaves  to  be  raised  2,064 
men,  from  which  is  to  be  deducted  the  enlistments  since  July  1, 
numbering  some  hundreds,  counting  seamen  and  soldiers.  The 
number  to  be  raised  at  this  time  is  somewhere  in  the  neighborhood 
of  1,500  or  1,600  men,  which,  it  seems  to  be  understood,  might 
be  procured  without  resorting  to  conscription,  if  proper  steps  were 
immediately  taken." 

The  National  Democratic  convention  had  been  set  to  be  held  in 
Chicago  in  June,  1864,  but  was  postponed  to  August  29.  Elabo- 
rate arrangements  for  an  immense  building  on  Michigan  avenue 
were  made.  The  Tribune  called  the  building  the  "Copperhead 
amphitheatre."  It  was  erected  in  the  park  north  of  Park  Row. 
Gen.  W.  S.  Rosecrans  was  in  Chicago  during  the  convention  and 
made  a  speech  on  'Change.  A  committee  of  the  citizens  appointed 
at  a  public  meeting  to  devise  means  to  fill  the  quota  of  Cook  county 
reported  that  it  would  be  necessary  to  raise  $900,000  by  taxation 
to  accomplish  that  object.  On  September  2,  1864,  it  was  officially 
announced  that  the  Cook  county  deficiency  to  date  was  4,128,  but 
the  Tribune  insisted  that  the  real  deficiency  was  only  about  half 
that  number.  Cook  county  constituted  the  First  Congressional  or 
draft  district.  The  County  Board  was  petitioned  by  the  citizens 
September  5  to  appropriate  not  to  exceed  $500,000  to  be  used  to 
secure  recruits  to  fill  the  county  quota.  It  was  argued  that,  while 
the  county  quota  was  4,128  men,  as  many  of  the  counties  were 
ahead,  the  real  quota  of  Cook  county  was  thus  reduced  to  about 
1,600  men.  Acting  upon  this  petition,  the  County  Board  appro- 
priated $500,000  on  September  6,  to  be  issued  in  county  orders 
payable  to  bearer,  $300  to  each  recruit,  the  scrip  or  bonds  to  bear 
10  per  cent  interest.  With  $300  from  the  county  and  $100  from 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  489 

the  Government,  a  substantial  offer  could  be  made  to  volunteers. 
The  highest  number  of  votes  ever  polled  in  Cook  county  was 
20,347,  but  the  enrollment  of  July,  1864,  was  38,262;  thus  it  was 
thought  a  big  mistake  had  been  made  somewhere. 

Upon  receipt  of  the  news  of  the  capture  of  Atlanta  the  Board 
of  Trade  appropriated  $200  with  which  to  fire  a  salute  in  honor  of 
the  event.  "Flesh  brokers"  was  the  term  applied  to  persons  en- 
gaged here  in  obtaining,  for  a  consideration,  usually  commission, 
substitutes  for  men  in  any  part  of  the  Union.  As  soon  as  it  was 
ready,  everybody  in  the  county  was  appealed  to  to  take  county 
scrip.  The  County  Board  ordered  the  expulsion  from  the  court- 
house square  of  all  recruiting  officers  except  those  engaged  to  clear 
the  Cook  county  quota.  The  War  Fund  committee  reported  on 
September  12  that  they  had  paid  to  date  in  bounty  a  total  of  $323,- 
843,  and  that  from  sixty  to  100  recruits  were  yet  to  be  paid.  From 
July  1,  1864,  to  September  1,  1864,  they  had  paid  to  soldiers'  fami- 
lies $20,492.15.  The  cry  of  the  Democracy  at  this  time  was 
"Peace  at  any  price!"  Under  the  Government  call  of  July,  1864, 
for  500,000  men  for  one,  two  and  three  years,  the  bounty  offered 
was  $100,  $200  or  $300  respectively  for  those  periods.  Thus  three- 
year  recruits  were  offered  $300  by  the  Government  and  $300  by 
Cook  county.  With  his  wages,  board  and  clothing  added,  every 
recruit  was  thus  offered  over  $1,000.  As  shown  above,  the  total 
quotas  of  the  county  to  July  1,  1864,  were  20,305,  total  credits 
16,177,  deficiency  4,128.  The  Government,  for  prudential  reasons, 
ordered  a  reduction  of  50  per  cent  in  the  state  quota  for  the  first 
draft  of  September,  1864,  leaving  thus  to  be  raised  by  Cook  county 
on  July  1,  1864,  2,064  men.  But  many  had  been  recruited  since 
then.  The  Tribune  of  September  22  said  that  about  1,817  men 
were  yet  to  be  raised. 

The  victory  of  Sheridan  over  Early  in  the  Shenandoah  valley 
in  September  was  publicly  celebrated  here.  People  realized  that 
the  great  armies  of  Grant,  Sherman  and  Sheridan  had  the  hydra 
of  secession  by  the  throat  and  was  slowly  but  steadily  and  surely 
choking  the  life  out  of  it.  On  September  26,  1864,  the  draft  was 
commenced  here.  There  was  no  excitement  at  the  provost  mar- 
shal's office  at  132  South  Clark  street  where  the  wheel  revolved, 
or  rather  where  the  names  were  drawn  from  a  box  by  some  person 
selected  at  the  moment  and  blindfolded.  Leyden  was  the  first  town 
to  receive  the  draft;  Alderman  Lawson  with  bared  arm  drew  out 
the  slips,  and  Frederick  Rust  was  the  first  person  drafted.  On  the 
first  day  twenty -five  were  drafted  in  Leyden,  seventeen  in  Schaum- 
berg,  ten  in  Palos,  twenty-nine  in  Wheeling,  twenty  in  Northfield 
and  twenty-one  in  Maine.  The  county  supervisor  and  enrolling 
officer  of  Leyden,  Benjamin  L.  Hopkins,  was  the  thirty-sixth  to 
be  drafted.  The  second  day  the  draft  was:  Rich,  twenty;  Lyons, 
thirty-three;  New  Trier,  fourteen;  Proviso,  twenty;  Lake,  twenty- 


490  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

two;  Lemont,  twenty-three.  Subsequent  days  showed  the  draft 
thus :  Calumet,  twenty-eight ;  Thornton,  twenty-one ;  Niles,  twenty- 
one  ;  Orland,  fourteen ;  Bremen,  nineteen ;  Elk  Grove,  thirteen ; 
Palatine,  seven ;  Jefferson,  nineteen ;  Bloom,  thirteen ;  Worth, 
twenty;  Cicero  (only  five  short,  was  postponed  upon  request)  ;  Lake, 
twenty-two.  John  Foley,  who  drew  for  Lemont,  produced  his  own 
name  at  the  second  draw.  Cicero  cleared  herself  of  the  draft — raised 
$10,500  by  private  subscription — and  thus  was  the  first  subdivision 
of  the  county  to  be  clear  officially.  Draft  insurance  societies  flour- 
ished at  this  period ;  for  a  consideration  they  took  their  chances  of 
guaranteeing  any  man  clear.  Clubs  were  formed,  each  member 
paying  in  $100,  the  sum  raised  to  be  paid  to  those  drafted  or  paid 
to  substitutes.  On  September  21,  1864,  the  County  Board  agreed 
that  the  $300  county  bounty  would  be  paid  to  any  person  applying 
on  the  quota — volunteers,  drafted  or  substitutes.  While  the  draft 
was  in  progress  the  greatest  efforts  yet  made  were  inaugurated 
along  these  and  other  lines.  A  large  private  and  additional  bounty 
was  raised  in  nearly  all  towns  and  wards.  Substitute  brokers  ap- 
peared with  elaborate  signs  at  every  street  corner.  The  Thirteenth 
ward  cleared  itself  by  securing  nearly  a  full  company  from  one  of 
the  discharged  regiments.  In  the  Sixth  ward  121  were  drafted; 
in  the  Seventh,  eighty;  in  the  Eighth,  eighty-three;  in  the  Ninth, 
seventy-seven;  and  in  the  Twelfth,  eighty-six.  Money  was  poured 
out  like  water.  The  Fifth  ward  (Bridgeport),  though  forty-nine 
short,  cleared  itself  in  about  three  days  by  raising  a  large  private 
fund.  So  great  was  the  effort  to  raise  recruits  at  this  time  (Octo- 
ber 4  to  10)  that  the  draft  was  suspended.  By  October  10  the 
county  deficit  had  been  reduced  to  the  following:  Northfield, 
seven;  Maine,  six;  Leyden,  eight;  Lyons,  twenty-three;  Lake,  one; 
Lemont,  nineteen;  Worth,  seventeen;  Calumet,  seventeen;  Brown, 
three;  Thornton,  three;  New  Trier,  one;  Bloom,  one;  First  ward, 
one;  Third,  twenty-two;  Sixth,  ninety-five;  Eighth,  seventy- four ; 
Ninth,  fifty-six;  Eleventh,  seventy-seven;  Twelfth,  eighty-five; 
total,  516.  All  the  other  subdivisions  had  cleared  themselves  by 
October  10.  By  October  17  the  following  was  the  shortage; 
Maine,  three ;  Lyons,  seventeen ;  Lemont,  eleven ;  Worth,  seven ; 
Calumet,  eleven;  Bremen,  one;  Thornton,  three;  Sixth  ward,  forty- 
three;  Eighth,  eight;  Ninth,  nineteen;  Twelfth,  eight;  total,  131. 
On  October  21  the  deficit  was  as  follows:  Lyons,  fourteen;  Calu- 
met, eleven;  Lemont,  two;  Worth,  six;  Bremen,  one;  total,  thirty- 
four.  On  October  23  the  deficit  was :  Lyons,  one ;  Calumet,  four ; 
Bremen,  one;  total,  six.  The  next  day  the  deficit  vanished.  All 
in  all,  this  was  perhaps  the  most  extraordinary  effort  ever  made  by 
Cook  county.  The  county  deserves  the  highest  credit  for  its  her- 
culean exertions  in  this  emergency.  Several  of  the  subdivisions 
(wards  and  towns)  raised  each  $20,000  to  $30,000  and  used  the 
same  as  an  additional  bounty.  John  Wentworth  was  given  great 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  491 

credit  for  his  efforts  at  this  date — giving  his  time  and  money  with- 
out stint. 

On  September  28,  1864,  about  thirty  rebel  prisoners  at  Camp 
Douglas,  in  a  sortie,  tried  to  batter  down  a  portion  of  the  wall  and 
escape,  but  the  leader  was  shot  and  the  attempt  failed.  Col.  J.  B. 
Sweet  was  commandant.  The  Tribune  of  October  3  said :  "The 
past  week  has  been  one  of  intense  excitement  in  Chicago.  The 
fall  in  gold  and  the  consequent  sweeping  away  of  margins;  the 
draft  in  Cook  county ;  the  continued  military  successes  of  the  Union 
armies;  the  suspension  of  payments  of  three  banks;  the  run  on 
several  others  by  depositors;  the  heavy  decline  in  the  price  of 
grain  and  cattle,  dry  goods  and  groceries — all  occurring  during 
the  closing  days  of  September,  made  the  week  one  long  to  be  re- 
membered." On  October  6  there  were  7,404  rebels  at  Camp  Doug- 
las, of  whom  470  were  in  the  hospital.  Immense  quantities  of 
supplies  were  shipped  daily  by  the  Sanitary  Commission  in  Octo- 
ber, 1864.  Gen.  Joseph  Hooker  was  here  October  16;  he  appeared 
on  'Change  and  made  a  speech  that  was  received  with  tumultuous 
cheers;  he  was  given  a  splendid  reception  at  night.  Solomon 
Sturges,  who  had  done  a  vast  amount  to  aid  the  Union  cause,  died 
here  in  October,  1864.  Receipts  for  the  Soldiers'  home  were  as 
follows:  Collections  from  June  17,  1863,  to  September,  1864, 
$1,939.22;  strawberry  festival,  $1,006.26;  sale  of  Emancipation 
Proclamation,  $3,000;  net  profits  of  same,  $2,100;  permanent  home 
subscriptions,  $12,941.33;  premium  on  United  States  bonds, 
$831.53;  total  receipts,  $24,818.34.  The  expenses  were:  Current, 
$12,599.22;  paid  for  real  estate,  $11,207.50;  total,  $23,806.72; 
balance  on  hand,  $1,011.62.  A  big  festival  in  Rosedale  for  the 
benefit  of  the  soldiers,  given  by  the  ladies  of  the  West  Side  in 
October,  netted  over  $500.  The  families  of  colored  soldiers  were 
aided  the  same  as  those  of  white  soldiers.  Many  of  the  business 
houses  in  October  and  November,  1864,  devoted  one  day's  profits 
to  aid  soldiers'  families. 

The  Sanitary  fair  at  Chicago  in  1863  had  set  an  example  that 
was  imitated  in  all  the  states  of  the  North.  In  October,  1864, 
another  on  a  much  larger  scale  was  projected.  "The  Northwestern 
Sanitary  commission  and  the  Chicago  Soldiers'  home  (which  in- 
cludes the  Soldiers'  rest),  having  resolved  to  institute  a  great  joint 
fair  for  the  benefit  of  both  institutions,  elected  the  following  per- 
sons respectively  on  the  executive  committee:  E.  W.  Blatchford, 
Mrs.  A.  H.  Hoge  and  Mrs.  D.  P.  Livermore  for  the  Sanitary  com- 
mission ;  T.  B.  Bryan,  Mrs.  O.  E.  Hosmer  and  Mrs.  E.  F.  Dickin- 
son for  the  Soldiers'  home.  These  two  committees,  having  united  in 
pursuance  of  their  appointment  in  forming  the  executive  commit- 
tee, and  by  virtue  of  the  discretion  delegated  to  them,  added  to 
their  number  Mark  Skinner,  Col.  C.  G.  Hammond  and  E.  B.  Mc- 
Cagg,  have  completed  their  organization  by  the  election  of  the 


492  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

following  officers:  President,  Mark  Skinner;  vice-presidents,  Col. 
C.  G.  Hammond,  E.  B.  McCagg  and  T.  B.  Bryan;  treasurer  and 
secretary,  E.  W.  Blatchford;  corresponding  secretaries,  Mrs.  A.  H. 
Hoge,  Mrs.  O.  E.  Hosmer,  Mrs.  D.  P.  Livermore,  Mrs.  E.  F. 
Dickinson.  The  committees  have  determined  upon  the  22d  day  of 
February,  1865,  as  the  opening  day  of  the  fair  and  the  4th  day 
of  March  as  its  closing  day.  It  has  also  been  definitely  agreed  that 
the  net  proceeds  of  the  fair  shall  be  divided  between  the  Sanitary 
commission  and  the  Soldiers'  home;  so  that  the  latter  institution 
shall  be  entitled  to  and  shall  receive  the  first  $25,000 ;  and  all  the 
residue  of  the  said  proceeds,  regardless  of  the  amount,  shall  belong 
to  the  Northwestern  Sanitary  commission." — (Extract  of  the  Ex- 
ecutive committee  report  in  Tribune,  October  28,  1864.) 

On  Sunday,  October  30,  1864,  James  A.  Garfield  delivered  a 
strong  Union  address  at  Bryan  hall.  On  October  28  twenty-five 
or  thirty  rebels  at  Camp  Douglas  tried  to  escape  by  battering  down 
the  outer  wall ;  five  or  six  managed  to  get  out,  but  the  others  were 
checked.  The  election  of  Lincoln  and  Johnson  in  November,  1864, 
greatly  elated  the  Union  leaders  here,  because  it  meant  a  continu- 
ance of  the  war  policy  and  the  overthrow  of  the  rebellion  and  slav- 
ery. The  total  vote  in  Chicago  was  27,029,  or  6,650  larger  than 
ever  before  polled  in  the  city.  The  draft  of  1864  was  upon  the  basis 
of  one-half  of  the  quota  of  Cook  county,  and  as  the  war  advanced 
into  the  winter  of  1864-65  it  was  seen  that  the  other  half  would 
have  to  be  raised  by  the  county.  Recruiting,  therefore,  continued. 
As  high  as  $800  had  been  paid  here  for  substitutes;  but  when  the 
"flesh  brokers"  were  driven  out  by  act  of  the  county  and  the  city 
authorities  the  price  fell  to  $500.  The  Sanitary  fair  held  at  Evans- 
ton  under  the  auspices  of  the  Female  college  in  December,  1864, 
netted  several  hundred  dollars  for  the  soldiers.  On  November  28, 
1864,  the  City  Council  passed  an  ordinance  that  no  persons  except 
those  acting  under  city  authority  should  enlist  any  men  in  the 
United  States  service,  and  particularly  that  substitute  brokers  should 
be  thus  prohibited.  On  November  27  about  550  rebel  soldiers  from 
General  Hood's  army  arrived  here;  they  were  miserable  looking 
objects.  At  this  time  there  were  about  8,000  rebel  prisoners  at 
Camp  Douglas,  guarded  by  the  Eighth  Reserve  corps,  the  Fifteenth 
Reserve  corps  and  the  Twenty-fourth  Ohio  battery — in  all  about 
796  men.  A  board  wall  twelve  feet  high,  upon  which  walked  about 
twenty-five  guards  at  one  time,  was  all  that  stood  between  the  pris- 
oners and  liberty.  Often  many  of  the  796  were  away  on  special 
detail.  Early  in  December  the  County  Board  authorized  its  War 
Fund  committee  to  borrow  $20,000  for  six  months  at  6  per  cent 
interest,  to  be  expended  for  the  benefit  of  the  soldiers'  families.  On 
December  6,  7  and  8,  1864,  over  1,000  prisoners  from  Hood's  army 
arrived  for  Camp  Douglas;  by  December  12  there  were  nearly 
10,000  of  them  in  the  camp.  The  victory  of  General  Thomas  over 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  493 

General  Hood  at  Nashville  in  December,  1864,  caused  keen  delight 
here;  it  was  one  step  nearer  final  victory.  The  Northwestern 
Freedmen's  fair  was  held  at  Bryan  hall,  December  19  to  25 ;  it  was 
opened  by  Theodore  Tilton  at  Metropolitan  hall.  Sherman's  tri- 
umphant "march  to  the  sea"  and  capture  of  Savannah  occasioned 
great  rejoicing  here  in  December.  Recruiting  still  continued  in  all 
parts  of  the  county ;  all  felt  that  the  war  was  near  the  end  and  that 
now  was  the  chance  to  get  the  large  bounty  for  short  service.  On 
January  1,  1865,  there  were  at  Camp  Douglas  11,780  rebel  prison- 
ers. The  opening  of  the  Great  Northwestern  fair  was  postponed 
until  May,  1865.  Its  officers  were  as  follows :  Gen.  Joseph 
Hooker,  president ;  E.  W.  Blatchford,  secretary  and  treasurer ;  Mrs. 
A.  H.  Hoge,  Mrs.  D.  P.  Livermore  and  Mrs.  O.  E.  Hosmer,  cor- 
responding secretaries.  The  fair  had  become  so  immense  that  it 
was  found  necessary  to  postpone  it.  By  January  16,  1865,  248  new 
recruits  had  been  secured.  The  Tribune  humorously  referred  to 
each  Union  victory  as  "Another  peace  movement."  The  Chicago 
branch  of  the  United  States  Sanitary  commission  reported  that  from 
January  1,  1861,  to  December  31,  1864,  its  receipts  were  $103,- 
317.82,  and  its  expenditures  $100,003.68;  its  office  was  at  109  Clark 
street.  In  January,  1865,  178  rebel  prisoners  at  Camp  Douglas 
took  the  oath  of  allegiance  and  were  released.  Early  in  1865  came 
the  call  for  ten  new  regiments  from  Illinois,  and  again  the  county 
and  city  became  active.  The  rendezvous  was  at  Camp  Fry,  under 
Col.  J.  L.  Hancock;  the  One  Hundred  and  Forty-seventh  Illinois 
regiment  was  to  be  formed  there.  By  February  2  there  were  416 
new  recruits.  The  Illinois  "black  laws"  were  repealed  by  the  Leg- 
islature in  February.  By  a  vote  of  thirty-one  to  twelve  the  County 
Board  in  February  passed  an  order  to  pay  a  total  of  $400  bounty 
to  each  recruit  under  the  last  call.  On  February  8,  1865,  it  was 
disclosed  that  out  of  3,223  rebel  prisoners  at  Camp  Douglas  slated 
to  be  exchanged,  715  refused  to  be  exchanged.  They  saw  the  Con- 
federacy tottering.  The  big  bounty  offered  by  the  County  Board 
greatly  stimulated  enlistments.  Though  the  Union  leaders  of  the 
county  felt  that  their  quotas  were  based  upon  an  unfair  enrollment, 
all  dispute  was  stopped  and  every  man  did  his  best  to  clear  the 
deficiency.  Special  bounties,  in  addition  to  the  others,  were  raised 
by  many  of  the  subdistricts.  Camp  Fry  was  very  lively  at  this  date. 
From  January  31  to  February  10  about  1,000  recruits  poured  into 
that  camp.  Of  the  11,061  rebels  at  Camp  Douglas  on  February 
10,  squads  almost  every  day  thereafter  continued  to  take  the  oath 
of  allegiance.  By  February  17  it  was  shown  that  previous  to  the 
late  calls  Cook  county  had  put  in  the  service  18,876  men,  and  had 
raised  in  addition,  under  the  last  calls,  about  1,300  more,  or  a  total 
of  20,176.  To  this  number  there  must  be  added  the  three  months' 
men  and  the  one  hundred  days'  men,  in  order  to  get  the  full  credit 
of  Cook  county.  By  February  19  there  had  been  received  at  Camp 


494 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 


Fry  1,925  recruits.  Before  this  date  the  One  Hundred  and  Forty- 
seventh  regiment  was  complete  and  Hiram  L.  Sickles  had  been 
elected  colonel.  These  recruits  came  from  other  counties  as  well  as 
from  Cook.  It  has  been  the  custom  of  local  historians  and  other 
writers  not  to  give  Cook  county  the  credit  it  deserves  for  the  efforts 
made  and  the  men  enrolled.  The  county  is  certainly  entitled  to 
credit  for  the  men  raised,  regardless  of  whether  they  were  mustered 
into  the  service  or  not. 

OFFICIAL,    FEBRUARY    13,    1865. 

Number 
DIVISION.  Enrolled. 

First  ward   4,069 

Second  ward   2,548 

Third  ward   : 2,279 

Fourth  ward   1,362 

Fifth  ward   : 1,758 

Sixth  ward    1,521 

Seventh  ward   2,051 

Eighth  ward   1,054 

Ninth  ward   1,299 

Tenth  ward  2,080 

Eleventh  ward   2,536 

Twelfth  ward   1,284 

Thirteenth  ward    909 

Fourteenth  ward   1,173 

Fifteenth   ward 2,097 

Sixteenth  ward   2,896 

Harrington     Ill 

Palatine    174 

Wheeling    193 

Northfield    137 

Evanston    147 

Hanover    Ill 

Schaumberg    106 

Elk  Grove   134 

Maine    134 

Niles    102 

Leyden    113 

Jefferson    197 

Proviso    171 

Cicero    171 

Lyons    175 

Lake    106 

Lemont    175 

Palos   74 

Worth    155 

Calumet    191 

Orland    % 

Bremen    131 

Thornton    182 

Rich    133 

Bloom    135 

Lake  View   82 

North  Trier    112 

Hyde  Park   62 


Number 

of  Votes 

Quota. 

2,269 

510 

2,025 

378 

2,086 

382 

1,397 

178 

1,290 

293 

1,483 

254 

2,163 

330 

1,032 

192 

1,428 

209 

1,759 

323 

1,841 

371 

1,107 

209 

1,034 

164 

1,419 

168 

2,142 

288 

2,760 

332 

222 

17 

291 

32 

318  ' 

33 

247 

21 

249 

22 

169 

20 

150 

19 

189 

27 

249 

21 

264 

38 

222 

17 

229 

26 

205 

26 

187 

31 

212 

27 

159 

19 

280 

29 

182 

10 

233 

28 

219 

27 

139 

12 

175 

22 

212 

27 

157 

24 

188 

26 

150 

6 

170 

13 

122 

2 

34,827          33,012        5,202 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 


495 


By  February  13,  1865,  the  following  recruits,  to  be  applied  on 
the  Cook  county  deficit  and  on  the  above  quota  of  5,202,  had  been 
secured : 


First    ward 1 

Second   ward 5 

Fourth    ward 59 

Seventh    ward 1 

Ninth    ward 11 

Tenth  ward 27 

Twelfth  ward 7 

Thirteenth  ward 1 

Fourteenth  ward 119 

Fifteenth  ward 66 

Sixteenth  ward 78 

Harrington    15 

Bloom  .12 


Bremen 13 

Cicero  17 

Elk  Grove 16 

Evanston   13 

Hanover 8 

Hyde  Park 8 

Jefferson    14 

Lake    11 

Lake  View 12 

Leyden   17 

Lyons    18 

Maine   13 

New  Trier 10 


Niles   19 

Northfield    15 

Orland    13 

Palatine   17 

Palos  7 

Proviso    17 

Rich    10 

Schaumberg    15 

Thornton  11 

Wheeling  19 

Worth    14 

Total..  ..720 


The  One  Hundred  and  Fifty-third  Illinois  regiment  was  mus- 
tered at  Camp  Fry  by  February  24,  with  Stephen  Bronson  as  colonel. 
It  left  for  Nashville  early  in  March.  Of  the  first  detachment  of  500 
rebel  prisoners  exchanged  in  March,  1865,  about  200  of  them  re- 
fused to  cross  to  the  rebel  lines  after  they  had  reached  the  front 
and  had  learned  how  near  their  cause  was  crushed;  they  were 
brought  back  to  Camp  Douglas.  The  capture  of  Charleston  and 
Columbia,  South  Carolina,  by  General  Sherman  kindled  great  joy 
in  Cook  county.  Salutes  were  fired  in  all  parts  of  Chicago.  An 
appeal  by  Chicago  citizens  to  President  Lincoln  to  order  a  revision 
of  Cook  county's  enrollment  was  turned  down  as  impolitic  at  this 
stage  of  the  war.  It  would  have  occasioned  hundreds  of  other 
revisions  in  all  parts  of  the  Union.  A  dozen  delegations  were  in 
Washington  at  the  time  waiting  the  result  of  the  Chicago  appeal. 
Secretary  Stanton  said :  "It  cannot  be  done ;  the  result  would  be  to 
set  back — postpone — the  draft  at  a  critical  time."  It  was  agreed 
to  correct  the  trouble  by  a  subsequent  new  enrollment.  By  March 
10  the  county  had  raised  2,123  new  recruits  and  had  about  3,087 
yet  to  raise.  Early  in  March,  it  having  been  reported  that  about 
2,000  rebel  prisoners  in  Camp  Douglas  were  willing  to  enlist  to  fill 
the  Cook  county  quota,  the  County  Board  ordered  an  investigation. 
The  One  Hundred  and  Fifty-sixth  regiment  left  Camp  Fry  for 
Nashville  March  15,  under  Colonel  Smith.  Recruiting  was  ex- 
tremely rapid.  By  March  23  there  had  been  raised  2,583  men, 
with  2,625  yet  to  be  recruited.  They  numbered  3,075  by  April  5, 
and  3,312  by  April  12.  By  April  13,  1865,  when  Secretary  Stanton 
ordered  all  recruiting  stopped,  the  County  Board  had  paid  the  $400 
bounty  to  3,390  men.  In  addition  about  100  more  had  enlisted, 
but  had  not  yet  drawn  their  bounty.  On  January  1,  1865,  the 
county  was  credited  with  having  put  18,876  men  in  the  field.  If 
to  this  number  be  added  the  above  3,490  men,  a  total  of  22,366  is 
obtained  as  the  apparent  credits  of  the  county  when  recruiting  was 
stopped.  But  in  order  to  get  the  actual  total  credits  of  the  county, 


496  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

there  must  be  added  to  this  number  the  three  months'  men  and  the 
one  hundred  days'  men  (in  all  about  2,500  men),  besides-  2,092 
Union  seamen  enlisted  here,  and  about  2,000  Camp  Douglas  rebels 
who  were  induced  to  enter  the  service,  making  in  all,  without  the 
rebels,  about  27,000.  It  may  thus  safely  be  said  that  the  county's 
total  credits  during  the  war  were  not  less  than  27,000,  a  splendid 
showing — one  that  should  stand  forever  as  a  magnificent  memorial 
to  the  loyalty  of  Cook  county. 

The  aggregate  cost  of  the  Civil  war  to  Cook  county  was  sub- 
stantially as  follows :  County  bounty,  $2,571,272 ;  city  bounty,  $1 19,- 
742;  substitutes,  $56,350;  special  by  wards  and  towns,  $734,453; 
Chicago  families  of  soldiers,  $90,809;  county  families  of  soldiers 
outside  of  city  limits,  $166,034;  Board  of  Trade  direct  to  families 
of  soldiers,  $220,000;  Mercantile  association  to  soldiers'  families, 
$75,000;  grand  total  cost,  $4,033,660. 

The  severe  fighting  of  Grant's  army  in  and  around  Petersburg 
the  last  of  March  and  the  first  of  April,  1865,  was  believed  here  to 
be  the  beginning  of  the  end.  The  Tribune  of  April  3  said :  "The 
crisis  of  the  war,  so  eagerly  expected,  has  come  at  last.  The  final 
campaign  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  has  opened  with  a  splendid 
success,  promising  no  less  than  the  speedy  capture  of  Richmond 
and  the  total  overthrow  of  the  rebellion."  Immediately  afterward 
came  the  joyful  news  of  the  capture  of  Richmond.  The  Tribune 
of  April  4  thus  gave  vent  to  its  delight : 

"A  Day  of  Joy. — The  news  yesterday  of  the  capture  of  Peters- 
burg and  Richmond  caused  the  people  of  Chicago  with  one  consent, 
or  rather  with  one  wild  furor  of  enthusiastic  joy,  to  give  the  day 
to  the  country.  No  sooner  had  the  good  news  spread  from  our 
bulletins  throughout  the  city  than  business  was  in  a  great  degree 
suspended.  Within  half  an  hour  the  city  was  ablaze  with  the  ban- 
ner of  beauty  and  symbol  of  freedom  waving  from  every  available 
staff,  from  the  spires  of  our  vessels,  from  all  our  principal  public 
buildings,  mercantile  houses  and  private  residences.  Processions 
of  workingmen  and  teams  filled  the  streets;  bands  of  music  dis- 
coursed their  stirring  and  eloquent  strains ;  artillery  and  other  pomp 
patrolled  the  streets.  Everybody  extended  his  benediction  to  every- 
body, or  by  'laying  on  of  hands'  more  forcible  than  apostolic 
smashed  his  neighbor's  hat  to  express  his  congratulatory  apprecia- 
tion of  the  last  'big  thing'  of  General  Grant.  Everything  that  smelt 
of  gunpowder,  from  a  cannon  or  a  caisson  to  a  pistol  or  a  fire- 
cracker, was  brought  into  requisition,  and  the  day  rivaled  the 
Fourth  of  July  in  its  patriotic  uproar.  Certainly  yesterday  has  no 
rivals  in  the  history  of  Chicago.  Three  years  ago  we  threw  up 
our  hats  in  a  fury  of  enthusiasm  over  Grant's  first  victory  at  Donel- 
son,  because  we  saw  that  our  country  had  found  her  man.  We  have 
followed  him  faithfully  through  Shiloh,  Vicksburg,  Chattanooga, 
Spottsylvania  and  in  all  his  campaigns  before  Richmond,  and  now 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  497 

Illinois  proudly  rejoices  to  have  contributed  not  only  the  largest 
quotas  of  men,  but  both  the  civil  and  military  leaders  who  have 
conducted  us  to  victory  in  this  contest.  Beyond  any  portion  of  the 
country,  therefore,  Illinois  has  reason  to  rejoice  in  this  day  of 

rejoicing." 

*  *         *         * 

"The  rebel  citadel  has  fallen.  Richmond  is  ours!  The  news 
sped  through  the  country  yesterday  on  the  wings  of  lightning,  and 
lighted  up  the  nation  with  a  blaze  of  glory.  .  .  .  We  do  well  to 
rejoice,  for  this  is  the  grandest  event  that  ever  happened  to  us  as 
a  people.  .  .  .  Thanks  be  to  God  Who  giveth  the  victory !  .  .  . 
The  beloved  country  for  which  so  many  precious  lives  have  been 
given,  so  many  tears  have  been  shed,  so  many  prayers  offered  to 
the  Almighty  Father,  is  saved.  We  have  a  home  and  a  heritage, 
a  government  and  a  flag  from  which  not  a  star  has  been  erased  or 
ever  shall  be.  We  have  passed  through  a  trial  which  no  nation 
has  ever  before  encountered  and  survived.  The  future  henceforth 
is  full  of  the  promise  of  greatness  to  America  and  freedom  to  the 

world." 

*  *         *         * 

"The  glad  tidings  were  received  here  about  10  o'clock,  and  the 
news  was  quickly  bulletined  in  all  the  principal  parts  of  the  city. 
Great  crowds  gathered,  and  as  they  scanned  the  magic  writing 
rent  the  air  with  their  exultant  shouts,  telling  the  people  far  and 
near  'Richmond  is  taken!'  The  welcome  sound  was  taken  up  by 
others  and  passed  from  lip  to  lip  till  it  echoed  all  over  the  city  and 
thousands  of  men,  women  and  children  fairly  danced  for  joy.  The 

scene  was  exciting — sublime." 

*  *         *         * 

"If  the  day  scenes  were  imposing,  the  night  display  was  magnifi- 
cent. The  most  extensive  preparations  were  made  during  the  day 
for  a  grand  illumination  in  the  evening,  and  the  idea  was  carried 
out  on  a  scale  far  surpassing  anything  ever  before  seen  in  Chicago. 
All  the  public  buildings  in  the  city  were  lighted,  the  hotels  and 
offices  blazed  with  candles  and  gas  jets,  while  private  residences 
by  the  hundreds  had  every  window  lighted,  not  alone  in  the  center 
of  the  city  but  in  its  outskirts.  Thousands  of  rockets  and  other 
fireworks  illumined  the  sky  with  their  glare;  falling  rain,  Chinese 
lanterns,  balls  of  fire,  exploding  crackers,  the  hiss  of  serpents  and 
the  whir  of  the  fire-wheel  combined  to  produce  a  brilliancy  such 
as  cannot  be  described.  While  the  air  was  filled  with  fireworks, 
the  ground  was  alive  with  bonfires.  Tar  barrels  and  dry  goods 
boxes  and  other  lumber  were  brought  out  in  large  quantities  and 
the  torch  was  applied.  All  over  the  city,  North,  South  and  West, 
their  flames  lighted  up  the  evening  sky,  presenting  a  truly  magnifi- 
cent spectacle.  The  street  rejoicings  were  kept  up  till  a  very  late 
hour,  and  the  appearance  of  daylight  found  hundreds  yet  in  the 
streets." 


498  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

All  the  courts  adjourned,  cheering  as  they  hurried  to  the  streets. 
The  saloons  were  never  so  crowded.  It  seemed  that  everybody 
had  to  blow  off  his  enthusiasm  or  blow  up.  Many  of  the  churches 
held  prayer  meetings  in  the  afternoon.  Dearborn  Light  Artillery 
fired  a  salute  of  one  hundred  guns  at  Camp  Douglas.  The  rebel 
prisoners  there  were  silent  and  sour,  but  the  Union  troops  shouted 
with  joy.  The  courthouse  bell  was  set  ringing  the  good  news  over 
the  prairies  as  soon  as  the  first  bulletin  appeared.  Ladies  carried 
small  flags  in  their  hands  or  on  their  hats.  All  the  bands  were 
soon  out.  Impromptu  processions  went  cheering  through  the 
muddy  streets.  Lake  street  from  the  bridge  to  the  lake  was  a  be- 
wildering mass  of  flags.  Many  Secessionists  did  not  rejoice;  they 
disappeared.  Horses,  wagons  and  street  cars  were  gaily  and  often 
amusingly  decorated.  The  Tribune  of  April  5  said :  "It  was  amus- 
ing to  witness  the  feigned  joy  of  the  Confederate  print  (Times) 
over  the  glorious  news  of  the  capture  of  Richmond  and  the  rout 
of  Lee's  army.  It  actually  had  the  hardihood  to  hang  out  the 
Star  Spangled  Banner — the  Abolition  emblem — and  to  pretend  to 
rejoice,  but  it  was  hollow  hypocrisy." 

The  news  of  Lee's  surrender  was  received  here  late  Sunday  night, 
April  9.  Immediately  100  guns  were  fired  by  Dearborn  Light 
Artillery.  This  brought  the  people  from  their  houses  as  bees  from 
a  hive.  All  the  remainder  of  the  night  was  given  to  raving  celebra- 
tions, the  crowds  eagerly  watching  the  bulletins  as  they  were  posted 
up.  The  next  day  schools,  courts  and  Board  of  Trade  adjourned 
and  nearly  all  business  was  suspended.  Speeches  were  delivered 
on  'Change  by  Rev.  Arthur  Swazey,  W.  D.  Houghteling,  Colonel 
Hancock,  Colonel  Hough,  George  C.  Bates  and  Gov.  William 
Bross,  and  all  joined  in  singing  "My  Country,  'Tis  of  Thee"  and 
"Praise  God,  from  Whom  all  Blessings  Flow."  In  the  afternoon 
an  immense  procession  paraded  the  streets  under  U.  P.  Harris, 
fire  marshal.  For  variety  of  turnouts,  for  effervescent  joy,  it  was 
never  before  equalled.  A  bulletin  issued  in  the  morning  stated 
there  would  be  a  procession  in  the  afternoon,  and  it  was  left  to  the 
imagination,  joy  and  patriotism  of  the  individual  to  accomplish  the 
rest.  So  they  came  in  all  sorts  of  shapes  and  in  all  varieties  of 
conveyances.  Everybody  got  in  line  and  manifested  his  delight 
according  to  his  own  feverish  fancy.  The  floats  and  mottoes  were 
spicy  and  varied.  Among  them  were  the  following:  "Grant  has 
opened  trade  with  the  South;"  "Confederate  notes,  10  cents  per 
pound;"  "Union  Blue,  Raleigh,  N.  C. ;"  "Bacon  &  Co.,  Galveston, 
Texas;"  "First  National  bank,  Mobile,  Ala."  (on  a  lot  of  empty 
dry  goods  boxes)  ;  "J.  Davis,  Mexico,  per  Am.  Exp.,  C.  O.  D. ;" 
"How  are  you,  Last  Ditch?"  "One  box  of  Kearsarge  Pills  for 
Lord  John  Russell ;"  "J.  Davis'  baggage"  (on  an  old  worn-out 
trunk  out  of  which  peeped  a  pair  of  butternut  pants)  ;  "Soothing 
Syrup  for  the  Nation,  by  Phil.  Sheridan ;"  "Sherman's  Eradicator ;" 


FOURTH    COURTHOUSE.      RUINS    OF   THE    1871    FIRE. 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  501 

"Lee's  mistake  and  Grant's  treat;"  "Medical  supplies,  Gen.  Grant, 
Danville;"  "Sherman's  Vermifuge  for  Joe  Johnson;"  "Babylon  has 
fallen."  Everything  concerning  Jeff  Davis  made  the  people  roar. 
A  rude  coffin  sketched  on  the  side  of  a  broad  board  had  over  it 
the  epitaph,  "Jeff  Davis  departed  this  life  April  3rd."  This  caused 
great  merriment.  There  were  almost  continuous  cheers  for  Grant, 
Sherman  and  Sheridan.  All  the  colored  people  of  the  city  were 
in  the  procession — exhibiting  their  ivories.  The  procession  marched 
up  Lake  and  Franklin,  thence  to  Washington,  thence  to  Clark, 
thence  to  Van  Buren,  thence  to  Michigan  and  thence  to  Lake.  It 
was  nearly  four  miles  long  and  required  nearly  an  hour  to  pass  a 
given  point.  The  mounted  escort  amused  the  people  by  running 
scrub  horse  races  on  Lake  street.  Many  effigies  of  Jeff  Davis  were 
carried  in  the  procession.  At  night  the  furor  was  continued  with 
even  greater  intensity,  with  fire  and  noise.  The  Tribune  of  April 
1 1  thus  effervesced : 

"If  the  fall  of  Richmond  and  Petersburg  produced  a  spontaneous, 
off-hand  outburst  of  rejoicing,  the  surrender  of  Lee  culminated 
that  rejoicing  yesterday  with  such  a  universal  uprising,  outpouring, 
procession-forming,  speech-making,  banner-displaying,  bonfire- 
burning,  rocket-blazing  day  of  glory  as  Chicago,  and  its  people  have 
never  before  seen.  .  .  .  Grave  men  of  business  paraded  the  streets 
blowing  tin  horns.  The  Board  of  Trade  sang  "Old  Hundred"  in 
mighty  chorus  and  followed  it  with  "John  Brown"  and  all  the 
doxologies  in  the  hymn  books.  Light  men  carried  heavy  men  on 
their  shoulders.  Bulls  embraced  bears,  and  bears  felicitated  bulls 
in  the  most  absurd  fashions.  The  great  procession  came  together 
as  by  magic.  From  all  parts  of  the  city  they  came,  on  foot,  on 
horseback,  and  almost  on  their  heads,  with  single  carriages,  double 
teams,  four-horse  teams  and  six-horse  teams,  a  mighty  army  with 
banners.  At  night  the  city  was  illuminated  with  miles  of  bonfires. 

Such  a  carnival  was  never  before  witnessed  in  our  goodly  city." 

*         *         *         * 

"It  is  literally  true  that  yesterday  the  people  of  Chicago  turned 
out  en  masse.  Nothing  like  it  was  ever  before  witnessed  in  our 
streets.  Where  the  vast  multitudes  all  came  from,  was  the  wonder 
of  every  observer.  It  would  be  no  exaggeration  to  say  that  in  a 
radius  of  two-thirds  of  a  mile,  whereof  the  courthouse  was  the 
center,  there  were  in  the  procession  and  on  the  streets  and  in  the 
public  square  not  less  than  100,000  men,  women  and  children,  par- 
ticipating in  the  carnival  of  joy.  The  surrender  of  Lee  and  his 
army  was  of  itself  an  event  sufficient  to  evoke  a  great  popular 
demonstration,  but  it  was  the  belief  that  immediate,  honorable  and 
enduring  peace  would  follow  the  surrender  which  caused  the  tre- 
mendous outbursts  of  jubilation  and  forced  the  whole  population 
on  the  streets  to  shout,  sing,  laugh,  dance,  huzza  and  cry  for  very 
gladness.  If  grave  men  acted  like  a  parcel  of  boys  broke  loose 

Vol.  1—29. 


502  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

from  school,  it  was  because  a  heavy  load  was  lifted  from  their 
hearts.  The  Nation's  cause  was  won.  The  Republic  was  saved  and 
free.  These  were  the  reasons  that  drew  together  and  caused  an 
impromptu  celebration  of  100,000  glad  souls." 

The  news  of  Lincoln's  assassination  was  received  in  Chicago 
about  4  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  Saturday,  April  15,  1865.  It 
was  immediately  heralded  all  over  the  city.  The  revulsion  in  public 
feeling  was  heart-breaking.  The  Tribune  of  April  16  said :  "Sor- 
row and  indignation  struggled  for  mastery  in  thousands  of  breasts. 
The  grief  of  the  people  scarce  knew  bounds.  Strong  men  wept  in 
the  streets,  and  loud  sobs  were  frequently  heard.  These  were 
almost  the  only  audible  sounds  emitted.  Even  in  telling  the  news 
to  friends  who  had  not  before  heard  it,  men  spoke  almost  in  a 
whisper.  All  business  was  of  course  suspended.  The  banks,  the 
Board  of  Trade,  the  public  offices,  all  closed  for  the  day.  A  ma- 
jority of  the  saloons  even  closed  their  doors;  same  of  nearly  every 
place  of  amusement.  The  city  was  draped  in  mourning.  Even 
pedestrians  on  the  streets  wore  crape  upon  their  arms  and  rosettes 
of  white  and  black  upon  their  breasts.  Horses  were  similarly 
decked.  Democrats  and  Republicans,  the  rich  and  the  poor,  the 
high  and  the  low,  showed  by  their  solemn  countenances  that  they 
felt  that  a  great  calamity  had  fallen  upon  the  Nation.  Ladies 
dressed  in  black.  Every  shop,  store  and  dwelling,  the  courthouse, 
customhouse,  hotels  and  business  buildings  were  draped." 

Late  in  April  full  preparations  were  made  for  the  reception  of 
Lincoln's  body.  On  May  1  at  about  11 :15  o'clock  in  the  morning 
the  catafalque  was  taken  from  the  Michigan  Central  train  at  Park 
Row  and,  followed  by  an  immense  procession,  marched  with  suita- 
ble escort  under  the  beautiful  memorial  arch  that  had  been  erected 
there  down  Michigan  avenue  to  Lake  street,  thence  to  Clark,  thence 
to  the  east  gates  of  the  courthouse  and  within  the  yard  around  to 
the  south  door  and  thence  into  the  rotunda.  The  crowd  poured 
through  from  south  to  north,  viewing  the  white  face  of  the  dead 
martyr.  It  had  rained  during  the  morning,  but  just  before  the 
arrival  of  the  train  beautiful  sunshine  flooded  the  city.  The  court- 
house square  was  kept  clear  by  sentries,  the  grass  was  green  and 
the  fountain  tossed  its  spray  high  in  the  air.  On  the  outside  of  the 
south  door  were  the  words : 

"ILLINOIS  CLASPS  TO  HER  BOSOM  HER  SLAIN  AND 
GLORIFIED  SON." 

The  funeral  arch  at  Park  Row  faced  east  and  west  and  was  triple 
Gothic  and  appropriately  draped.  Ten  thousand  school  children 
and  all  of  the  colored  people  were  in  the  procession.  Every  society 
in  the  city  was  out  in  its  regalia.  The  pall  bearers  here  were  Lyman 
Trumbull,  John  Wentworth,  F.  C.  Sherman,  E.  C.  Larned,  F.  A. 
Hoffman,  J.  R.  Jones,  Thomas  Drummond,  William  Bross,  J.  B. 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  503 

Rice,  S.  W.  Fuller,  T.  B.  Bryan  and  J.  Y.  Scammon.  Many  nota- 
bles were  present.  Religious  services  in  honor  of  the  loved  dead 
were  held  in  the  churches.  The  colored  people  held  special  me- 
morial services  in  Quinn  chapel.  The  Tribune  of  May  1  and  2  said : 

"A  few  weeks  hence  he  had  hoped  and  promised  to  come  among 
us  at  the  opening  of  the  Sanitary  fair.  We  had  hoped  to  grasp 
his  hand,  to  welcome  the  commander  in  chief  of  all  our  victories, 
the  emancipator  of  America,  the  foremost  man  of  our  age  and  the 
most  powerful  ruler  of  this  century,  to  hear  his  plain  but  prophetic 
soul-inspiring  words,  to  share  his  genial  kindness  and  his  irresistible 
good  nature.  But  all  this  is  sadly  changed.  Where  we  had  hoped 
to  rejoice  we  weep  with  a  sudden  stunning,  bitter  anguish,  such 
as  no  nation  ever  before  felt.  The  features  we  had  hoped  to  wel- 
come wreathed  in  their  expressive  smiles,  so  full  of  candor,  kind- 
ness, firmness  and  honesty — now  come  to  us  silent  in  death.  This 
fearful  rebellion  which  had  already  entered  almost  every  household 
with  its  individual  grief,  now  fills  the  cup  of  a  nation's  bitterness  with 
one  great  woe  that  spares  no  loyal  heart.  Many  before  had  lost 
a  father,  brother  or  son.  Now  we  have  all  lost  our  noblest  son,  our 
bravest  brother,  our  kindest  father.  Our  cup  is  drained.  The 
sacrifice  is  ended.  The  battle  is  over  and  the  field  won.  The  crime 
of  slavery  has  been  expiated.  Liberty  is  redeemed.  The  memory 
of  the  last  great  martyr  is  embalmed  forever  in  the  hearts  of  the 
American  people.  Looking  upon  his  remains  today,  let  us  conse- 
crate ourselves  anew  to  the  great  cause  of  freedom  and  union  for 
which  he  yielded  up  his  life." 

"All  that  is  mortal  of  Abraham  Lincoln,  the  honest  and  good 
man,  the  prudent  and  sagacious  counsellor,  the  saviour  of  the  coun- 
try from  the  nefarious  schemes  of  treason — the  blackest  and  most 
desperate  the  world  has  yet  seen — now  reposes  in  our  city,  the  city 
that  he  loved  and  that  loved  him,  while  the  mourners  go  about 
the  streets  and  every  house  wears  the  funeral  symbols  of  sorrow 
and  every  voice  is  hushed  in  the  presence  of  the  great  dead.  .  .  . 
Slain  as  no  other  man  has  been  slain,  died  as  no  other  man  has 
died,  cut  down  while  interposing  the  hand  of  his  great  charity  and 
mercy  between  the  wrath  of  the  people  and  the  guilty  traitors,  the 
people  of  Chicago  today  tenderly  receive  the  sacred  ashes  with 
bowed  heads  and  streaming  eyes." 

In  March,  1865,  when  recruiting  was  at  its  highest  crest,  about 
sixty  assistants  were  employed  at  the  provost  marshal's  office.  The 
office  was  closed  for  good  April  29  by  order  of  the  War  Depart- 
ment. Dr.  J.  Winslow  Ayer,  whose  office  was  in  the  McCormick 
block,  early  joined  the  Sons  of  Liberty,  which  met  in  that  building, 
for  the  purpose  of  exposing  its  objects,  if  they  were  disloyal. 
Finding  that  its  objects  were  treasonable,  he  notified  Gen.  Joseph 
Hooker,  then  a  resident,  and  later  was  publicly  thanked  by  the  lat- 
ter. Robert  Alexander  assisted  Doctor  Ayer.  After  the  rebellion 


504  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

had  collapsed  the  Sixth  regiment  of  United  States  volunteers,  1,000 
strong,  was  raised  here  from  the  rebel  prisoners  in  Camp  Douglas, 
and  in  May,  under  Col.  C.  H.  Potter,  left  for  the  West  to  do 
frontier  duty.  On  May  17  there  were  6,000  rebels  still  at  Camp 
Douglas.  Many  every  day  were  taking  the  oath  and  leaving  for 
the  South.  The  Soldiers'  Home  and  Rest,  from  June  15,  1864,  to 
June  18,  1865,  received  60,003  soldiers  and  gave  167,253  meals  to 
soldiers.  The  receipts  of  the  home  and  rest  from  June,  1864,  to 
June,  1865,  were  $33,081.17;  expenses,  $35,849.99.  Thomas  B. 
Bryan,  an  heroic  figure  here  during  the  entire  period  of  the  war, 
was  still  president  of  the  home  and  rest  at  the  latter  date.  The 
Permanent  Soldiers'  home  had  gone  into  operation  in  June,  1864. 
The  return  of  the  regiments  from  the  war  was  an  important  event. 
Invariably  they  were  received  with  touching  ceremony  and  were 
often  addressed  by  their  former  generals  in  the  field.  On  June 
13,  1865,  there  were  as  many  as  thirteen  regiments  here  at  one 
time — not  as  they  went  forth  to  war  1,000  strong,  but  each  reduced 
from  ravages  to  from  200  to  500  men.  By  June  20,  1865,  all  the 
rebel  prisoners  except  the  sick  had  left  Camp  Douglas. 

A  short  time  before  the  date  of  the  Presidential  election  of  No- 
vember, 1864,  Col.  B.  J.  Sweet,  commandant  at  Camp  Douglas, 
arrested  here  a  number  of  prominent  Chicagoans  and  others, 
charged  with  treasonable  conspiracy  against  the  Government. 
Their  trial  occurred  at  Cincinnati  and  lasted  several  weeks.  Many 
startling  circumstances  were  revealed  in  the  evidence.  It  was  shown 
that  ever  since  1861  the  treasonable  organization,  known  at  differ- 
ent times  as  Knights  of  the  Golden  Circle,  Sons  of  Liberty,  Society 
of  Illini,  etc.,  had  an  organization  here;  that  they  were  part  of  a 
general  organization  throughout  the  North,  instituted  to  oppose  the 
war  policy  of  Mr.  Lincoln's  administration ;  that  they  were  the  real 
backbone  of  all  disloyalty  shown  here;  that  even  during  the  Na- 
tional Democratic  convention  squads  of  men  present  carried  con- 
cealed weapons;  that  as  the  Presidential  election  of  November, 
1864,  was  certain  to  decide  whether  the  war  policy  of  the  adminis- 
tration or  the  peace  policy  of  the  Democracy  was  to  prevail,  the 
time  for  them  to  act  was  on  that  date ;  that  for  several  months 
preceding  the  election  the  conspirators  had  been  pledged  the  assist- 
ance of  over  1,000  men  of  this  city;  that  about  100  butternuts  or 
Copperheads  from  Southern  Illinois  arrived  here  just  before  the 
election,  prepared  to  take  part  in  the  outbreak ;  that  about  500 
rebels  from  Canada,  men  who  had  escaped  from  Northern  prisons, 
were  to  join  the  revolt  when  all  was  ready;  that  at  the  November 
election  hundreds  carried  concealed  arms  to  the  polls;  that  Charles 
Walsh  and  A.  T.  Semmes  were  actively  concerned  in  the  plot ;  that 
scores  of  Chicagoans  were  implicated  in  the  same;  that  at  the 
proper  time  Jesse's  guerrillas  were  to  come  here  to  aid  in  the  attack ; 
that  large  quantities  of  arms  were  shipped  here  for  use  in  the  move- 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  505 

ment ;  that  ammunition  for  the  conspirators  was  manufactured 
here;  that  at  the  time  there  were  not  over  600  available  Federal 
troops  at  the  command  of  the  city ;  that  rebel  Col.  G.  St.  L.  Greenfell, 
formerly  a  British  officer,  was  to  command  the  attacking  force ; 
that  Gen.  Vincent  Marmaduke,  a  rebel  prisoner  at  Camp  Douglas, 
was  to  command  one  branch  of  the  conspirators'  forces;  that  the 
Richmond  house  and  the  Brighton  house  were  two  of  the  resorts 
of  the  plotters;  that  the  plan  was  to  attack  with  about  200  men 
each  of  the  four  sides  of  Camp  Douglas,  batter  down  the  walls, 
capture  the  battery  there,  set  free  all  the  rebel  prisoners  and  arm 
them  with  revolvers,  shotguns  or  carbines  previously  provided,  and 
then  capture  Chicago,  burn  the  public  buildings  and  sack  the  city, 
and  then  march  South  and  join  the  rebels  in  Kentucky.  About 
eighteen  persons  were  arrested  and  taken  to  Cincinnati.  Charles 
Walsh  and  A.  T.  Semmes  were  found  guilty  and  the  former  was 
sentenced  to  five  years  and  the  latter  to  three  years  imprisonment 
in  the  penitentiary  at  Columbus,  Ohio.  Buckner  S.  Morris  and 
Vincent  Marmaduke  were  acquitted  and  discharged  upon  taking 
the  oath  of  allegiance.  Daniels  escaped  and  Anderson  committed 
suicide.  Mrs.  B.  S.  Morris,  upon  confessing,  was  released  and  sent 
to  her  father's  home  in  Woodford  county,  Kentucky.  The  com- 
plete thwarting  of  the  plot  was  mainly  due  to  the  efforts  of  Col. 
B.  J.  Sweet,  commandant  of  Camp  Douglas.  From  the  start  his 
agents  kept  him  apprised  of  every  step  of  the  conspirators.  So 
really  meritorious  were  his  services  that  he  was  publicly  thanked 
by  the  County  Board  "for  his  energy  and  prompt  action  in  arrest- 
ing the  disloyal  and  wicked  in  our  midst."  They  said  that  "the 
recent  arrests  made  in  this  city  reveal  a  plot  conceived  by  wicked 
and  disloyal  men  for  the  destruction  of  our  city,  which,  without  the 
vigorous  and  prompt  action  of  the  military  commander  of  the  post, 
would,  we  fear,  have  been  successful."  Of  course  the  Democracy 
as  a  party  had  nothing  to  do  with  this  conspiracy,  and  the  most  of 
its  members  involved  had  been  misled  as  to  the  objects  of  the 
movement.  It  seems  to  have  been  a  movement  of  the  rebels  in  the 
city  and  at  Camp  Douglas  to  form  a  guerrilla  band  for  purposes 
of  plunder  and  to  aid  the  Confederate  cause  in  case  of  the  elevation 
of  the  Peace  party  to  power. 

During  the  winter  of  1864-65  the  Great  Northwest  Sanitary 
fair  was  steadily  advanced.  By  the  middle  of  February  all  the 
departments  had  been  projected  and  the  organization  was  perfect. 
The  strongest  encouragement  was  received  from  all  parts  of  the 
West — indeed,  from  the  East  as  well.  Finally  the  fair  was  opened 
on  June  8,  1865.  Generals  Grant  and  Sherman  were  present,  re- 
mained several  days  and  were  the  cynosure  of  all  eyes.  While  here 
General  Sherman  addressed  several  of  the  returning  regiments,  but 
General  Grant  excused  himself  from  speaking  at  the  receptions. 
There  were  about  thirty  different  departments,  all  designed  to  make 


506  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

money.  The  buildings  were  on  the  lake  front.  The  fair  was  on 
such  a  large  scale  that  in  ten  days  the  receipts  amounted  to  $230,- 
827.22.  The  Fine  Arts  hall  and  the  Floral  hall  were  strikingly 
beautiful.  By  June  20  it  began  to  close.  It  had  been  decided  to 
dispose  of  the  net  proceeds  of  the  fair  as  follows:  Fifty  thousand 
dollars  to  the  Christian  commission,  one-half  of  the  balance  to  the 
Sanitary  commission,  and  the  other  half  of  the  balance  to  the  Sol- 
diers' home.  Horticultural  hall  of  the  fair  was  taken  apart  and 
reerected  at  the  Chicago  Driving  park  for  the  State  fair  to  be  held 
in  September,  1865.  The  final  report  on  the  fair  published  in  the 
Tribune  of  August  21  showed  the  gross  receipts  to  be  $358,070.38, 
and  the  expenses  $117,257.35,  leaving  the  net  receipts  $240,813.03, 
a  splendid  exhibit.  By  this  great  fair  Chicago  showed  what  she 
could  do  when  she  tried.  It  was  to  begin  with  a  noble  conception, 
carried  to  fruition  by  patient  and  loyal  hearts  that  knew  not  how  to 
falter,  and  executed  in  a  manner  so  elaborate  and  far-reaching,  so 
varied  and  artistic,  so  successful  and  magnificent,  that  it  is  recalled 
with  pride  to  this  day  by  the  old  residents  as  one  of  the  high  water 
marks  of  Chicago's  energy,  self-sacrifice,  generosity  and  patriotism. 


COOK  COUNTY  ORGANIZATION,  ETC. 
1819-1865 

THE  act  of  March  22,  1819,  established  the  courts  of  County 
Commissioners.  It  was  provided  that  it  should  be  a  court  of 
record ;  that  two  should  constitute  a  quorum  to  do  business ; 
that  there  should  be  four  sessions  annually ;  that  they  should 
appoint  or  remove  their  own  clerk ;  that  the  jurisdiction  should  cover 
the  whole  country;  that  the  jurisdiction  should  embrace  revenue,  tax, 
licenses,  roads,  lands,  turnpikes,  toll  and  other  bridges,  writs,  war- 
rants, processes  to  the  extent  required  by  their  powers;  that  they 
should  have  a  seal;  that  the  clerk  should  keep  records  of  the  pro- 
ceedings of  the  board ;  that  called  sessions  could  be  held ;  that  the 
court  could  not  have  "original  or  appellate  jurisdiction  in  civil  or 
criminal  suits  or  actions  wherein  the  state  was  party  or  any  indi- 
vidual or  individuals,  bodies  politic  or  corporate,  are  parties,  but 
should  have  jurisdiction  in  all  cases  where  the  matter  or  thing 
brought  before  the  said  court  related  to  the  public  concerns  of  the 
county  collectively  and  all  county  business;  that  it  could  punish 
for  contempt,  and  have  all  power  necessary  to  its  duty  under  the 
law;  that  it  should  be  entitled  'The  County  Commissioners'  Court' 
and  the  process  be  'in  the  name  of  the  people  of  the  State  of  Illi- 
nois' ;  that  it  should  have  the  power  and  jurisdiction  to  compel  and 
enforce  by  writ  or  writs  of  attachment  or  other  processes  the  orders, 
decrees  and  judgments  of  said  court  on  all  those  named  therein  and 
bear  testimony  in  the  name  of  the  clerk."  The  law  of  July  1,  1827, 
made  each  county  in  the  state  a  body  corporate  and  politic — could 
sue  and  be  sued,  plead  and  be  impleaded. 

By  act  approved  January  15,  1831,  "All  that  tract  of  country, 
to  wit:  Commencing  at  the  boundary  line  between  the  States  of 
Indiana  and  Illinois,  at  the  dividing  line  between  towns  thirty-three 
and  thirty-four  north ;  thence  west  to  the  southwest  corner  of  town 
thirty-four  north  of  range  nine  east ;  thence  due  north  to  the  north- 
ern boundary  line  of  the  State;  thence  east  with  said  line  to  the 
northeast  corner  of  the  State;  thence  southwardly  with  the  line  of 
the  State  to  the  place  of  beginning — shall  constitute  a  county  to  be 
called  Cook;  and  the  county  seat  thereof  is  hereby  declared  to  be 
permanently  established  at  the  town  of  Chicago  as  the  same  has 
been  laid  out  and  defined  by  the  Canal  commissioners."  An  elec- 
tion was  held  at  Chicago  for  one  sheriff,  one  coroner  and  three 

507 


508  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

county  commissioners.  The  act  further  provided  that  "the  public 
buildings  as  Chicago  shall  be  erected  on  the  public  square,  as  laid 
off  by  the  Canal  commissioners  on  the  south  side  of  the  Chicago 
river."  It  was  further  provided  that  if  the  canal  commissioners 
should  donate  any  lots  to  the  county  commissioners,  the  latter  were 
authorized  to  sell  same  and  apply  the  proceeds  to  the  erection  of  a 
courthouse  and  jail.  Ferries  under  the  control  of  the  county  com- 
missioners were  provided  for.  The  same  act  provided  that  "the 
county  commissioners'  court  of  Cook  county  is  hereby  authorized 
to  purchase  of  the  Government  of  the  United  States  a  quantity  of 
land  in  Section  10,  Town  39  north,  Range  14  east,  not  exceeding 
eighty  acres,  to  be  laid  out  into  town  lots  and  sold  from  time  to 
time  as  they  may  think  proper,  the  proceeds  of  which,  when  sold, 
shall  be  appropriated  to  the  erection  of  a  courthouse  and  jail."  It 
was  also  ordered  that  "all  the  country  north  of  Cook  county  and 
parallel  with  the  lines  of  the  same,  as  far  northward  as  Rock  river, 
is  hereby  attached  to  Cook  county." 

In  1831  the  Commissioners'  court  was  organized.  It  opened  in 
March,  1831,  the  first  record  being  as  follows:  "Samuel  Miller, 
Gholson  Kercheval  and  James  Walker,  Commissioners  of  Cook 
county,  were  sworn  into  office  by  J.  S.  C.  Hogan,  justice  of  the 
peace.  William  See  was  appointed  clerk  of  the  Commissioners' 
court,  who  after  being  duly  sworn  and  giving  bonds  according  to 
law,  the  court  proceeded  to  business.  Archibald  Clybourn  was 
appointed  county  treasurer  and  an  order  passed  that  the  Southwest 
fraction  of  Section  10,  Township  39  north,  Range  14  east  of  the 
Third  principal  meridian  be  entered  for  county  purposes.  At  the 
next  meeting,  March  9,  the  treasurer  was  authorized  to  borrow  one 
hundred  dollars  with  which  to  enter  the  land  before  mentioned  and 
he  is  directed  not  to  give  more  than  six  per  cent,  interest.  It  was 
also  ordered  that  Jesse  Walker  be  employed  to  enter  the  land,  that 
Jedediah  Wooley  be  nominated  to  the  Governor  for  county  sur- 
veyor, and  that  there  be  three  precincts  in  the  county  of  Cook, 
to-wit :  The  Chicago  precinct,  the  Hickory  Creek  precinct,  and  the 
Dupage  precinct.  The  boundaries  of  these  three  precincts  were  es- 
tablished, judges  of  election  appointed  and  the  time  and  the  places  of 
holding  the  same  were  fixed.  Grand  and  petit  jurors  were  selected 
and  some  other  minor  business  transacted  when  the  court  adjourned 
until  Court  in  course." — (Annual  Reviews  of  Chicago,  1853,  in  the 
Chicago  Historical  Society  Library.) 

On  April  13,  1831,  Miller  and  Kercheval  present,  it  was  "Or- 
dered, That  there  be  a  half  per  cent,  levied  on  the  following  descrip- 
tion of  property,  to-wit:  On  town  lots,  on  pleasure  carriages,  on 
distilleries,  on  all  horses,  mules,  and  neat  cattle  above  the  age  of 
three  years,  on  watches  with  their  appurtenances,  and  on  all  docks." 
Elijah  Wentworth  and  Samuel  Miller  (one  of  the  commissioners) 
were  licensed  to  keep  tavern  in  Chicago  and  were  taxed  $7  and  $5 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  509 

respectively.    "Ordered,  That  the  following  rates  be  allowed  to  tav- 
ern keepers,  to-wit: 

Each  half  pint  of  wine,  rum  or  brandy 25      cents 

Same,   pint 37%  cents 

Half  pint  of  gin 18%  cents 

Same,   pint 31%  cents 

Gill  whisky 6%  cents 

Same,  half  pint 12%  cents 

Same,  pint 18%  cents 

Breakfast  or  supper 25      cents 

Dinner    37%  cents 

Horse    fed 25      cents 

Horses  over  night 50      cents 

Man    lodging 12%  cents 

Cider  or  beer,  one  pint 6%  cents 

Same,   quart 12%  cents 

Miller  was  one  of  the  two  commissioners  to  pass  on  his  own  tax 
as  tavern  keeper.  The  first  licensed  merchants  in  Cook  county 
were  B.  Laughton,  Robert  A.  Kinzie  and  Samuel  Miller;  first  auc- 
tioneer, James  Kinzie.  Russell  E.  Heacock  was  licensed  to  keep 
tavern  at  his  residence.  All  this  was  ordered  at  the  meeting  of 
April  13,  1831. 

At  this  time  also  preliminary  steps  to  establish  ferries  across 
both  branches  of  Chicago  river  were  taken,  but  the  people  of  Cook 
county  with  their  "traveling  apraties"  (apparatus)  could  pass  free. 
A  ferry  scow  was  bought  of  Samuel  Miller  for  $65.  At  the  next 
term  Mark  Beaubien,  under  $200  bond  with  James  Kinzie  as  secu- 
rity, was  licensed  as  first  ferryman  at  Chicago;  he  agreed  to  pay 
$50  for  the  license  and  further  agreed  "to  ferry  all  citizens  of  Cook 
county  free."  During  the  vacation  of  1831  licenses  to  sell  goods 
were  granted  to  Alexander  Robinson,  John  B.  Beaubien  and  Ma- 
dore  Beaubien. 

The  next  term  of  the  County  court  began  June  6,  1831.  Jesse 
Walker  reported  that  he  had  been  refused  permission  to  enter  the 
land  of  fractional  Section  10  as  ordered  by  the  Court  at  a  previous 
term ;  he  returned  the  entry  fee  to  the  Board.  This  land  was  under 
the  management  of  the  Canal  commissioners.  The  County  com- 
missioners received  $1.50  per  day  for  their  services.  In  June,  Jo- 
seph Leframboise,  Mark  Beaubien  and  Oliver  Newberry  were 
licensed  to  sell  goods.  The  county  officers  were  paid  in  county 
orders. 

The  commissioners  ordered  the  sale  of  the  lots  given  to  the  county 
by  the  Canal  commissioners,  reserving  the  public  square  only.  The 
sale  was  ordered  for  the  first  Monday  in  July,  1831.  The  County 
commissioners  were  treated  liberally  by  the  Canal  commissioners 
and  in  return  it  was  "Ordered,  That  the  county  pay  the  Canal  com- 
missioners' ferriage  during  their  stay  at  Chicago  on  canal  business ; 
the  charge  for  this  service  was  $7.30  by  Mark  Beaubien,  ferryman. 
At  this  time  also  (June,  1832),  two  roads  were  ordered  viewed  by 


510  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

the  County  board ;  one  "from  the  town  of  Chicago  to  the  house  of 
B.  Laughton,  thence  to  the  house  of  James  Walker  on  Dupage 
river,  and  so  on  to  the  west  line  of  the  county."  Elijah  Went- 
worth,  R.  E.  Heacock,  and  Timothy  B.  Clark  were  appointed 
viewers.  The  other  was  to  extend  from  Chicago  by  the  nearest 
and  best  way  to  the  house  of  the  widow  Brown  on  "Hycary  Creek," 
and  James  Kinzie,  Archibald  Clybourn  and  R.  E.  Heacock  were 
appointed  viewers.  "What  would  widow  Brown  think  now  were 
she  to  count  from  the  cupola  of  the  Tremont  house  the  eighty 
trains  of  cars  that  daily  arrive  and  depart  from  this  city?  And 
for  aught  we  know  she  may  have  anticipated  the  present,  for  it  is 
only  twenty-three  years  since  her  house  was  made  the  terminus  of 
the  'original  survey'  of  one  of  the  first  avenues  from  Chicago." — 
(Annual  Reviews  of  Chicago,  January,  1854,  in  Chicago  Histori- 
cal Society  Library.) 

"Whether  our  present  splendid  court  house  is  square  or  skew 
does  not  cut  much  of  a  figure  in  view  of  the  fact  that  only  twenty- 
three  years  before  "Court  adjourned  until  Court  in  course  to  the 
house  of  William  See. "—(Annual  Reviews  of  Chicago,  1854.) 

James  Kinzie,  auctioneer,  about  1832,  was  allowed  a  county  or- 
der for  $14.58,  being  21/,  per  cent,  for  the  first  $200  and  1  per 
cent,  after  that  amount  for  his  services  as  auctioneer  in  selling  the 
county  lots. 

During  the  summer  of  1831  there  started  up  among  others  the 
following  merchants:  Brewster,  Hogan  &  Co.,  Peck,  Walker  & 
Co.,  Joseph  Naper  and  Nicholas  Boilvin.  Mark  Beaubien  was 
chief  ferryman,  was  also  a  merchant  and  was  in  the  summer  of 
1831  licensed  to  keep  a  tavern.  He  was  fined  $10  "for  a  fracas" 
with  John  F.  Hall,  but  the  fine  was  remitted.  Beaubien's  promi- 
nence and  influence  gave  him  a  "pull"  with  the  board  evidently. 
Doctor  Kimberly  charged  that  Mark  Beaubien  kept  two  race  horses 
and  that  during  the  day  time  would  get  up  races  with  the  Indians 
and  thus  neglect  his  ferry;  and  so  the  Board  after  investigation 
ordered  him  to  ferry  the  citizens  of  Cook  county  "from  daylight  in 
the  morning  until  dark  without  stopping,"  meaning  that  he  should 
be  there  at  all  times  during  the  day. 

It  is  notable  that  sick,  disabled  or  needy  strangers  or  travelers 
were  provided  for  at  public  expense  as  shown  by  the  Commission- 
ers' records.  The  early  county  officers  seem  to  have  been  men  of 
honesty  and  fidelity.  In  the  case  of  the  first  road  located  from  the 
public  square  to  the  west  boundary  of  the  county,  some  or  all  of  the 
viewers,  it  became  evident  to  the  Board,  were  influenced  by  selfish 
purposes,  hence  their  "report  is  rejected  and  the  viewers  shall  have 
no  pay  for  their  services."  Richard  J.  Hamilton  was  appointed 
clerk  of  the  county  court  in  place  of  William  See,  resigned,  and 
assumed  the  office  April  2,  1832. 

In  April,   1832,  more  roads  were  ordered  viewed,  streets  laid 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  611 

out,  election  precincts  opened,  magistrate  districts  set  apart,  judges 
of  election  appointed,  etc.  The  return  of  the  sheriff  April  4,  1832, 
showed  that  the  amount  of  the  tax  list  on  real  and  personal  prop- 
erty for  the  year  ending  March  1,  1832,  was  $148.29.  The  treas- 
urer's report  for  the  same  year  shows  that  $225.50  had  been  re- 
ceived for  tavern  licenses,  retail  goods,  etc.  The  tax  actually  re- 
ceived on  the  sheriff's  list  was  $132.28;  total  tax  receipts  for  the 
year  $357.78.  License  tax  delinquencies  amounted  to  $88.50; 
paid  on  county  orders,  $252.35 ;  balance  in  the  treasury,  $16.93. 
This  was  the  report  in  the  spring  of  1832.  By  the  spring  of  1854 
the  tax  collected  by  the  city  treasurer  for  1853  was  $135,752.03, 
and  by  the  county  treasurer  was  $245,057.07;  total  tax  collected 
for  1852,  $380,809.10.  The  sum  of  $357.78  was  what  ratio  to 
$380,809.10  in  twenty-two  years?  In  1853  the  entire  valuation  of 
Cook  county  was  as  follows :  Personal,  $4,450,630 ;  real,  $18,487,- 
627 ;  total,  $22,938,257.  The  actual  value  was  four  times  as  much, 
or  nearly  $100,000,000. 

As  several  of  the  tavern  keepers  had  proved  delinquent  it  was 
ordered  in  April,  1832,  that  their  licenses  should  not  be  issued  until 
the  tax  had  been  paid.  The  tax  of  one-half  per  cent,  was  continued 
on  all  personal  property.  Archibald  Clybourn  was  reappointed 
treasurer  fcfr  1832-33.  The  sheriff  was  authorized  to  procure  a 
room  or  rooms  at  the  house  of  James  Kinzie,  provided  it  could  be 
done  for  $10 — for  the  use  of  the  Commissioners'  court  at  the 
April  term,  1832.  John  R.  Clark  was  the  first  coroner — 1831-32. 
The  first  inquest  was  on  the  body  of  a  dead  Indian.  The  second 
was  on  William  Jewett,  a  passenger,  found  dead. 

On  April  25,  1832,  the  first  street  was  opened  through  the  town 
to  Lake  Michigan.  It  was  surveyed  by  Jedediah  Wooley,  county 
surveyor,  and  was  described  as  follows:  "From  the  east  end  of 
Water  street  in  the  town  of  Chicago  to  Lake  Michigan ;  direction 
of  said  road  is  south  88^2  degrees  east  from  the  street  to  the  lake 
18  chains,  50  links."  The  street  was  laid  out  50  feet  wide.  The 
first  public  building  was  an  estray  pen  erected  on  the  southwest 
corner  of  the  public  square — was  built  by  Samuel  Miller,  who  was 
paid  only  $12  for  his  work,  it  not  being  finished  "according  to 
contract."  It  seems  that  he,  though  a  county  commissioner,  was 
guilty  of  slighting  his  contract.  At  the  March  term  of  1833  the 
road  commissioners  previously  appointed  reported  their  survey  of  a 
state  road  from  Vincennes  to  Chicago.  The  jail  was  the  second  public 
building  erected.  The  first  contractors  failed  to  do  as  they  agreed 
and  were  sued.  The  jail  was  finally  completed  in  the  fall  of  1833 
and  was  built  "of  logs  well  bolted  together"  and  was  located  on 
the  northeast  corner  of  the  public  square.  It  stood  until  1853  and 
was  then  torn  down,  a  new  courthouse  and  jail  having  been  erected. 
—  (Annual  Reviews  of  Chicago,  1854,  in  Historical  Society  Li- 
brary.) 


512  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

The  minutes  of  the  Commissioners  showed  that  the  first  Circuit 
court  was  held  on  September  6,  1831,  in  Fort  Dearborn  "in  the 
brick  house  and  in  the  lower  room  of  said  house." — (Annual  Re- 
views of  Chicago,  1854.)  B.  Laughton  kept  a  tavern  and  store  near 
Lyonsville  and  later  on  the  Southwestern  plank  road. 

In  1834  the  military  commandant  of  the  State  ordered  the  or- 
ganization of  the  militia  of  the  county.  The  election  was  held  at 
Laughton's  tavern  on  the  Des  Plaines.  All  Chicago  went  out  there 
with  brandy,  sugar  and  lemons  and  made  a  large  punch  bowl  with 
the  spring  water  after  the  election.  John  B.  Beaubien  was  elected 
colonel.  The  official  surveyors  of  the  Government  in  1817  fixed 
the  southernmost  point  of  Lake  Michigan  at  41  degrees,  38  min- 
utes, 58  seconds  north  latitude. 

By  the  Act  of  February  13,  1831,  Cook  county  was  made  a  part 
of  the  Third  Congressional  district.  Joseph  Duncan  was  the  first 
representative  in  Congress  after  Cook  county  was  created.  In  1833 
he  was  succeeded  by  William  L.  May,  who  served  until  1839,  when 
John  T.  Stuart  succeeded  him.  At  that  date  the  State  was  divided 
into  seven  congressional  districts  and  Cook  county  was  embraced 
in  the  Fourth.  In  1843  John  Wentworth  succeeded  Mr.  May  as 
Congressman  for  this  district.  He  continued  to  serve  until  1853, 
when  Richard  S.  Malony  succeeded  him.  At  this  time  Cook  county 
became  a  part  of  the  Second  Congressional  district.  Wentworth 
served  again  in  Congress  from  1853  to  1855 ;  James  H.  Woodworth 
from  1855  to  1857;  John  T.  Farnsworth  from  1857  to  1861 ;  Isaac 
N.  Arnold  from  1861  to  1865;  John  Wentworth  from  1865  to 
1867;  Norman  B.  Judd  from  1867  to  1871. 

In  1832  and  1833  Cook  county  formed  a  fractional  part  of  a 
large  senatorial  and  representative  district  in  Northern  Illinois. 
James  M.  Strode  served  as  senator  at  this  time  and  Benjamin 
Mills  as  representative.  From  1834  to  1836  the  senators  were  James 
W.  Stephenson  and  James  W.  Strode,  and  John  Hamlin  was  repre- 
sentative. From  1836  to  1838  Cook  county  alone  constituted  an  As- 
sembly district,  but  was  united  with  Will  county  to  form  a  Senatorial 
district.  Peter  Prttyne  was  senator  and  Albert  G.  Leary,  John  Naper 
and  James  Walker  were  representatives.  In  1836  Will  county  was 
separated  from  Cook  and  in  1839  Lake  and  Dupage  counties  were 
separated.  In  1838-40  Cook,  Will  and  McHenry  counties  formed  an 
assembly  district.  Ebenezer  Peck  was  senator  but  resigning  was  suc- 
ceeded by  James  H.  Woodworth.  The  representatives  were  Gholson 
Kercheval,  Richard  Murphy  and  Joseph  Naper.  From  1840  to  1842 
John  Pearson  served  as  senator  and  Albert  G.  Leary,  Richard 
Murphy  and  Ebenezer  Peck  as  representatives.  By  1842  Cook 
county  alone  had  again  become  a  Representative  distrjct.  The 
county  was  represented  by  Isaac  N.  Arnold,  Hart  L.  Stewart  and 
Lot  Whitcomb.  From  1844  to  1846  Cook  and  Lake  counties  were 
united  in  one  Senatorial  district  and  were  represented  by  Norman 
B.  Judd. 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  513 

In  1834  there  were  but  four  election  precincts  in  Cook  county, 
viz. :  Chicago,  Hickory  Creek,  Walker's  Grove  and  Naper's  Set- 
tlement. Of  these  Hickory  Creek  was  at  Joliet  and  Naper's  Set- 
tlement in  Dupage  county.  At  this  time  the  total  vote  of  the 
county  was  approximately  only  about  500. 

In  1823,  what  is  now  Cook  county  was  an  organized  part  of  Ful- 
ton county.  In  1825  it  was  attached  to  Peoria  county  and  was 
designated  as  the  first  precinct  and  the  necessary  officers  were  or- 
dered elected. 

In  1831,  when  Cook  county  was  organized,  Richard  J.  Hamil- 
ton became  clerk  of  the  Circuit  court,  judge  of  probate  and  notary 
public.  A  little  later  the  position  of  clerk  of  the  county  commis- 
sioners court  becoming  vacant,  Mr.  Hamilton  was  given  the  posi- 
tion. T.  J.  V.  Owen  at  first  held  the  position  of  school  commis- 
sioner, but  resigned  and  it  was  given  to  Mr.  Hamilton  by  the 
county  commissioners — Walker,  Miller  and  Kercheval.  In  1835 
Mr.  Hamilton  said  in  the  American  of  August  1 :  "Up  to  Sep- 
tember, 1834,  that  office  (school  commissioner)  has  yielded  me  in 
all  about  $200.  Up  to  the  present  time  the  gross  receipts  of  the 
office  of  notary  public  have  probably  not  exceeded  $50.  The  judge 
of  probate's  fees  since  the  appointment  in  this  county  have  not 
amounted  to  more  than  $50;  and  I  have  not  realized  from  all  these 
offices,  including  that  of  recorder,  more  than  the  sum  of  $1,500." 

The  County  Commissioners'  court  held  its  sessions  of  1834  in 
Fort  Dearborn;  so  also  did  the  Circuit  court.  Beginning  in  1835 
the  sessions  were  held  in  the  churches.  During  1835  a  small  brick 
house  was  built  on  the  public  square  and  there  the  County  Clerk 
and  the  county  records  were  domiciled  in  October.  In  June,  1836, 
when  Judge  Thomas  Ford  held  Circuit  court  here,  there  were  on 
the  docket  230  civil  and  50  criminal  cases,  the  latter  being  mostly 
for  contempt.  In  November,  1835,  when  the  county  showed  a 
population  of  9,773,  it  must  be  recollected  that  it  still  had  its  origi- 
nal boundaries.  In  1836  the  poor-house  stood  on  the  public  square. 
In  1836  Will  county  took  from  Cook  the  precincts  of  Hickory 
Creek,  Jackson's  Grove,  Spring  Creek,  Kankakee  and  Old  Mound 
Joliet. 

At  the  election  of  August  6,  1834,  the  total  vote  polled  in  Cook 
county  was  528.  This  included  Will,  Kane,  Dupage,  Lake,  part  of 
McHenry,  and  the  present  Cook. 

The  following  were  the  canal  lots  donated  to  Cook  county  in  the 
spring  of  1836: 

Lot  4,  Block  16.  Lot  3,  Block  20.  Lot  3,  Block  39. 

Lot  6,  Block  16.  Lot  5,  Block  20.  Lot  4,  Block  39. 

Lot  4,  Block  17.  Lot  8,  Block  21.  Lot  5,  Block  39. 

Lot  6,  Block  17.  Lot  4,  Block  38.  Lot  6,  Block  39. 

Lot  4,  Block  18.  Lot  5,  Block  38.  Lot  7,  Block  39. 

Lot  6,  Block  18.  Lot  1,  Block  39.  Lot  8,  Block  39. 

Lot  3,  Block  19.  Lot  2,  Block  39.  Lot  8,  Block  40. 

Lot  5,  Block  19. 


514  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

The  following  were  for  the  use  of  the  canal  office  : 

Lot  2,  Block    4.  Lot  4,  Block  4.  Lot  6,  Block  4. 

Lot  3,  Block    4.  Lot  5,  Block  4.  Lot  7,  Block  4. 

Lot  8,  Block  30. 

In  the  early  settlement  of  the  Western  country  the  Cumberland 
road  was  the  most  important  public  highway  leading  to  that  sec- 
tion. By  1830  it  was  completed  to  Vandalia,  Illinois,  and  from  that 
point  to  Jefferson  City,  Missouri,  the  road  had  been  laid  out.  In 
1830,  also,  President  Jackson  signed  the  bill  providing  for  the  sur- 
vey of  a  road  leading  from  Detroit  to  Chicago.  In  the  decade  of 
the  thirties  the  most  important  roads  leading  from  Chicago  were 
those  to  Vincennes,  Alton  and  Galena.  The  Vincennes  road  was 
ordered  surveyed  by  act  of  January  15,  1831.  By  the  fall  of  1831 
the  road  from  Detroit  to  Chicago  had  advanced  eighty-six  miles. 
The  early  trade  of  Chicago  was  largely  from  the  Wabash  valley. 
This  led  to  the  construction  of  the  Vincennes  road.  The  design 
was  to  extend  the  road  from  Detroit  to  Chicago  westward  to  Ga- 
lena. A  memorial  of  the  legislature  to  congress,  both  in  February, 
1833,  and  December,  1833,  had  this  object  in  view;  at  the  same 
time  congress  was  asked  to  grant  land  for  the  completion  of  the 
Chicago  and  Vincennes  road. 

The  act  of  January  16,  1836,  ordered  the  survey  of  the  road  from 
Chicago  in  the  direction  of  Peoria ;  James  B.  Campbell,  of  Chicago, 
was  one  of  the  commissioners  to  view  this  road.  By  act  of  Janu- 
ary 15,  1836,  the  road  from  Meacham's  Grove  in  Cook  county,  to 
Galena  by  the  way  of  Elgin,  was  ordered  surveyed.  The  act  of  Janu- 
ary 20,  1836,  provided  for  the  location  of  a  State  road  from 
Bloomington  to  Chicago.  Prior  to  this  date  a  State  road  from 
Shelbyville  to  Chicago  to  intersect  the  Chicago  &  Vincennes  road 
near  the  Iroquois  river  was  ordered  surveyed.  In  1837  the  Chi- 
cago and  Fox  river  turnpike  road  was  incorporated.  In  1839  the 
State  road  from  Naperville  through  Babcock's  Grove,  Meacham's 
Grove,  Elk  Grove  and  Indian  Creek  in  the  direction  of  Madison,  Wis- 
consin, was  ordered  surveyed.  In  February,  1839,  the  legislature  au- 
thorized George  W.  Smith  to  build  a  toll  bridge  across  the  Des 
Plaines  river  on  the  northeast  quarter  of  Section  1 1 ,  Township  39 
north,  Range  12  east,  and  also  one  on  the  southeast  quarter  of  Sec- 
tion 2,  same  town  and  range.  The  act  of  February,  1841,  changed 
into  a  State  road  the  public  highway,  the  turnpike  extending  from 
Chicago  to  Sand  Ridge  in  the  direction  of  the  Des  Plaines  river.  This 
road  had  been  built  largely  by  the  citizens  of  Chicago  and  it  was 
urged  at  the  time  that  the  county  commissioners  should  make  the 
necessary  appropriations  to  keep  the  same  in  good  condition.  In 
February,  1841,  the  legislature  authorized  George  Dolton  to  build 
a  toll  bridge  across  the  Calumet  river  in  Cook  county  on  the 
southwest  quarter  of  Section  34,  Township  37,  north,  Range  14 
east,  the  said  Dolton  being  the  owner  of  the  said  quarter  section. 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  515 

In  1845  the  Aurora  &  Chicago  Plank  Road  company  was  incorpo- 
rated. Among  the  commissioners  were  EH  S.  Prescott,  Silas  B. 
Cobb  and  Alson  S.  Sherman  of  Chicago.  This  road  was  to  be  a 
branch  of  the  Chicago  &  Rock  River  plank  road.  The  act  of  Jan- 
uary, 1845,  incorporated  the  Chicago  &  Rock  River  Plank  Road 
company.  Among  the  incorporators  were  Walter  L.  Newberry, 
Mark  Skinner  and  William  H.  Brown,  of  Chicago.  The  road  was 
to  extend  from  Chicago  to  Rockford  by  the  way  of  Elgin  and  Bel- 
videre.  In  March,  1845,  the  Chicago  &  Joliet  Turnpike  company 
was  incorporated.  William  B.  Egan,  John  Frink,  Isaac  Cook, 
Henry  G.  Hubbard,  Joel  A.  Matteson  and  J.  Young  Scammon 
were  commissioners  to  view  and  locate  this  road.  The  State  road 
from  Chicago  to  Miller's  Grove  by  the  way  of  Elk  Grove  was 
located  in  1845.  Homer  Wilmarth,  Eben  F.  Colly  and  Stephen 
Pennoyer  were  the  commissioners.  In  1847  State  roads  were  re- 
located from  Chicago  to  Big  Rock  Creek,  from  Chicago  to  Brook's 
Bridge  on  the  Des  Plaines  river,  also  to  Elk  Grove,  to  Dundee,  to 
Pleasant  Grove  near  Smith's  Tavern,  etc.  The  contract  to  build 
the  plank  road  from  Chicago  to  Des  Plaines  river  was  let  to  A.  J. 
Douglas,  of  Chicago,  in  January,  1848.  In  February,  1848,  the 
plank  road  was  projected  from  the  Milwaukee  road  between  Dick- 
inson's and  Roberts  on  the  Sand  Ridge,  thence  to  Smith's  Tavern 
on  Union  Ridge,  thence  to  the  Des  Plaines  river  near  Brook's 
Tavern,  thence  to  the  house  of  F.  W.  Page  at  Elk  Grove.  In  1849 
the  Sycamore  &  Chicago  Plank  Road  company  was  incorporated; 
also  the  Chicago  &  Southwestern  Plank  Road  company.  Among 
the  incorporators  of  the  latter  were  Theodorus  Doty,  Isaac  Cook, 
Thomas  Richmond,  Robert  Hugunin,  James  Peck,  J.  A.  McDou- 
gal,  T.  S.  Morgan,  Festus  Clark  and  S.  C.  Hopkins  &  Company. 
This  road  had  already  been  in  operation  but  it  was  now  proposed 
to  plank  it.  In  1851  the  legislature  confirmed  the  act  of  the  Cook 
County  Board  in  permitting  the  Chicago  and  Southwestern  Plank 
Road  company  to  occupy  the  public  highway  from  Chicago  to  the 
west  line  of  Cook  county.  In  1853  the  Chicago  and  Calumet  Plank 
Road  company  was  incorporated.  In  1853  a  state  road  was  or- 
dered established  to  run  from  the  Southwestern  plank  road  to  Cal- 
umet. In  1854  the  Northwestern  Plank  Road  company  was  in- 
corporated by  Thomas  Richmond,  John  Gray,  Joseph  Filkins  and 
others.  This  road  was  projected  from  Chicago  to  the  north  line 
of  Cook  county  by  the  way  of  Oak  Ridge  and  Wheeling.  The 
act  of  February  18,  1859,  gave  to  the  board  of  supervisors  of  all 
counties  where  township  organization  had  been  adopted,  entire 
control  of  all  the  State  roads  in  their  respective  counties.  In  other 
counties  control  was  vested  in  the  county  court.  In  1865  a  State 
road  was  located  from  Blue  Island  and  Archer  road  juncture 
southwest  to  the  Calumet  feeder  between  Palos  and  Worth  towns  to 
Section  24,  town  of  Palos.  In  1867  the  Illinois  and  Indiana  Turn- 


516  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

pike  company  was  authorized  to  occupy  in  part  Cottage  Grove 
avenue.  The  act  of  1869  authorized  the  widening  of  the  South- 
western plank  road  (or  Ogden  avenue),  within  the  city  limits. 

The  American  of  September  28,  1839,  said :  "The  present  debt 
of  the  county  is  estimated  at  about  $20,000.  It  was  officially  re- 
ported on  the  first  of  March  last  at  $15,000.  The  revenue  under 
the  new  law  in  connection  with  a  few  other  sources  of  receipts  will 
this  year  amount  to  about  $10,000.  The  expense  of  supporting 
the  poor  of  the  county  for  the  last  year  was  $5,000.  The  paupers 
who  applied  for  relief  were  principally  from  the  canal  and  many 
from  Will  county.  This  expense  is  increasing  rather  than  dimin- 
ishing. The  criminals  confined  in  the  jail  for  the  three  months 
preceding  the  last  term  cost  $3,000.  This  is  a  serious  tax.  County 
orders  from  the  increase  of  the  expenses  in  a  ratio  greater  than  of 
the  revenues  are  becoming  worse  instead  of  better — the  county 
is  obliged  to  pay  double  price  for  provisions  which  they  procure 
for  the  relief  of  the  poor.  ...  In  fact  county  orders  have 
been  refused  for  meat  and  groceries  at  fifty  cents  on  the  dollar. 
This  discount  and  embarrassment  in  obtaining  a  circulation  for 
the  orders  on  any  terms  operate  very  oppressively  on  the  county, 
and  in  fact  on  its  creditors  who  have  to  take  its  orders  at  par. 
This  cannot  be  avoided  for  the  present  except  by  funding  the  scrip 
according  to  the  provisions  of  an  act  authorizing  the  county  to 
effect  a  loan  which  passed  on  the  10th  of  February,  1839,  and 
which  the  county  commissioners  are  very  anxious  to  do  and  have 
repeatedly  applied  to  individuals  of  supposed  public  spirit  for  that 
purpose.  .  .  .  Under  the  laws  of  this  State  and  especially 
under  the  manner  in  which  they  are  in  some  cases  obeyed,  the  tax 
of  supporting  paupers,  etc.,  is  very  severe  upon  such  a  county  as 
Cook — swarms  of  destitute  persons  coming  in  through  the  canal. 
Our  State,  especially  our  county,  should  take  measures  to  protect 
us  from  this  influx  of  paupers.  The  statute  of  this  State  'for  the 
relief  of  the  poor'  provides  that  when  any  non-resident  or  any  other 
person  not  coming  within  the  definition  of  a  pauper  shall  fall  sick 
or  die  in  any  county  of  this  State,  not  having  money  or  property 
to  pay  his  board,  nursing  and  medical  aid,  it  shall  be  the  duty  of  the 
overseers  of  the  proper  township,  or  if  there  be  none,  then  of  the 
nearest  county  commissioner  of  the  county,  upon  complaint  being 
made,  to  give  such  assistance  to  such  poor  person  as  they  may 
deem  just  and  necessary.  .  .  .  This  provision  is  very  general 
and  embraces  in  a  city  like  this  a  large  portion  of  its  floating  popu- 
lation, and  the  duty  of  the  overseer  becomes  highly  arduous  and 
responsible.  The  act  of  February  21,  1839,  provides  that  the 
County  Commissioners'  court  in  each  county  may  establish  a  poor- 
house  whenever  it  sees  fit,  and  that  justices  of  the  peace  in  each 
justice's  district,  in  conjunction  with  some  person  to  be  appointed 
by  the  County  Commissioners'  court,  shall  be  overseer  of  the  poor, 


FIFTH    COURTHOUSE.     PRESENT    COURTHOUSE. 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  519 

and  be  vested  with  the  entire  and  exclusive  superintendence  of  the 
poor  in  their  respective  counties,  until  the  County  Commissioners' 
court  shall  have  established  a  poorhouse,  when  their  authority 
ceases.  Cook  county  has  enough  to  do  to  take  care  of  its  own  poor. 
The  act  authorized  the  commissioners  to  borrow  $10,000  at  8 
per  cent  for  not  over  twenty  years.  Is  it  right  that  she  should  take 
care  of  the  paupers  along  the  canal — a  State  work  ?  We  think  that 
the  State  should  erect  one  or  two  or  more  hospitals  on  the  line  of 
the  canal  for  the  support  of  the  sick — one  perhaps  at  the  end  and 
one  at  Lockport." 

The  grand  jury  of  Cook  county  in  October,  1841,  after  an  ex- 
tended examination  of  the  finances  of  the  county,  reported  that 
the  same  were  and  had  been  since  the  commencement,  in  a  de- 
ranged condition;  that  the  practice  of  furnishing  fuel  for  certain 
county  offices  to  be  paid  for  from  the  treasury  be  discontinued; 
that  all  allowances  from  the  treasury  not  explicitly  granted  by  law 
be  stopped;  that  several  ex-county  officers  were  indebted  to  the 
county  and  should  be  required  to  pay  up  at  once;  that  the  jury  and 
docket  fees  be  required  to  be  paid  differently;  that  a  law  be  asked 
for  requiring  each  county  to  publish  at  the  end  of  each  Commission- 
ers' court  a  paper  setting  forth  all  important  proceedings;  that 
important  changes  should  be  made  in  the  method  of  issuing  county 
orders  for  the  payment  of  county  officers  and  others ;  that  the  action 
of  the  county  regarding  a  poorhouse  be  approved.  The  grand  jury 
were  John  Rogers,  N.  H.  Bolles,  Nathaniel  Pitkin,  Frank  C.  Rus- 
sell, Henry  Tucker,  Charles  M.  Gray,  Robinson  Tripp,  Benjamin 
Wilder,  E.  S.  Wadsworth,  W.  L.  Newberry,  J.  Mark  Smith,  Fred- 
erick Bailey,  E.  A.  Mulford,  A.  D.  Taylor,  W.  B.  Egan,  A.  S. 
Perry,  Albert  H.  Guild  and  Henry  Hugunin,  foreman. 

By  act  of  February  16,  1839,  the  county  commissioners  of  Cook 
county  were  authorized  to  borrow  a  "sum  not  exceeding  $10,000  at 
not  to  exceed  eight  per  cent,  interest  for  not  to  exceed  twenty 
years,  and  to  issue  bond  or  script  therefor,  under  the  seal  of  the 
commissioner's  court  of  said  county,"  the  sum  borrowed  to  be  ex- 
pended for  the  benefit  of  the  county.  The  county  revenues  were 
to  be  pledged  to  redeem  the  scrip.  The  county  commissioners,  in 
March,  1841,  petitioned  Governor  Carlin  to  call  an  extra  session 
of  the  Legislature  to  consider  the  canal  question.  The  act  of  Feb- 
ruary 23,  1843,  made  it  the  duty  of  the  county  commissioners  to 
provide  a  good  and  sufficient  safe  for  the  records  of  the  county. 
The  recorder  was  required  to  make  a  complete  index  of  the  county 
records. 

The  law  of  1842  required  the  county  commissioners  to  make  an 
appropriation  in  March  of  each  year  to  keep  county  roads  in  repair. 

On  September  12,  1844,  a  large  mass  meeting  to  consider  build- 
ing a  road  between  Chicago  and  that  city  that  would  be  good  all 
the  year  round,  was  held  at  Elgin. 

Vol.  1—30. 


520  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

INDEBTEDNESS  OF  COOK  COUNTY,  OCTOBER  1,  1841. 
1.     Borrowed  of  the  school  fund  under  the  Act  of  January 
31,  1835,  for  ten  years  at  10  per  cent,  payable  semi- 
annually,   three-quarters   by   Cook  county   and   one- 
quarter  by  the  city  of  Chicago $  3,745.66 

Interest  due  from  Cook  county  to  Chicago,  about 1,500.00 


Total    $  5,245.66 

This  loan  was  for  the  purpose  of  erecting  a  courthouse 
on  Lot  1,  Block  39,  Original  Town,  now  (1841)  occupied 
by  public  offices. 

2.  Borrowed  of  individuals   under  the   Act   of  February 

16,  1839,  and  March  1,  1841,  for  four  and  five  years, 

at  8  per  cent $10,902.37 

Of  this  loan  $700  was  for  the  purpose  of  building  an 
addition  to  the  county  jail  and  the  balance  was  for  paying 
outstanding  orders  on  the  county  treasury. 

3.  Debt  to  E.  Bowen,  payable  in  five  years  from  June  9, 

1841,  with  8  per  cent 700.00 

This  debt  was  for  land  and  improvements  purchased  for 
a  county  poorhouse. 

4.  Outstanding  orders  on  the  county  treasury 15,905.71 

5.  Outstanding  jury  certificates 925.40 


Total  county  indebtedness $33,679.14 

CREDITS    AND    PROPERTY    OF    COOK    COUNTY,    OCTOBER    1,    1841. 

Seventy-three  acres  in  Section  28,  Township  40,  Range  14.  .$  500.00 
Twenty-five  acres  in  Section  2,  Township  38,  Range  14,  and 

buildings  thereon  1,500.00 

Lots  1,  2,  3  and  4,  Block  39,  Original  Town,  and  buildings 

thereon  8,000.00 

Lots  5,  6,  7  and  8,  Block  39,  Original  Town,  and  buildings 

thereon  4,000.00 

Due  on  county  tax  list  for  1841 14,161.22 

Due  from  other  counties 1,401.08 

Estimated  due  from  late  county  officers 1,000.00 


Total  credits $30,562.30 

GEORGE  DAVIS,  County  Clerk. 

REVENUE   COOK   COUNTY   FOR   THE    YEAR   ENDING    SEPTEMBER    1,    1841. 

County  tax $  9,777.18 

Grocery  and  tavern  license 425.00 

Fines  and  forfeitures 1,384.31 

Jury  and  docket  fees 299.78 

All  other  sources 320.92 


Total    $12,207.19 

ISAAC  COOK,  County  Treasurer. 

FINANCIAL   STATEMENT  OF  COOK   COUNTY,  OCTOBER   1,    1841. 
DEBTOR.  CREDITOR. 

Real  estate $14,000.00  School   fund $  5,245.66 

Tax  list 14,161.22  County  bonds 10,902.37 

Other  counties 1,401.08  E.  Bowen 700.00 

County  officers 1,000.00  County  orders 15,905.71 

County  commissioners     3,143.84  Jury  certificates 925.40 


Total $33,706.14  Total $33,706.14 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 


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23  «S 

522  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

In  1845  the  following  mail  routes  were  established :  Chicago  to 
Monroe,  Elk  Grove,  Wickliffe,  Miller's  Grove,  etc. ;  Blue  Island  via 
Bachelor's  Grove  and  Hadley  to  Joliet ;  Chicago  via  Babcock's  Grove 
to  St.  Charles  and  other  points ;  Chicago  via  Blue  Island,  Thornton, 
Crete,  Kankakee,  etc.,  to  Lafayette.  In  January,  1845,  at  a  special 
election  J.  S.  C.  Hogan  was  elected  to  fill  the  vacancy  occasioned  by 
the  resignation  of  F.  C.  Sherman,  county  commissioner. 

In  February,  1846,  a  new  mail  route  from  Chicago  via  Blue 
Island,  Thornton,  New  Strasburg,  Crete,  Loraine  and  other  points 
was  laid  out.  In  1846  the  tax  for  county  purposes  was  four  mills 
on  the  dollar;  it  was  three  and  a  half  mills  for  state  purposes  and 
one  mill  for  special  purposes.  The  total  county  tax  amounted  to 
$20,285;  total  State  tax,  $17,750,  and  the  total  special  tax  to 
$5,071. 

The  act  of  January  16,  1847,  provided  that  each  county  commis- 
sioner in  the  State  should  be  paid  $2.50  for  each  day's  service. 

"Under  the  arrangements  for  the  relief  and  care  of  the  poor, 
our  county  revenue  has  nearly  all  been  swallowed  up.  Indeed,  it 
is  now  feared  that  the  poor  expenses  since  the  last  report  have  ex- 
ceeded the  proportion  of  the  revenue  accruing  for  the  time.  This 
state  of  things  has  alarmed  the  community  and  the  commissioners 
have  resolved  upon  discontinuing  all  out-door  relief.  It  is  believed 
that  this  out-door  system  has  led  to  great  impositions  as  it  most 
surely  has  to  an  enormous  expenditure.  All  are  very  anxious  to 
do  everything  in  their  power  to  relieve  the  poor,  and  at  the  same 
time  economize  for  the  county  as  much  as  possible." — (Daily  Demo- 
crat, January  5,  1848.) 

It  should  be  noted  that  land  which  had  been  entered  in  1842 
was  not  taxable  until  1848  and  the  same  of  all  land  entered  prior 
to  and  including  1846.  All  land  entered  after  February  19,  1847, 
was  taxable  from  and  after  the  date  of  entry. 

This  county  alone  was  a  Representative  district,  its  members  in 
the  House  being  Isaac  N.  Arnold,  Francis  C.  Sherman  and  Hart 
L-  Stewart.  Judd  continued  to  serve  as  senator  until  1848;  J.  J. 
Everett,  Francis  C.  Sherman  and  Mark  Skinner  were  representa- 
tives. By  the  Constitution  of  1848  Cook  and  Lake  counties  were 
constituted  the  Twenty-fifth  Senatorial  district  and  Cook  alone 
was  constituted  the  Fifty-fourth  Representative  district.  Mr.  Judd 
continued  to  serve  until  1860,  when  he  was  sent  as  envoy  extraor- 
dinary to  the  court  of  Berlin.  Cook  county  was  represented  in  the 
House  from  1848  to  1850  by  Philip  Maxwell  and  Francis  C.  Sher- 
man; from  1850  to  1852  by  Philip  Maxwell  and  Thomas  Dyer; 
from  1852  to  1854  by  W.  B.  Egan  and  Homer  Wilmarth.  Under 
the  act  of  February  27,  1854,  Cook  county  was  made  the  Fifth 
Senatorial  district  and  was  divided  into  two  Representative  dis- 
tricts— the  Fifty-sixth  and  Fifty-seventh.  Each  of  the  latter  under 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  523 

the  new  apportionment  was  entitled  to  two  representatives.  Those 
who  served  in  the  lower  House  from  1854  to  1860  were  as  fol- 
lows: Robert  H.  Foss,  Thomas  Richmond,  M.  L.  Dunlap,  George 
F.  Foster,  John  H.  Dunham,  George  W.  Morris,  Isaac  N.  Arnold, 
A.  F.  C.  Mueller.  Van  H.  Higgins,  Samuel  L.  Baker,  Ebenezer 
Peck  and  Casper  Butz. 

The  Constitution  of  1848  authorized  the  General  Assembly  to 
provide  a  general  law  for  township  organization  and  empowered  the 
County  Court  to  assume  charge  of  the  change  from  the  former  town- 
ship system  to  the  new  organization.  Accordingly,  by  the  Act  of  Feb- 
ruary, 1849,  the  General  Assembly  ordered  a  general  election  held 
throughout  the  State  in  November  of  that  year  to  determine  whether 
or  not  counties  desired  to  be  established  under  the  new  township  or- 
ganization. Counties  voting  in  favor  of  the  township  system  were 
made  subject  to  the  provisions  of  the  Act  of  April,  1850.  At  the 
general  election  in  1849  and  again  in  1850  Cook  county  voted  to 
adopt  the  new  township  organization  system  and  proceeded  to  put  the 
same  into  execution.  During  the  change  county  affairs  were  admin- 
istered by  the  County  court.  The  old  Cook  County  court  which  had 
managed  county  affairs  since  1831  was  succeeded  in  1850  by  the  new 
Board  of  Supervisors.  The  law  of  1849  for  township  organization 
was  found  to  be  defective  and  was  repealed  in  1851  and  a  new  law 
was  passed  covering  the  same  ground  and  supplying  the  defects 
of  the  former  act. 

In  1848  Cook  county  paid  into  the  State  treasury  more  than  any 
other  county  in  the  State — $25,848.  At  this  time  the  county  com- 
missioners were  George  O'Brien,  Homer  Wilmarth  and  Charles 
Santer.  At  this  date  a  new  mail  route  from  Lyons  via  Summit, 
Flag  Creek,  Long  John,  Plainfield,  Plattville,  thence  on  to  Ottawa, 
was  established. 

It  was  noted  in  1848  and  1849  that  large  numbers  of  German 
emigrants  direct  from  the  Fatherland  were  rapidly  settling  in  all 
parts  of  Cook  county.  They  were  welcomed  because  of  their  in- 
dustry, frugality,  honesty  and  good  citizenship  generally. 

In  March,  1848,  the  number  of  inmates  in  the  county  poor  house 
was  forty-six,  in  June  the  number  was  sixty.  There  had  been 
discharged  in  three  months  twenty-two  of  the  inmates.  The  num- 
bers being  supported  there  on  July  6,  1848,  were  thirty- four  and  at 
this  date  George  Davis  was  supervisor  of  the  poor  farm. 

By  special  act  of  January  25,  1849,  A.  Getzler,  late  assessor  of 
Cook  county,  was  granted  $75  to  reimburse  him  for  money  he  had 
paid  out  in  1846  for  office  assistance. 

In  1831  Cook  county  was  embraced  in  the  Third  Congressional 
district.  In  1836  the  county  was  assigned  three  representatives 
and  one  senator.  The  act  of  February  20,  1841,  gave  Cook  and 
Lake  counties  one  representative  to  be  chosen  from  Lake  and  three 
representatives  to  be  chosen  from  Cook.  The  two  counties  to- 


524  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

gather  were  given  one  senator  to  be  chosen  from  Cook;  elections 
were  to  be  returned  to  Chicago.  By  act  of  March  1,  1843,  the 
State  was  divided  into  seven  Congressional  districts,  Cook  county 
being  one  of  seventeen  counties  constituting  the  Fourth  district. 
Each  district  was  entitled  to  one  congressman. 

Under  the  apportionment  of  1847  Cook  county  alone  was  enti- 
tled to  one  senator  and  four  representatives.  The  counties  of 
Cook  and  Lake  were  made  the  Twenty-fifth  Senatorial  district  and 
Cook  county  alone  was  made  the  Fifty-fourth  Representative  dis- 
trict. In  1847  Cook  county  was  given  five  delegates  to  the  conven- 
tion held  to  revise  the  State  Constitution.  Under  the  census  of 
1850  Cook  county  became  entitled  to  nine  congressmen  and  was 
assigned  to  the  Second  Congressional  district  with  the  counties  of 
Dupage,  Kane,  Dekalb,  Lee,  Whiteside  and  Rock  Island. 

The  act  of  February  27,  1854,  constituted  Cook  county  the  First 
Senatorial  district  with  one  senator.  It  also  constituted  the  towns 
of  South  Chicago,  Lyons,  Lake,  Lemont,  Palos,  Worth,  Orland, 
Bremen,  Thornton,  Rich  and  Bloom  the  Fifty-sixth  Representative 
district,  entitled  to  two  representatives.  At  the  same  time  the 
towns  of  West  Chicago,  North  Chicago,  Jefferson,  Leyden,  Ridge- 
ville,  Niles,  Maine,  Elk  Grove,  Schaumburg,  Hanover,  Northfield, 
Wheeling,  Palatine,  Barrington,  Proviso  and  New  Trier  were  made 
the  57th  Representative  district,  entitled  to  two  representatives. 

Under  the  act  of  January  1,  1861,  the  following  were  consti- 
tuted the  Twenty-fourth  Senatorial  district,  the  Seventh  ward  of 
Chicago,  the  Eighth  ward,  the  Ninth  ward  (which  three  wards 
constituted  the  town  of  North  Chicago)  ;  the  First  ward,  Second 
ward,  Third  ward,  Fourth  ward  and  the  Precinct  of  South  Chi- 
cago (all  of  which  constituted  the  town  of  South  Chicago),  and  the 
towns  of  Lake,  Worth,  Thornton  and  Bloom.  The  Twenty-fifth 
Senatorial  district  consisted  of  Lake  View,  Evanston,  New  Trier, 
Northfield,  Wheeling,  Palatine,  Barrington,  Hanover,  Schaum- 
burg, Elk  Grove,  Maine,  Niles,  West  Chicago,  Cicero,  Jefferson, 
Leyden,  Proviso,  Lyons,  Palos,  Lemont,  Orland,  Rich  and  Bremen. 
By  the  same  act  the  following  Representative  districts  were  cre- 
ated :  The  Fifty-ninth  with  three  representatives  to  consist  of  the 
Fifth,  Sixth  and  Tenth  wards  and  the  precinct  of  West  Chicago 
(all  of  which  constituted  the  town  of  West  Chicago)  the  towns  of 
Cicero,  Jefferson,  Leyden,  Proviso,  Lyons,  Palos,  Lemont,  Orland, 
Bremen  and  Rich,  the  Sixtieth  with  two  representatives  to  consist 
of  the  First,  Second,  Third  and  Fourth  wards  and  the  precinct 
of  South  Chicago  (all  of  which  constituted  the  town  of  South 
Chicago),  the  towns  of  Lake,  Worth,  Thornton  and  Bloom.  The 
Sixty-first  with  two  representatives  to  consist  of  the  Seventh, 
Eighth  and  Ninth  wards  (which  constituted  the  town  of  North 
Chicago),  the  towns  of  Lake  View,  Evanston,  New  Trier,  North- 
field,  Wheeling,  Palatine,  Barrington,  Hanover,  Schaumburg,  Elk 
Grove,  Maine  and  Niles. 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 


525 


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526  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

"These  two  tables  must  not  be  considered  absolutely  accurate," 
said  the  Democrat  of  April  4,  1850.  Owing  to  the  disappearance 
of  several  of  the  books  of  account  and  to  the  lack  of  a  correct  sys- 
tem of  keeping  receipts  and  expenditures  absolute  accuracy,  it  was 
stated,  could  not  be  expected.  The  statement  "is  sufficiently  accu- 
rate for  all  practical  purposes  and  in  all  cases  of  doubt  the  balances 
have  been  charged  against  the  county,  so  that  the  future  errors,  if 
any  shall  be  discovered,  will  inure  to  the  credit  side  of  the  county," 
said  the  same  newspaper.  The  two  tables  (1831  to  1840  and  1841 
to  1849)  were  prepared  after  much  labor  by  Judge  Rucker  and  Dr. 
Kimberly.  The  Democrat  of  April  4,  further  said :  "The  people 
will  be  gratified  to  learn  that  the  county  debt  is  so  small.  The  im- 
pression heretofore  has  been  that  the  county  was  very  deeply  in 
debt,  and  consequently  county  orders  are  at  a  great  discount.  We 
should  think  that  this  expose  of  its  financial  condition  would  have 
the  effect  of  bringing  the  orders  up  to  par,  especially  when  we  con- 
sider that  the  amount  of  outstanding  orders  does  not  exceed  the 
amount  of  the  uncollected  tax  of  the  current  year." 

The  act  of  February  2,  1865,  made  it  lawful  to  levy  and  collect 
a  tax  of  not  more  than  3  per  cent,  in  any  one  year  in  all  the  towns 
of  Cook  county  except  those  of  North,  West  and  South  Chicago; 
and  the  revenue  thus  raised  was  to  be  used  in  paying  bounties  to 
volunteers,  substitutes  and  drafted  men  and  such  revenue  was 
called  "county  tax." 

"Taxes. — The  people  of  Cook  county,  which  includes  the  city  of 
Chicago,  pay  in  taxes  the  sum  of  $39,000  a  year,  as  follows :  State 
and  county,  $22,000;  city,  $17,000;  of  the  State  and  county  tax 
only  $7,000  goes  to  the  State,  leaving  the  sum  of  $15,000  for 
county  purposes,  to  which  add  the  city  tax  of  $17,000  and  we 
have  the  sum  of  $32,000  to  govern  and  take  care  of  the  public  in- 
terests of  Cook  county  for  one  year.  Under  such  circumstances 
it  is  truly  wonderful  that  the  people  of  this  county  come  forward 
with  such  unanimity  and  petition  for  an  increase  of  taxation  to  pay 
interest  on  the  public  debt.  It  shows  a  virtue  and  integrity  well 
worthy  .of  intelligent  freemen.  .  .  .  We  are  glad  to  observe 
that  the  County  Commissioners  have  begun  to  curtail  expenses  by 
fixing  the  old  clerk  and  recorder's  office  into  a  courthouse,  with 
rooms  for  the  various  county  offices,  so  as  to  save  quite  a  sum  which 
has  heretofore  annually  been  paid  for  rent.  .  .  .  Our  city 
taxes  are  undoubtedly  too  high,  especially  when  it  is  considered 
how  little  the  public  are  benefited  with  the  $17,000.  The  interests 
of  the  whole  people  have  been  wonderfully  subserved  by  the  sacri- 
fices which  the  council  have  made  to  Neptune  to  appease  his  anger 
and  keep  him  from  taking  possession  of  that  magnificent  gift  of 
the  Government  known  as  the  Lake  Park.  And  many  people  have 
spoken  to  us  of  the  impropriety  of  spending  money  enough  on  one 
schoolhouse  to  build  comfortable  ones  in  all  the  school  districts 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  527 

in  the  city;  and  of  commencing  a  system  of  schoolhouse  building 
which  will  require  an  enormous  tax  for  a  series  of  years  to  come  to 
carry  it  out,  at  a  time  when  the  State,  county,  and  city  are  all 
overwhelmed  with  debt. — (Chicago  Democrat,  December  25,  1844). 

In  April,  1850,  Palmyra  Township  was  changed  to  Somerset; 
Trenton  to  Palos;  Taylor  to  Proviso;  Monroe  to  Leyden. 

At  the  first  meeting  of  the  Board  of  Supervisors  of  Cook  county, 
held  on  April  30,  1850,  at  the  courthouse,  there  were  present  from : 
North  Chicago,  George  W.  Dole;  South  Chicago,  N.  H.  Bolles; 
West  Chicago,  Henry  Smith;  Bloom,  Joseph  Holbrook;  Bremen, 
Leonard  H.  Scott;  Jefferson,  M.  N.  Kimball;  Lake,  Osgood  Kim- 
ball;  Lyons,  Samuel  Marrs;  Niles,  Samuel  E.  Ferris;  Northfield, 
J.  E.  Kennicott;  Monroe,  M.  L.  Dunlap;  New  Trier,  James  Har- 
try;  Palmyra,  John  Kittering;  Ridgeville,  Edward  Murphy; 
Schaumberg,  Daniel  H.  Johnson;  Thornton,  Andrew  H.  Dolton; 
Worth,  Henry  Douglass;  Wheeling,  Stephen  M.  Salisbury;  Elk 
Grove,  Ransom  F.  Clough;  Trenton,  M.  A.  Powell;  Palatine, 
Thomas  A.  Clark;  Orland,  William  Jackson;  Rich,  Eli  Taylor; 
Taylor,  Stephen  Pennoyer;  Maine,  Curtis  Clarke. 

The  following  is  from  the  report  of  the  finance  committee  of 
which  N.  H.  Bolles  was  chairman,  on  June  6,  1850:  "It  is  well 
known  to  the  public  that  for  many  years  past  the  finances  of  the 
county  have  been  in  a  deranged  condition.  Your  committee  deem- 
ing their  correct  administration  a  matter  of  great  importance  to  the 
welfare  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  county,  feel  called  upon  to  make 
such  suggestions  and  recommendations  as  we  think  if  adopted  will 
renovate  the  credit  of  the  county.  Publicity  of  all  accounts  allowed 
by  the  Board  of  Supervisors;  strict  accountability  of  all  county 
officers ;  and  a  perfect  system  in  keeping  the  accounts  of  the  county, 
are  the  great  means  of  securing  a  faithful  administration  of  the 
county  finances.  It  is  the  opinion  of  your  committee  that  no  allow- 
ance should  be  made  from  the  county  treasury  not  clearly  author- 
ized by  law;  that  the  Board  of  Supervisors  should  hereafter  settle 
with  the  county  officers  at  every  regular  meeting  of  the  Board; 
that  once  a  year  at  least  there  be  published  a  finance  report,  giving 
a  full  and  detailed  statement  of  the  revenues,  expenses,  debts,  cred- 
its and  prosperity  of  the  county  to  be  taken  from  the  books" — 
(Democrat,  June  7,  1850). 

"Your  committee  to  ascertain  and  report  to  this  body  the  names  of 
all  such  persons  as  are  supposed  to  retail  ardent  spirits  in  this  county 
without  license,  would  beg  leave  to  report  as  follows :  The  super- 
visors of  twenty-nine  towns  have  reported  names  to  the  committee  in 
compliance  with  an  order  passed  at  the  former  meeting  of  the  Board 
in  May  last,  from  which  report  there  appear  to  be  fifty-three  persons 
retailing  without  license  and  sixteen  with  license.  Seven  of  the  last 
named  were  not  reported  by  any  supervisor,  making  a  total  of  sixty- 
eight  persons  retailing  spirituous  liquors.  There  are  ten  supervisors 


528  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

who  have  not  reported  to  the  committee.  Your  committee  would  rec- 
ommend that  this  Board  refuse  to  grant  any  more  grocery  license  in 
the  county" — (S.  Pennoyer,  Chairman  of  Committee). 

Mr.  Pennoyer  then  offered  the  following  resolutions :  "Resolved, 
That  the  Board  reject  all  applications  for  licenses  to  keep  gro- 
ceries." Passed — ayes  16,  nays  11,  as  follows:  Ayes — Dole,  Smith, 
Bolles,  C.  Clarke,  T.  A.  Clark,  Clough,  Johnson,  Devol,  Herrick, 
Douglass,  Jackson,  Taylor,  O.  Kimball,  Kennicott,  Pennoyer,  Salis- 
bury and  chairman.  Noes — M.  N.  Kimball,  Marrs,  Kittering,  Pow- 
ell, Holbrook,  Dunlap,  Scott,  Murphy,  Hartrey,  Ferris  and  Dolton. 

"Board  of  Supervisors. — This  board,  composed  of  some  of  the 
most  intelligent  and  best  business  men  in  the  county  met  yesterday 
We  are  confident  that  our  board  will  not  suffer  in  comparison  with 
any  other  legislative  body  in  the  State.  And  as  for  dignity,  their 
proceedings  are  conducted  in  a  manner  which  is  worthy  the  imi- 
tation of  some  of  our  larger  legislative  bodies" — (Democrat,  De- 
cember 3,  1850). 

At  this  meeting  S.  M.  Salisbury  was  elected  temporary  chair- 
man. The  report  of  the  commissioners  to  divide  the  county  into 
townships  was  approved  and  ordered  to  be  recorded.  The  follow- 
ing committees  were  then  appointed :  Committee  on  bills  against 
Cook  county — M.  L.  Dunlap,  William  Jackson,  Curtis  Clarke,  Na- 
than H.  Bolles  and  Stephen  Pennoyer;  Committee  on  the  condition 
of  the  county — Henry  Smith,  George  W.  Dole  and  Osgood  Kim- 
ball ;  Committee  on  rules — N.  H.  Bolles,  Samuel  Marrs  and  Martin 
N.  Kimball ;  Committee  on  poor  and  poor  asylum — Henry  Doug- 
lass, Leonard  H.  Scott  and  Osgood  Kimball;  Committee  on  jail 
and  jail  accounts — George  W.  Dole,  J.  E.  Kennicott  and  R.  F. 
Clough,  E.  S.  Kimberley  was  county  clerk. 

In  June,  1850,  the  county  owned  a  toll  bridge  on  the  Calumet 
and  employed  a  tender  to  care  for  the  same.  At  this  time  Hiram 
Squier  was  warden  of  the  poor  house;  he  and  his  wife  were  paid 
for  their  services  $350  per  year. 

In  1849-50  the  expenses  of  the  Chicago  postofrke  amounted  to 
$12,488;  the  proceeds  were  $1,795.  The  expenses  of  all  postoffices 
in  the  county  outside  of  Chicago  were  $561  and  the  proceeds  were 
$730.  At  this  date  there  were  twenty-eight  postoffices  in  the  county 
outside  of  Chicago,  and  of  all  seventeen  were  comparatively  new. 

In  July,  1850,  the  Supreme  Court  sitting  at  Ottawa  decided  that 
the  old  Cook  County  court  had  jurisdiction  over  the  affairs  of  each 
county  until  the  new  Township  Organization  System  had  been 
adopted  and  put  into  effect  by  a  "majority  of  all  the  legal  voters  of 
said  county."  In  November,  1850,  N.  H.  Bolles  was  chairman  of 
the  County  Board. 

In  June,  1850,  the  County  Board  determined  to  unite  with  the 
Common  Council  of  Chicago  in  a  petition  to  the  Legislature  to 
annul  the  criminal  code  so  that  a  workhouse  could  be  brought  into 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  529 

requisition.     The  Board  also  concluded  to  accept  the  offer  of  the 
city  to  erect  a  public  building  on  Block  39. 

The  commissioners  who  divided  Cook  county  into  towns  in 
1850,  were  W.  L.  Church,  S.  Rexford  and  M.  Winchell.  At  the 
June  session,  1850,  the  following  resolution  was  passed:  "Re- 
solved, That  the  County  of  Cook  is  hereby  organized  into  election 
precincts  for  the  general  elections,  in  accordance  with  the  present 
town  organization,  provided  that  the  three  towns  of  Chicago  shall 
each  be  entitled  to  have  two  or  more  places  designated  for  holding 
elections,  as  follows:  North  Chicago  two  places,  West  Chicago 
two  places,  and  South  Chicago  three  places." 

In  December,  1850,  it  was  announced  that  the  County  Board 
had  concluded  to  sell  half  of  the  public  square  in  order  to  raise 
means  with  which  to  erect  the  necessary  county  buildings.  The 
Democrat,  Journal  and  Western  Citizen  opposed  the  plan.  The 
Democrat  said :  "The  City  of  Chicago  is  represented  on  the  Board 
by  but  three  supervisors  while  at  the  same  time  in  population  it  is 
two-thirds  of  the  whole  county;"  it  was  therefore  argued  that  the 
decision  was  unfair  because  Chicago  was  not  properly  represented 
on  the  Board. 

In  1850  it  was  estimated  that  the  quantity  of  swamp  land  in 
the  Chicago  drainage  district  was  367,485  acres.  In  December, 
1850,  the  County  Board  petitioned  the  Legislature  for  a  law  to 
authorize  them  to  borrow  $10,000  with  which  to  build  a  new  court 
house.  At  this  time  a  committee  of  the  County  Board  was  ap- 
pointed to  sell  a  part  of  Block  39,  Original  Town. 

In  December,  1850,  it  was  ordered  that  county  obligations  to  the 
amount  of  $50  should  be  issued  in  $5  orders ;  from  $50  to  $200  in 
$10  orders;  and  over  $200  in  $20  orders. 

"During  the  last  ten  years  we  have  had  all  sorts  of  men  for 
sheriffs  and  also  all  sorts  of  men  for  County  Commissioners,  yet 
there  has  been  an  evil  genius  in  our  county  affairs  somewhere.  We 
call  the  attention  of  the  people  of  Cook  county  to  the  fact  that  our 
orders  are  now  the  lowest,  and  yer  we  are  the  richest  county  in  the 
State.  We  have  had  no  expenses  for  public  buildings  and  there 
has  been  nothing  to  warrant  the  existing  state  of  things.  Our 
Cook  county  orders  are  where  they  were  about  ten  years  ago,  and 
some  reform  seems  absolutely  necessary." — (Daily  Democrat.) 

For  the  fiscal  year  1850-51  the  total  amount  of  orders  issued  was 
$26,487.  Previously  there  were  outstanding  orders  to  the  amount 
of  $19,478,  making  a  total  indebtedness  of  nearly  $46,000.  Of 
this  amount  over  $35,000  in  orders  had  been  taken  up  and  can- 
celled leaving  outstanding  about  $11,000  in  orders.  The  whole 
amount  of  liberalities  of  the  county  in  March,  1851,  was  about 
$20,000.  The  assets  of  the  county  were  as  follows:  Block  39, 
Original  Town,  valued  at  $50,000;  poorhouse  and  farm  $2,700;  live 
stock  on  the  poor  farm  $310;  fees  to  be  collected  $992;  taxes  of 


530  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

1851  not  yet  collected  $10,000.     Total  $64,000.     The  net  balance 
in  favor  of  the  county  was  $45,000. 

"Cook  County  Wealth. — In  1839  the  value  of  real  and  personal 
property  in  Cook  county  was  $1,829,420.  In  1849  the  value  of 
real  estate  was  $5,733,760;  personal  property  $1,833,342;  total 
$7,617,102.  The  revenue  and  special  State  tax  in  1839  was 
$3,658.84;  the  net  amount  of  State  tax  $3,408.64.  In  1849  the 
revenue  and  special  State  tax  was  $44,190.08;  the  net  amount  of 
State  tax  $41,896.23.  The  interest  of  school  fund  in  1839  was 
$1,326.89;  in  1849  it  was  $1,442.60"— (Democrat,  February  12, 
1851). 

STATE  TAX  ASSESSED  AND  COLLECTED. 

1839..       ..$3,658.84  1843..       ..$4,501.47  1847 $18,162.26 

1840 3,728.41  1844 6,333.49  1848 25,848.21 

1841 5,664.48  1845 14,007.37  1849 44,190.08 

1842 3,487.8  :  1846 17,749.83  1850 47,532.96 

In  1850-51  the  County  Board  desired  to  purchase  a  new  poor 
farm  and  to  exchange  the  present  one  on  the  South  Side  several 
miles  below  the  city  for  the  same  so  far  as  it  would  apply.  In  1850- 
51  when  it  seemed  probable  that  the  county  would  succeed  in  ob- 
taining a  new  law  authorizing  them  to  sell  a  portion  of  the  public 
square,  the  city  took  immediate  action  and  sent  a  representative 
to  Springfield  to  prevent  the  passage  of  such  a  bill.  In  February, 
1851,  the  Legislature  passed  a  law  permitting  counties  to  vote 
themselves  back  from  the  new  Township  Organization  system  to 
the  old  County  court  system.  A  law  about  this  time  gave  Chicago 
an  additional  supervisor  for  each  ward.  This  was  demanded  in 
order  that  the  city  might  have  proportionate  representation  on  the 
County  Board. 

The  County  Board  advertised  for  sale  a  portion  of  the  public 
square  and  was  duly  served  by  the  city  with  an  injunction  to  pre- 
vent such  a  sale.  It  should  be  said  to  the  credit  of  the  county 
perhaps  that  in  early  times  the  greatest  item  of  county  expense  was  in 
behalf  of  the  poor.  On  March  14,  1851,  the  County  Board  appointed 
a  committee  consisting  of  A.  K.  Swift.  George  W.  Dole  and  N.  H. 
Bolles  to  negotiate  a  loan  of  $30,000  with  which  to  build  a  jail, 
etc. 

In  November,  1850,  the  following  assessments  were  made :  Bar- 
rington,  $83.96;  Palatine,  $113.37;  Wheeling,  $600;  Northfield, 
$98.50;  New  Trier,  $150;  Hanover,  $50;  Schaumburg,  $138.15; 
Elk  Grove,  $225;  Maine,  $125;  Niles,  $150.50;  Ridgeville,  $200; 
Leyden,  $81.13;  Jefferson,  $350;  Proviso,  $62.06;  West  Chicago, 
$300;  Lyons,  $18.13;  Lake,  $200;  Lemont,  $23.13;  Worth,  $175; 
Orland,  $95.63;  Bremen,  $200;  Thornton,  $51.50;  Bloom,  $73.56. 

It  seems  that  the  new  Township  Organization  law  conflicted 
with  the  previous  one  as  follows:  That  the  County  court  under 
the  old  law  should  attend  to  county  business  and  that  the  County 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  531 

Supervisors  under  the  new  law  should  also  attend  to  county  busi- 
ness. This  was  corrected  by  a  special  law. 

"Two  systems  of  county  organization  are  now  in  use  in  this 
State — one  called  the  'County  Court  System,'  where  the  county 
business  is  transacted  by  a  judge  and  two  associate  justices.  The 
other  is  called  the  'Township  System'  and  conducted  by  a  Board 
of  Supervisors.  Under  the  first  we  collect  three  taxes :  The 
State  tax  and  the  county  tax,  in  which  is  included  the  residue  of 
road  taxes  not  collected  by  the  supervisors  of  roads  before  the  first 
of  January,  and  the  tax  for  school  purposes  as  levied  by  the  several 
school  districts.  In  giving  a  receipt  for  these  several  taxes  it  is 
necessary  for  the  collector  to  give  the  amount  of  each  tax,  to-wit: 
State,  County,  Road  and  School ;  and  as  these  taxes  are  levied  for 
different  purposes,  it  is  necessary  to  place  them  in  separate  columns. 
Under  the  town  system  other  taxes  for  special  purposes  are  re- 
quired. These  all  come  under  the  head  of  town  tax.  The  auditor 
in  his  form  of  tax  rolls  first  enumerates  State  and  county  tax  on 
real  estate,  and  then  repeats  in  separate  columns  State  and  County 
tax  on  personal  property.  This  is  all  plain,  but  an  unnecessary 
repetition  and  when  other  taxes  are  to  be  extended  on  the  same 
page  rather  inconvenient,  yet  the  objection  to  the  unfinished  books 
did  not  arise  from  this  cause  as  it  was  only  objectionable  from 
inconvenience.  The  objection  was  from  the  fact  of  the  clerk's 
mixing  up  with  the  county  tax,  the  town,  school  and  road  tax 
making  it  a  perfect  hotch  potch.  It  was  to  correct  this  that  the 
new  books  became  necessary.  The  Board  very  properly  came  to 
the  conclusion  to  dictate  a  form  which  would  be  concise  and  easily 
understood ;  they  rejected  the  bungling  repetition  of  the  auditor 
and  also  separated  the  total  of  real  and  personal  tax  for  obvious 
reasons.  As  the  rolls  now  are,  we  have  State,  county,  town,  road, 
and  school  tax" — (Democrat,  January,  1851). 

"Whatever  differences  of  opinion  may  exist  as  to  the  propriety 
of  the  measures  of  the  Board  of  Supervisors  during  the  year,  all 
accord  them  the  credit  of  having  labored  faithfully  and  honestly 
for  the  public  good  and  of  having  brought  a  good  share  of  talent 
and  sterling  good  sense  to  bear  upon  the  complicated  affairs  of  the 
county,  for  it  was  no  small  matter  to  entirely  revolutionize  the 
whole  method  of  doing  business  from  the  old  system  to  the  new" — 
(Democrat,  March  14,  1851). 

"Cook  county  pays  one-thirteenth  of  all  the  State  taxes  of  Illi- 
nois. If  the  population  of  the  State  was  500,000  and  we  were 
taxed  according  to  population,  this  would  all  be  proper ;  but  as  it 
now  is  this  tax  is  too  much  by  three-fifths.  It  was  this  condition 
of  things  that  gave  rise  to  the  following  resolution  of  Colonel  Fil- 
kins  of  Wheeling :  'Resolved,  That  the  Supervisors  of  the  several 
towns  in  Cook  county  use  their  influence  with  the  Assessors  of  the 
several  towns  to  equalize  the  valuation  of  the  property  in  proper- 


532  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

tion  to  the  other  counties  of  the  State'." — (Democrat,  May  3,  1851.) 
The  County  Board  adopted  the  following  resolutions,  December 
11,  1850: 

"Resolved,  That  in  the  erection  of  jail  and  workhouse,  the 
county  pay  three-fourths,  and  the  city  one-fourth  of  the  expense 
of  the  construction  and  maintenance  of  such  a  building,  and  that 
the  said  building  shall  be  under  the  joint  control  and  management 
of  the  Board  of  Supervisors  and  the  Common  Council,  under  the 
following  restrictions,  to-wit:  In  proportion  to  their  respective 
interests  or  as  three  to  one." 

"Resolved,  That,  inasmuch  as  Block  No.  39  in  the  original  town 
of  Chicago  was  conveyed  to  the  County  of  Cook  to  aid  in  the  ex- 
pense of  erecting  proper  buildings  for  the  use  of  the  county, 
which  expense  will  be  greater  than  ought  to  be  borne  by  the  tax 
payers  of  the  county,  it  is  the  duty  of  this  board  to  provide  for  the 
sale  of  such  portion  of  said  block  as  may  be  necessary  for  that 
purpose." 

"Resolved,  That  Supervisors  Bolles,  N.  M.  Kimball  and  Pen- 
noyer  be  the  agents  of  the  county  to  prepare  a  plan  for  a  courthouse 
and  jail;  that  they  contract  for  and  build  said  courthouse  on  the 
south  side  of  block  39 ;  that  they  be  empowered  to  purchase  a  suita- 
ble lot  or  lots  for  the  building  of  a  jail;  and  that  they  contract  for 
the  erection  of  the  same  as  soon  as  the  money  can  be  obtained  for 
the  sale  of  the  north  half  of  block  39.  The  jail  to  be  first  con- 
structed out  of  the  proceeds  of  the  sale  of  lots  or  otherwise." — 
(Democrat,  December,  1850.) 

A  large  public  meeting  was  held  on  Monday,  May  31,  1851, 
for  the  purpose  of  arriving  at  some  definite  conclusion,  if  possible, 
regarding  the  public  buildings  about  to  be  erected.  A  number 
favored  the  location  of  all  the  proposed  buildings  on  the  public 
square;  others  wanted  them  located  in  the  square  south  of  the 
public  square — such  land  to  be  bought;  still  others  wanted  the 
courthouse  located  on  the  public  square  and  the  jail  somewhere 
else.  The  whole  matter  was  finally  referred  for  permanent  settle- 
ment to  the  following  committee :  Doctor  Boone,  ex-Mayor  Wood- 
worth,  Dr.  Daniel  Brainard,  William  Jones  and  Dr.  Evans.  The 
meeting  then  adjourned  to  reassemble  later  to  hear  the  report  of 
the  committee.  The  report  favored  the  construction  of  the  court- 
house on  the  public  square  and  the  jail  on  a  lot  to  be  bought  in 
the  suburbs,  and  was  adopted  by  a  great  majority  of  those  present. 
In  the  end  the  authorities  decided  to  build  the  courthouse  of  stone 
if  the  cost  did  not  exceed  $20,000,  otherwise  of  brick.  Another 
$20,000,  making  in  all  $50,000  for  public  buildings,  was  appropri- 
ated by  the  County  Board  for  the  proposed  public  buildings.  The 
city  appropriated  $15,000  for  a  city  hall  in  the  new  courthouse. 

The  act  of  February  17,  1851,  provided  for  the  appointment  by 
the  Circuit  court  of  Cook  county  of  "three  competent  and  dis- 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  533 

creet  persons  residing  in  Chicago  to  be  port  wardens  of  said 
county."  It  was  made  their  duty  to  examine  the  condition  of  ves- 
sels, the  condition  of  cargoes,  estimate  damages  in  case  of  wrecks, 
and  to  keep  a  record  of  their  acts. 

COOK   COUNTY   EXPENDITURES,  YEAR   1851-52. 

Paupers  $  7,692.01 

County  jail 5,002.55 

Circuit  court 2,171.41 

County  court  Common  Pleas 1,741.28 

County  court 595.30 

Public  buildings 24,364.29 

Board  of  supervisors 2,398.60 

General 4,674.31 

Legal  1,181.75 

Election   453.55 

Loan  committee 476.50 

Office  50.00 

Printing  153.50 

Total    .  $50,955.05 

Jury  certificates  issued 2,000.00 

Total  .  $52,955.05 

Orders  issued  March  14,  1851,  to  March  14,  1852 61,559.44 

Orders  outstanding  March  14,  1851 7,680.36 

Total $69,239.80 

Orders  paid  and  cancelled 50,033.71 


Orders  outstanding  March  14,  1852 $19,206.09 

Amount  outstanding  bonds  March  14,  1852 50,370.32 


Total  liabilities $69,576.41 

COUNTY    ASSETS. 

Block  39,  Original  Town $50,000.00 

Improvements  on  same 24,364.29 

$74,364.29 

Poorhouse  and  Farm  No.  1 2,000.00 

Poorhouse  and  farm  No.  2 1,200.00 

Stock,  etc 535.00 

Docket  fees  collectible 1,991.80 

Taxes  for  1851  not  reported  by  the  treasurer 39,333.80 

Delinquent  taxes,  1850 2,317.41 

Total  $121,742.30 

Deduct  liabilities 69,576.41 


Total $  52,165.89 

At  the  spring  meeting  of  the  Board  of  Supervisors  in  1852  the 
following  was  the  condition  of  county  affairs:  There  had  been 
borrowed  $20,000  in  10  per  cent  coupon  bonds,  payable  in  New 
York  and  Boston ;  the  poorhouse  was  in  good  condition ;  an  exami- 
nation of  the  poorfarm  had  been  ordered  ;  the  agents  of  the  county 
were  authorized  to  draw  on  Chicago  for  its  proportion  due  for  the 
use  of  the  new  county  building;  claims  against  the  towns  of  the 


534  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

county  were  presented  and  audited ;  the  Board  met  in  the  City 
Council  rooms ;  the  new  poorfarm  selected  was  a  tract  of  eighty 
acres  located  on  the  Northwestern  plank  road  and  had  cost  $1,200; 
Judge  Dickey  was  consulted  as  to  the  legality  of  the  steps  necessary 
to  be  taken  to  vote  for  or  against  the  Township  Organization  law ; 
it  was  noted  that  country  towns  with  300  population  had  as  much 
to  say  about  governmental  affairs  as  3,000  persons  in  some  parts 
of  Chicago;  as  the  new  Board  had  the  power  to  levy  and  collect 
county  taxes  they  could,  if  they  choose,  be  unfair;  there  were  noted 
several  minor  defects  in  the  Township  Organization  law ;  the  chief 
complaint  of  the  city  and  the  county  at  this  time  was  on  account 
of  "the  unequal  and  therefore  unjust  system  of  taxation  and  repre- 
sentation." 

"Much  of  Cook  county  is  still  unsettled  for  the  want  of  good 
roads,  and  liberal  appropriations  now  will  return  themselves  in  a 
very  few  years  by  the  enhanced  value  of  real  estate  and  the  new 
improvements.  For  instance,  take  the  country  between  Bridge- 
port and  Summit,  on  the  old  Archer  road.  The  old  thoroughfare 
is  now  entirely  deserted  for  the  want  of  road  improvements,  when  it 
contains  some  of  the  richest  lands  in  Illinois  and  has  every  other 
inducement  to  make  people  settle  upon  it.  In  making  appropria- 
tions for  roads  the  County  Supervisors  should  look  at  facilitating 
the  settlement  of  the  country  and  the  increase  of  the  taxable  prop- 
erty as  well  as  at  the  convenience  of  existing  settlements.  Noth- 
ing is  lost  by  liberal  appropriations  for  roads  and  bridges." — 
(Democrat,  May  25,  1852.) 

COOK  COUNTY. 

Value  of  Real  Estate    Amount  of 
Personal  Property.      State  Tax. 

1839  $1,829,420    '  $  3,659 

1840  : 1,864,205  3,728 

1841   1,888,160  5,664 

1842   2,325,240  3,488 

1843    2,250,735  4,501 

1844  3,166,945  6,333 

1845  3,669,124  14,007 

1846    5,071,402  17,750 

1847  6,189,385  18,162 

1848  9,986,000  25,848 

1849    7,617,102  44,190 

1850    8,101,000  47,532 

1851   9,431,826  56,937 

TOTAL   ASSESSMENT  FOR  TAXATION,   COOK  COUNTY. 

1853  .  $21,648,442 

1855  34,653,205 

1857 45,680,333 

1859  ...      39,269,725 

1861  34,070,191 

1863  37,076,800 

1865  45,692,025 

Value  of  property,  I860,  $116,741,834. 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  537 

The  act  of  February  11,  1851,  authorized  the  supervisors  of 
Cook  county  to  borrow  not  to  exceed  $50,000  on  the  faith  and 
pledge  of  the  county,  and  to  issue  therefor  bonds  or  scrip  under 
the  county  seal.  It  was  provided  that  not  over  $5,000  of  the  sum 
thus  borrowed  should  fall  due  in  any  one  year,  and  that  the  money 
should  be  spent  to  pay  county  debts,  to  purchase  a  lot  for  a  jail, 
to  build  the  same.  The  County  Board  was  authorized  to  levy  and 
collect  a  special  tax  sufficient  to  pay  the  interest  on  the  .sum  bor- 
rowed and  to  retire  the  principal. 

It  was  argued  that  both  Democrats  and  Whigs  depended  upon  the 
county,  which  held  the  balance  of  power  in  all  politics,  even  when 
there  was  not  a  man  from  the  country  upon  the  regular  county 
tickets. 

"Shall  we  now,  in  view  of  all  this,  stop  the  country  from  electing 
its  own  officers,  from  being  heard  at  the  County  Board  about  its 
own  roads  and  about  its  own  rights  in  general?  Shall  we  inflict 
such  a  wrong,  such  an  outrage,  upon  the  country,  that  they  never- 
more will  support  men  from  the  city  ?  .  .  .  People  in  the  country 
will  never  support  a  party  opposed  to  Township  Organization. 
.  .  .  Will  you  thus  pursue  a  policy  that  will  reduce  the  value  of 
country  real  estate  25  per  cent?  We  look  upon  it  that  the  defeat 
of  Township  Organization  now  would  retard  the  settlement  of 
Cook  county  and  all  its  religious,  educational  and  social  advantages 
ten  years  at  least.  .  .  .  Our  citizens  this  day  should  be  liberal — 
should  be  just  to  the  country  and  vote  for  Township  Organiza- 
tion."— (Democrat,  April  6,  1852.) 

VOTE   ON    TOWNSHIP    ORGANIZATION,    APRIL,    1852. 

For.       Against. 

North  Chicago   182  26 

South  Chicago   716  223 

West  Chicago  1,078  36 

Leyden <    104  0 

Lake  23  0 

Northfield 153  0 

Orland  47  0 

Niles  100  0 

Jefferson  78  0 

Elk  Grove 113  0 

Bloom 96  2 

Harrington    115  0 

Schaumburg  93  1 

New  Trier  93  0 

Thornton  32  0 

Worth   69  0 

Palatine   157  2 

Lemont    37  1 

Proviso   20  5 

Bremen 76  0 

Rich  40  6 

Ridgeville    60  0 

Maine 73  2 

Wheeling 145  0 

Hanover 71  0 

Vol.  1—31.  3.771  304 


538  UIKTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

COOK  COUNTY  ANNUAL  FINANCIAL   REPORT   IN   DEMOCRATIC   PRESS 
APKIL  12,  1853. 

Amount  on  hand $  9,726.35 

Received  on  bonds  01,000.00 

Received  premiums  on  bonds C52.77 

Received  on  revenue  68,565.30 

Received  from  Chicago  on  public  buildings 7^060.00 

Received  on  lines  and  licenses 19(5.25 

Received  Circuit  court  fees 39.50 

Received  Common  Pleas  court  fees 208.00 

Received  from  poorhousc  farm 100.00 

Received  from  old  buildings  on  Block  3!) 146.00 


Total    $147,754.17 

Pauper  expenses  $  14,251.87 

Poorhouse  farm   801.16 

Jail  expenses   5,859.52 

Circuit  court  expenses 2,881.25 

Common  Pleas  court  expenses 3,230.34 

Election  expenses  712.55 

Legal  expenses   1,013.20 

Printing  expenses  139.25 

Board  of  supervisors 2,095.04 

County  court  expenses 736.02 

General  expenses  12,568.33 

Planking  Clark  street 651.00 

Paid  contractors,  public  buildings 59,507.52 

Bond  taken  up 186.00 

County  orders  and  jury  certificates  issued 104,632.45 

On  hand   18,963.52 


Total   $147,753.17 

LIABILITIES    OF    THE   COUNTY,    1852-53. 

County  orders  outstanding $    5,458.15 

County  bonds  outstanding 113,725.62 

RESOURCES   AND  ASSETS. 

Amount  on  hand $  18,963.52 

Unfair  taxes  for  1852 16,000.00 

Block  39  and  buildings 250,000.00 

Poor  farm  in  Lake 5,000.00 

Poor  farm  in  Jefferson 3,000.00 

Personal  property 1,000.00 

Total $293,963.52 

On  March  5,  1852,  the  Board  of  Supervisors  met  at  the  court- 
house "to  take  into  consideration  the  propriety  of  continuing-  the 
system  of  Township  Organization."  Charles  McDonnell  was  made 
chairman  and  E.  Everett  secretary.  Speeches  covering  every 
feature  of  the  subject  were  delivered  by  Messrs.  Davis,  Bolles, 
Bond,  Jackson,  Dolton,  Coleby,  Marrs,  Filkins  and  DeWolf.  The 
following  resolutions  were  adopted : 

"WHEREAS,  The  question  of  Township  Organization,  for  or 
against,  is  again  to  be  submitted  to  the  voters  of  Cook  county  in 
their  several  towns  at  the  annual  election;  therefore, 

"Resolved,  That  in  the  opinion  of  this  meeting  Township  Or- 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  539 

ganization  is  the  most  republican  and,  the  best  system  of  county 
government. 

"Resolved,  That  in  the  opinion  of  this  meeting  there  are  many 
defects  in  the  present  law  of  Township  Organization,  to  which  the 
attention  of  our  next  Legislature  should  be  particularly  called/ 

"Resolved,  That  we  pledge  ourselves  individually  to  vote  for 
and  support  Township  Organization  and  to  use  all  honorable  means 
to  spread  throughout  the  several  towns  which  we  represent  every 
information  in  our  power  on  the  subject." — (Democrat,  March  22, 
1852.) 

"When  a  county  government  is  to  be  organized  for  the  transac- 
tion of  county  business,  in  a  county  where  three-quarters  of  the 
population  reside  in  one  city  and  three-quarters  of  the  county  tax 
is  paid  in  that  city,  is  it  not  right,  is  it  not  necessary,  in  order  to 
secure  harmonious  action,  that  the  preponderance  in  the  County 
Board  (which  levies  and  expends  all  the  county  taxes)  should  be 
secured  to  the  inhabitants  of  that  city?  The  number  of  members 
of  the  County  Board  should  not  be  increased.  The  number  is 
already  too  great  and  should  be  decreased,  yet  be  so  apportioned 
in  supervisors'  districts  as  to  approximate  more  to  the  principle  of 
equal  representation." — (Letter  in  Democrat,  March  31,  1852.) 

"The  prosperity  of  our  city  is  greatly  identified  with  that  of  Cook 
county,  which  after  all  is  but  a  suburb  of  our  city.  Now,  while  our 
municipal  government  may  be  sufficient  for  us,  what  becomes  of  the 
rest  of  the  county  when  the  Township  Organization  is  abolished? 
How  are  the  towns  left?  What  is  to  be  their  boundary?  Who  is 
to  take  charge  of  the  county  roads?  What  becomes  of  the  town 
schools?  Who  are  to  act  as  justices  and  constables?  Justice  to  the 
country  requires  that  Township  Organization  should  continue.  The 
country  has  never  been  jealous  of  city  influence.  .  .  .  Chicago 
now  has  the  United  States  Senator ;  has  had  the  member  of  Congress 
for  eight  of  the  last  ten  years;  has  always  had  the  State  senator; 
has  had  for  the  last  four  years  both  representatives  and,  except  two 
terms,  has  always  had  them ;  has,  and  we  believe  has  always  had, 
the  sheriff;  has  the  judges  of  the  Circuit  and  of  the  Common  Pleas 
courts;  has  the  clerks  of  -both  of  these  courts;  has  the  judge  of 
probate  and  the  county  clerk;  has  the  county  treasurer;  has  the 
coroner.  Now  as  an  offset  to  all  this  what  has  Cook  county  out 
of  the  city  got  ?  Will  some  one  opposed  to  Township  Organization 
tell  us?"— (Democrat,  April  6,  1852.) 

Cook  county  census,  1850:  Dwellings,  7,674;  families,  7,755; 
white  males,  23,480;  white  females,  19.519;  colored  males,  224; 
colored  females.  162;  total  population,  43,385;  farms,  1,857;  manu- 
facturing establishments,  227. 

In  April,  1851,  Francis  C.  Sherman  was  president  of  the  County 
Board  of  Supervisors.  In  1851  the  Supreme  Court  decided  that  the 
several  counties  of  the  State,  and  not  the  separate  towns,  should 


540  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

take  care  of  their  paupers.  The  county  tax  of  October,  1851,  was 
40  cents  on  the  $100.  Of  this  tax  7y2  cents  were  to  pay  interest  on 
loans  and  32y2  cents  were  to  be  used  for  county  purposes. 

In  October,  1851,  there  was  much  complaint  because  it  was 
claimed  that  there  were  only  three  good  roads  leading  south  from 
Chicago,  and  one  of  these  ran  along  the  lake  shore.  Next  to  the 
west  was  the  Southern  plank  road  to  Kyle's  tavern,  extending 
ten  miles  from  the  city ;  and  still  farther  west  was  the  road  leading 
to  Lockport  via  the  Summit.  The  latter  was  in  very  bad  condi- 
tion. To  the  north  and  west  there  were  eight  or  ten  excellent 
roads.  The  Democrat  of  October,  1851,  said:  "Cook  county  jail 
has  become  so  rotten  that  it  requires  a  regiment  of  soldiers  to  keep 
the  prisoners  within  its  walls."  In  September,  1851,  the  County 
Board,  pursuant  to  the  act  of  February  11,  1851,  advertised  for 
sale  $20,000  worth  of  county  bonds. 

In  1850  the  tax  for  county  purposes  was  40  cents  on  the  $100 
and  for  state  purposes  58  cents  on  the  $100;  total,  98  cents  on  each 
$100. 

The  act  of  June  15,  1852,  authorized  the  commissioners  of  Cook 
county  to  borrow  on  the  credit  of  the  county  an  additional  sum  of 
money  not  exceeding  $60,000,  and  to  issue  bond  or  scrip  therefor 
under  the  seal  of  the  County  court.  Of  the  amount  thus  to  be 
borrowed,  not  to  exceed  $5,000  was  to  be  repaid  in  any  one  year. 
The  money  was  to  be  used  for  the  benefit  of  the  county  "either  in 
the  erection,  purchase  or  improvement  of  public  buildings  in  and 
for  said  county"  or  for  other  county  purposes  approved  by  the 
Board.  The  revenues  of  the  county  were  pledged  for  the  payment 
of  the  loan,  and  a  special  tax  was  authorized  to  meet  the  obligation. 

In  1852  the  total  value  of  property  in  Cook  county  was  reported 
at  $11,945,593  and  in  1853  at  $21,648,442.  The  total  tax  received 
in  1852,  exclusive  of  the  interest  on  school  fund,  was  $65,806.07. 
The  revenue  and  special  state  tax  in  1852  was  $72,963.30  and  in 
1853  was  $108,532.12. 

In  1852  the  most  of  the  land  outside  of  Chicago  was  assessed 
at  from  $3  to  $5  per  acre.  It  was  argued  that  with  good  roads 
the  same  land  would  be  worth  from  $20  to  $25  per  acre.  This  fact 
caused  the  County  Commissioners  residing  in  Chicago  to  strongly 
favor  every  movement  to  secure  good  roads.  Particularly  as  this 
date  Archer  road  was  extremely  bad.  At  this  time  West  Chicago 
was  building  a  bridge  at  Bridgeport  and  opening  a  road  to  the 
same.  South  Chicago  had  planked  its  main  street  to  the  city  limits, 
had  macadamized  the  same  to  the  bridge  and  then  had  turnpiked 
the  same  to  the  town  line.  It  was  argued  that  unless  the  other 
towns  continued  the  work  on  to  the  Summit  no  good  would  result. 
At  this  date,  also,  South  Chicago,  Lake  and  Lyons  determined  to 
unite  to  improve  the  condition  of  Archer  road.  The  County  Board  at 
every  session  made  heavy  appropriations  for  roads  and  bridges  in  the 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  541 

several  towns.  It  was  at  this  time,  also,  that  the  first  great  ad- 
vancement in  drainage  was  being  carried  into  effect.  It  was  no 
uncommon  event  for  the  County  Board  to  appropriate  at  one  ses- 
sion from  $1,000  to  $5,000  for  the  improvement  of  roads.  The 
Cook  County  Drainage  Commissioners,  with  office  at  76  State 
street,  advertised  in  September,  1852,  for  drainage  plans,  with  the 
design  of  digging  ditches  in  many  parts  of  the  county.  Particu- 
larly was  the  attention  of  the  drainage  trustees  directed  to  the  West 
Side. 

In  September,  1852,  the  County  Board  ordered  the  public  square 
cleared  of  all  incumbrances  and  inclosed  with  an  iron  fence.  In 
January,  1853,  the  county  offices  were  removed  to  the  new  court- 
house. 

The  following  is  from  the  Democratic  Press  of  February  8, 
1853 :  "The  new  court  room  undoubtedly  is  the  best  of  the  kind 
west  of  the  Alleghenies,  and  we  believe  equal  to  any  used  for  a 
similar  purpose  in  our  country.  It  was  opened  yesterday  for  the 
accommodation  of  the  Court  of  Common  Pleas ;  Judges  Dickey  and 
Skinner." 

An  act  of  February  10,  1853,  was  for  the  relief  of  James  Lang, 
late  treasurer  of  Cook  county.  Under  instruction  from  the  state 
auditor  he  had  advertised  the  delinquent  tax  list  of  lands  in  June, 
1851,  and  had  petitioned  the  County  court  in  July  of  the  same  year 
to  sell  the  same,  but  the  latter  refused  to  grant  such  authority  until 
September,  whereby  the  treasurer  was  compelled  to  advertise  again, 
which  he  did  at  his  own  expense.  This  act  was  for  his  relief,  $108. 

An  act  of  February  12,  1853,  made  it  unlawful  to  kill  deer, 
fawn,  prairie  hen  or  chicken,  quail,  woodcock  or  wood  partridge 
in  Cook  county  between  January  1  and  July  20  of  each  year. 

On  April  30,  1853,  the  following  committee  was  appointed  by  the 
Cook  County  Assessors  to  fix  a  uniform  ratio  of  taxation  through- 
out the  county :  D.  Bishop,  Northfield ;  J.  Gray,  Rich ;  William 
Scoville,  Wheeling;  R.  F.  Clough,  Elk  Grove;  and  D.  S.  Ham- 
mond, Hanover. 

In  December,  1853,  the  Cook  County  Commissioners  passed  a 
resolution  requesting  the  Governor  to  call  an  extra  session  of  the 
Legislature  to  consider  that  Cook  county  was  entitled  to  double  its 
representation  in  both  House  and  Senate. 

By  November,  1854,  the  new  Cook  county  poorhouse,  located 
nine  miles  northwest  of  Chicago,  was  nearly  finished.  The  build- 
ing was  of  brick,  three  stories  and  basement  high,  cost  about 
$25,000,  and  was  located  in  the  town  of  Jefferson.  Upon  the 
opening  of  this  poorhouse  the  ladies  of  that  vicinity  thought  best 
to  give  a  house  warming,  on  which  occasion  feasting  and  dancing 
were  enjoyed.  This  act  was  regarded  as  very  odd  and  was  laughed 
at  by  the  county  newspapers.  Connected  with  the  poorhouse  was 
a  two-story  wing  and  basement  for  the  insane  poor.  The  old  poor- 
house was  situated  about  four  miles  south  of  the  city. 


542  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

On  June  4,  1855,  a  severe  frost  fell  in  all  parts  of  Cook  county; 
water  froze,  and  when  the  sun  came  up  the  moisture  on  the  leaves 
melted  and,  running  down,  formed  little  icicles  several  inches  long. 
However,  the  frost  was  superficial,  and  aside  from  checking  vegeta- 
tion no  serious  damage  was  done. 

COOK  COUNTY,  1854. 

Personal  property  $  7,144,988.00 

Town  lots 13,390,172.00 

Lands 5,056,426.00 

Goods  and  merchandise  2,506,124.00 

Moneys  and  credits  1,407,661.00 

Hogs    (very  comp.) 15,891.00 

Cattle  (most  in  state  except  Sangamon  and  La  Salle)  359,487.00 


COOK  COUNTY  RECEIPTS. 


Balance  in  the  treasury  March  20,  1856 $  63,524.88 

Balance  collected  on  taxes  of  1856 35,351.06 

Licenses  320.00 

Received  on  taxes  of  1856 54,173.27 


$153,369.21 

EXPENSES. 

Orders  redeemed   $  76,997.94 

Jury  certificates  redeemed 7,148.65 

Treasury  and  collector's  commissions 4,474.87 

Balance  in  the  treasury  March  19,  1857 64,747.75 


$153,369.21 

COUNTY  LIABILITIES,   1856-57. 

Bonds  outstanding  $110,600.00 

County  orders   64,979.98 


$175,579.98 

RESOURCES. 

Balance  in  the  treasury  March  9,  1857 $  65,747.75 

Balance  of  taxes  of  1856,  uncollected 27,629.96 

Due  from  the  city  of  Chicago 1,973.26 

Swamp  land  381.00 


$  94,731.97 

The  act  of  February  12,  1855,  constituted  Charles  E.  Peck,  Wil- 
liam H.  Garland  and  Jacob  C.  Bloom  commissioners  to  lay  and 
superintend  the  construction  of  a  ditch  or  ditches  throughout  the 
whole  length  of  the  wet  lands  in  Townships  42,  43,  44  and  45 
north,  Ranges  12  and  13  east,  in  Cook  and  Lake  counties,  and 
extending  same  to  Lake  Michigan.  They  could  determine  the 
number  and  size  of  the  ditches,  could  take  private  property  by 
condemnation  proceedings,  could  assess  all  costs  to  the  lands  bene- 
fited, and  could  employ  engineers  and  surveyors.  The  assessments 
were  to  be  a  lien  on  the  land.  The  name  of  the  corporation  was 
"The  Cook  and  Lake  County  Drainage  Company." 

In  1855  the  county  tax  levy  was  33  cents  on  each  $100.  The 
county  liquor  license  was  reduced  from  $100  to  $50.  The  county 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  543 

census  of  1855  gave  Cook  county  a  population  of  103,960.  The 
number  of  schools  in  the  county  was  162.  There  were  8,180  pupils. 
During  the  fifties  each  County  Supervisor  received  annually  $900 
for  his  services.  The  county  attorney  was  paid  $500;  the  county 
poor  warden  $600,  and  the  two  county  physicians  each  $400. 

In  July,  1856.  the  County  Board  duly  considered  the  question 
of  building  a  new  lunatic  asylum. 

In  August,  1857,  the  Cook  County  Agricultural  and  Horticul- 
tural society  was  organized  by  a  large  number  of  citizens,  among 
whom  were  Messrs.  Blaney,  Kennicott,  Reilly,  Benson,  Miner, 
Hurd,  Brooks  and  others.  The  grounds  of  the  society  were  located 
one  mile  north  of  the  river,  on  the  property  of  W.  B.  Ogden,  and 
embraced  a  tract  of  twelve  acres.  The  first  exhibit  during  the  fall 
of  1857  was  entirely  creditable.  The  society  had  a  Fine  Arts  hall, 
an  Agricultural  hall,  Mechanics'  hall,  Floral  hall,  and  a  large  recep- 
tion tent.  The  exhibit  was  much  better  than  had  been  expected. 

Property  owned  by  Cook  county:  Block  39,  Old  Town  of  Chi- 
cago; 13-18  of  improvement  in  Block  39;  poor  farm  in  Jefferson; 
old  poor  farm  in  Lake. 

The  act  of  February,  1857,  provided  that  the  Cook  County  Court 
of  Common  Pleas  within  six  months  should  appoint  three  commis- 
sioners to  select  and  survey  a  tract  of  not  less  than  100  acres  nor 
more  than  300  acres  for  a  public  park.  The  land  selected  was  to 
be  south  of  Twelfth  street,  west  of  Michigan  avenue  and  east  of 
Stewart  avenue.  In  April,  1857,  a  new  engine  for  the  Chicago 
waterworks  was  installed.  The  stroke  of  the  piston  was  ten  feet 
and  the  diameter  of  the  cylinder  was  sixty  inches.  The  entire 
weight  of  the  engine  was  40,000  pounds.  It  was  regarded  as  a 
wonder.  In  the  spring  of  1857,  almost  for  the  first  time  in  con- 
siderable quantity,  the  newspapers  began  to  issue  supplements.  At 
this  time  J.  D.  Graham,  major  of  topographical  engineers,  fixed  the 
longitude  of  Chicago  at  5  hours,  50  minutes  and  31.16  seconds  west 
of  Greenwich.  In  1857  important  repairs  to  the  new  courthouse 
were  considered  by  the  County  Board.  In  September,  1857,  R.  R. 
Hill  was  the  shorthand  reporter  of  the  courts  of  Chicago.  In  1856 
and  thereafter  considerable  quantity  of  Nicholson  pavement  was 
laid  on  the  streets  of  Chicago. 

In  1858  there  was  distributed  to  Cook  county  interest  on  the 
school  fund,  $3,244.  and  on  the  school  tax  fund,  $35,694.15;  total, 
$38.938.15.  In  1858  the  value  of  personal  property  in  Cook  county 
was  fixed  at  $6,718,826,  railroad  property  $2,058,353,  lands 
$5,536,378,  total  $44.313,557;  moneys  and  credits  1,482,386,  goods 
and  merchandise  $2,740,097.  It  was  decided  throughout  the  county 
that  on  March  30,  1858,  all  towns  should  hold  their  annual  meet- 
ings for  the  purpose  of  settling  their  debts  and  making  contracts 
for  bridges,  schoolhouses,  salaries  of  officers,  etc.  In  1858  Homer 
Wilmarth  was  president  of  the  County  Board. 


544  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

In  1857  the  committee  on  country  relations  of  the  Common 
Council  of  Chicago  made  an  investigation  of  the  sessions,  wages, 
etc.,  of  the  County  Supervisors  and  learned  that  they  had  paid 
themselves  more  than  was  due  them  under  the  law  at  $1.50  a  day. 
It  was  shown  that  they  had  charged  considerable  extra  time.  Dur- 
ing the  spring  session  of  1856  it  was  shown  that  while  $553.50  was 
really  due  them,  they  had  actually  drawn  $1,483;  that  at  their 
July  session,  1856,  they  had  been  paid  $719  when  only  $171.50  was 
clue  them;  that  at  the  September  session  of  1856  they  had  been 
paid  $1,647  when  only  $360  was  due  them;  that  at  the  December 
session,  1856,  they  had  been  paid  $1,379  when  only  $300  was  due 
them.  The  report  showed  that  for  1857  the  same  over  pay  had  been 
charged.  It  was  thus  shown  that  during  1856  and  the  March  ses- 
sion of  1857  they  had  drawn  a  total  of  $6,667  when  the  actual 
amount  due  them  was  only  $1,860,  or  1,240  days  at  $1.50  per  day. 
In  their  report  the  committee  used  the  following  language:  "A 
state  of  facts  like  this  would  seem  to  require  no  comment  at  the 
hands  of  your  committee.  So  far  as  the  record  goes  to  show  there 
has  been  a  plain  and  palpable  violation  of  the  statutes  on  the  part 
of  the  Board  of  Supervisors  in  voting  themselves  a  compensation 
to  which  they  were  not  legally  entitled."  The  committee  recom- 
mended that  the  entire  matter  should  be  brought  to  the  attention  of 
the  Grand  Jury. 

The  report  of  the  poor  warden  showed  that  for  the  quarter  end- 
ing February  28,  1859,  there  had  been  616  persons  admitted  to  the 
poorhouse.  The  law  of  1859  required  that  township  collectors 
should  settle  annually  with  the  county  treasurer  on  March  1  instead 
of  March  15,  as  was  the  case  in  other  counties.  In  September, 
1859,  the  committee  on  equalization  of  taxes  of  the  County  Board 
reported  "a  great  discrepancy  in  the  valuation  of  real  estate  by 
the  assessors  of  the  different  towns  of  the  county."  The  Board 
proceeded  to  correct  the  discrepancy. 

In  1860  A.  G.  Throop  was  chairman  of  the  County  Board.  At 
this  time  there  were  reported  in  the  county  3,498  improved  farms. 
The  population  of  Chicago  was  109,420  and  of  Cook  county  outside 
of  Chicago  36,159. 

At  the  session  of  the  County  Board  in  December,  1861,  the  fol- 
lowing resolution  was  proposed :  "Resoh-ed,  That  the  delegates 
from  this  county  to  the  Constitutional  convention  to  meet  in  Janu- 
ary next  be  requested  to  inquire  into  the  expediency  of  reducing 
the  city  and  county  governments  into  one  and  to  incorporate  the 
same  under  the  title  of  'The  City  and  County  of  Chicago.'  '  This 
resolution  failed  to  carry.  At  this  time  also  the  County  Board 
passed  a  resolution  favoring  an  immediate  enlargement  of  the 
Illinois  and  Michigan  canal  upon  the  urgent  grounds  that  military 
necessity  required  the  early  completion  of  that  means  of  inter- 
communication. 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  545 

In  September,  1861,  John  A.  Washington  was  killed  in  Virginia. 
He  left  three  pieces  of  real  estate  in  Cook  county  valued  at  nearly 
$30,000.  This  land  was  in  Sections  11  and  21  in  Township  39, 
Range  13,  and  Section  32,  Township  39  and  Range  14.  He  left 
seven  children. 

For  the  year  1861-62  a  tax  of  40  cents  on  the  $100  was  levied  by 
the  County  Board. 

In  1861  the  following  tax  was  levied  in  the  different  towns  of 
the  county:  Northfield,  $496;  Bremen,  $3,000;  Barrington,  $350; 
Palos,  $120;  New  Trier,  $524;  West  Chicago,  $2,500;  Richmond, 
$269;  Jefferson,  $1.641;  Maine,  $6,425;  Lake,  $6,500;  South  Chi- 
cago, $1,000;  Proviso,  $164;  Leyden,  $494;  Hanover,  $325;  Or- 
land,  $256 ;  Lyons,  $472 ;  Bloom,  $535  ;  Thornton,  $562 ;  Palatine, 
$6,118;  Schaumberg,  $427 ;  Leavitt,  $6,277;  North  Chicago,  $1,600. 

By  a  vote  of  twenty-five  ayes  to  thirteen  nays  the  County  Board 
decided  to  allow  tea,  coffee  and  sugar  to  the  paupers.  This  had 
been  objected  to  as  an  unnecessary  luxury.  Early  in  1862  the 
county  clerk,  in  response  to  a  resolution  of  the  Constitutional  con- 
vention asking  for  an  exhibit  showing  the  annual  expense  of  the 
Board  of  Supervisors  for  the  last  five  years,  made  the  following  re- 
port :  That  there  were  thirty  towns  in  the  county,  three  of  which  al- 
lowed assistant  supervisors;  that  there  were  ten  ward  supervisors, 
there  being  one  from  each  ward  of  the  city ;  total  supervisors  in  the 
county,  forty-three;  that  there  were  four  sessions  of  the  Board  an- 
nually of  from  five  to  six  days  each ;  that  the  expenses  of  the  Board 
for  a  series  of  years  were  as  follows:  1857,  $3,562;  1860,  $3,067; 
1861,  $3,180;  that  the  Board  had  been  in  session  as  follows:  1857, 
for  thirty-one  days  with  forty-one  members;  1858,  for  seventeen 
days  with  forty-two  members;  1859,  for  twenty-seven  days  with 
forty-two  members;  1860,  for  twenty-one  days  with  forty-two 
members;  1861,  for  twenty-seven  days  with  forty-three  members; 
average  number  of  members  each  year,  forty-two;  thus  aggregating 
5,040  days  in  five  years  for  one  supervisor  at  $2  per  day,  making  a 
total  legitimate  expense  at  $10,080  and  leaving  a  balance  for  com- 
mittee, mileage,  etc.,  of  $66.39.  This  report  was  signed  by  Laurin 
P.  Hilliard,  county  clerk.  In  March,  1862,  a  petition,  numerously 
signed,  for  the  division  of  the  town  of  Worth,  was  presented  to  the 
County  Board ;  also  one  as  numerously  signed  remonstrating  against 
such  a  division  was  presented. 

In  March,  1862,  the  citizens  of  Lyons  and  Palos  towns  petitioned 
the  County  Board  to  construct  a  bridge,  at  a  cost  of  about  $1,000, 
across  the  Des  Plaines  river  at  Willow  Springs. 

Concerning  the  reapportionment  just  completed  by  the  Legisla- 
ture at  Springfield,  the  Tribune  of  March  7,  1862,  said:  "The 
foul  deed  is  done,  and  in  part  by  the  aid  of  the  Democrats  elected 
by  Republicans  on  Union  tickets.  The  scoundrelly  cutting  and 
carving  of  Cook  county  is  the  work  of  Fuller,  assisted  by  a  pack 


546  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

of  Secessionists.  Wards  are  divided,  election  precincts  are  slashed 
into  halves  and  quarters." 

In  1862  the  citizens  of  Lake  and  Worth  petitioned  for  a  new 
town  to  be  called  Hope,  to  be  taken  from  the  east  half  of  Worth 
and  that  part  of  Lake  lying  in  Township  37,  Range  15.  At  this 
time,  also,  the  towns  of  Worth,  Thornton  and  Bremen  petitioned 
for  a  bridge  across  the  Calumet  river  and  the  same  was  recom- 
mended by  the  County  Board. 

In  June,  1862,  a  petition  from  the  voters  and  taxpayers  of  the 
town  of  Palos  asked  the  County  Board  to  reverse  the  vote  taken 
at  the  town  election  for  releasing  the  bail  of  Patrick  Donahoe, 
absconding  collector,  for  the  following  reasons:  First,  because  the 
present  supervisor  had  not  called  a  special  election  on  the  petition 
of  twelve  legal  voters;  second,  that  there  was  no  notice  given  of 
such  a  vote  being  taken;  third,  there  was  kept  tapped  a  barrel  of 
whisky,  which  served  to  keep  all  the  non-taxpayers  present  ready 
to  vote — it  was  also  true  of  non-residents,  boys,  etc. ;  fourth,  the 
vote  was  taken  by  dividing  the  house  at  near  noon,  the  motion 
being  put  by  one  of  the  clerks  of  the  Board. 

At  the  June  session,  1862,  strong  effort  to  abolish  the  dog  tax 
was  made  by  nearly  every  town  in  the  county.  After  an  elaborate 
and  amusing  debate  the  whole  question  was  tabled.  Mr.  Dolton 
said  that  the  dogs  in  his  town  had  nothing  to  do  but  tear  off  cows' 
tails  and  bite  sheep.  Mr.  Satroop  expressed  the  opinion  that  if  the 
dogs  paid  the  tax  they  should  be  allowed  to  indulge  in  such  little 
amusement. 

In  September,  1862,  the  towns  of  Lyons  and  Lake  petitioned 
that  a  new  town  should  be  stricken  from  their  boundaries,  and  the 
judiciary  committee  of  the  County  Board  recommended  that  the 
petition  be  granted. 

Early  in  1862  Dr.  Aaron  Gibbs  was  chairman  of  the  County 
Board,  but  in  December,  1862,  J.  M.  Allen  of  Elk  Grove  was 
elected  to  that  office.  At  this  time  the  Board  had  thirteen  standing 
committees,  those  of  education,  war,  and  license  having  just  been 
added.  An  important  new  committee  was  one  on  the  equalization 
of  taxes.  In  December,  1862,  the  personal  property  of  the  county 
was  assessed  at  $7.920,139,  the  realty  at  $26,568.141,  and  the 
number  of  acres  under  cultivation  was  reported  at  103,770. 

The  Sherman  house,  which  had  first  been  erected  as  the  City 
hotel  by  F.  C.  Sherman  in  1837,  was  rebuilt  in  1860-61. 

Early  in  the  Civil  War  a  dog  tax  was  levied  throughout  Cook 
county.  Many  of  the  towns  wholly  disregarded  the  law,  and  ac- 
cordingly the  tax  in  many  instances  became  delinquent.  The  col- 
lection of  this  tax  was  assigned  to  the  commissioners  of  highways 
to  be  collected  in  each  town  district  by  the  overseers  of  highways, 
and  was  to  be  expended  in  accordance  with  the  ordinance  of  the 
County  Board.  In  May,  1862,  the  County  Board  voted  twenty-two 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  547 

ayes  to  sixteen  nays  to  allow  the  county  judge  a  salary  of  $2,000 
in  addition  to  the  $3  per  day  he  was  already  drawing. 

In  May,  1862,  the  residents  of  Lake  and  Lyons  sent  a  petition 
to  the  County  Board  praying  that  a  new  town  might  be  organized 
from  the  west  side  of  Lake  and  the  east  side  of  Lyons.  The  new 
town  was  designed  to  embrace  the  east  half  of  Congressional 
Township  38,  Range  13  (Lake),  and  the  west  half  of  Congressional 
Township  38,  Range  13  (Lyons),  thus  including  all  of  Congres- 
sional Township  38,  Range  13.  At  this  time  the  committee  on 
judiciary  of  the  County  Board  reported  in  favor  of  dividing  the 
town  of  Worth  and  constituting  a  new  town  to  be  named  Hope.  In 
May,  1862,  Supervisor  Dolton  offered  the  following  resolution : 
"Resolved,  That  that  portion  of  Sections  5,  6  and  8  in  fractional 
Township  36,  Range  15,  heretofore  lying  in  the  town  of  Lake, 
become  a  part  of  the  town  of  Thornton." 

In  June,  1862,  a  motion  to  appoint  a  standing  committee  on 
schools  for  the  County  Board  was  laid  on  the  table.  In  June,  1862, 
a  motion  to  call  the  new  town  of  Hope  by  the  name  of  Calumet 
was  amended  so  that  it  should  be  called  Sigel.  The  amendment  was 
lost,  but  the  original  motion  changing  the  name  to  Calumet  was 
carried. 

The  Cook  county  poorhouse  in  the  town  of  Jefferson,  about  ten 
miles  from  the  city  limits,  was  reported  in  good  condition  in  No- 
vember, 1862.  Benjamin  Chase  had  been  in  charge  for  three  years. 
In  May,  1862,  there  were  203  inmates,  and  in  December  180.  On 
December  1  there  were  fifty  patients  in  the  hospital  and  thirty-six 
insane.  The  farm  consisted  of  200  acres.  On  the  farm  were  six 
horses,  nine  cows  and  five  yearlings.  The  products  for  1862  were 
1,000  bushels  of  potatoes,  100  bushels  of  onions,  sixty  bushels  of 
navy  beans,  900  bushels  of  beets,  flax  to  make  200  yards  of  cloth, 
hay,  corn,  oats,  etc. 

The  act  of  February  21,  1863,  authorized  the  Board  of  Super- 
visors of  Cook  county  to  issue  and  sell  bonds,  but  not  to  exceed 
$150,000,  for  the  purpose  of  meeting  extra  war  expenses. 

The  dog  tax  ordinance  was  referred  to  the  committee  on  poor- 
house  and  paupers  of  the  County  Board.  An  attempt  to  annul 
the  tax  was  lost;  then  an  effort  to  reduce  the  license  from  $2  to  $1 
was  made.  That  was  also  lost.  Finally  the  following  humorous 
amendment  was  offered :  "Resolved,  That  this  ordinance  shall  not 
apply  to  'yaller  dorgs'  with  straps  around  their  necks  and  their  tails 
cut  off  not  over  half  an  inch,  inch,  inch  and  a  half  or  two  inches 
long,  and  not  less  than  half  a  mile,  mile,  mile  and  a  half,  or  two 
miles  from  home."  The  latter  failed  to  pass. 

In  March.  1863,  the  County  Board  appropriated  $500  to  improve 
Archer  road  in  the  town  of  Lake,  and  $300  to  improve  the  same 
road  in  the  town  of  Lemont.  Both  Lake  and  Lemont  made  supple- 
mental appropriations  for  the  same  purpose. 


548  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

COOK  COUNTY  FROM  JUNE  1,  1863,  TO  JUNE  1,  1864. 

EXPENSES. 

War  orders   $107,603 

Bonds  paid   10,000 

Interest   12,300 

Sheriff  and  bailiffs 14,782 

Elections    3,743 

Poorhouse  and  paupers 42,899 

Miscellaneous  27,654 


Total    $218,981 

RECEIPTS. 

County  tax  for  1862 $104,054 

War  tax  for  1862 173,498 


Total    $277,552 

Collected  of  this 271,537 

BONDED   DEBT  OF  THE  COUNTY. 

Bonds  drawing  10  per  cent  interest $  53,000 

Bonds  drawing    6  per  cent  interest 150,000 


Total    $203,000 

Unpaid  orders  outstanding 1,149 

War  orders  payable  outstanding  out  of  tax  of  1864 282,504 

Total    $486,653 

ASSETS. 

Cash  on  hand  June  4,  1864 $  11,741 

Uncollected  tax  of  1863 77,854 

Block  59,  Old  Town 600,000 

Part  of  courthouse 75,000 

Twenty-five  acres,  reform  school 15,000 

One   hundred   and   fifty-seven   acres,   poor   farm 8,000 

Buildings   on   same 20,000 

Stock  on  poor  farm 2,000 


Total   $809,595 

In  December,  1863,  the  bonded  debt  of  Cook  county  amounted 
to  $163,000;  but  there  had  been  already  appropriated,  though  not 
issued,  for  war  purposes  $250,000  in  bonds.  In  1863  the  number 
of  acres  of  wheat  in  Cook  county  was  30,587 ;  acres  of  corn,  30,275  ; 
number  of  dogs,  4,388;  hogs,  16,997;  sheep,  10,144;  cattle,  45,571 ; 
horses,  14,411. 

The  Chicago  Historical  Society  collected  considerable  valuable 
statistics  concerning  Cook  county  in  1862-63.  Of  all  the  towns 
in  the  county  Barrington  led  with  1,440  acres  in  fruit  trees. 
Schaumburg  had  the  least — only  40  acres. 

In  1863  a  petition  from  the  citizens  of  Thornton  asked  the 
County  Board  to  release  Messrs.  Caldwell  and  Johnson,  two  men 
on  the  bond  of  Dr.  A.  J.  Richards,  defaulting  collector  of  that 
town,  from  the  effect  of  a  judgment  of  $1,900  and  costs  obtained 
against  them  by  the  county.  They  requested  this  action  owing  to 
the  fact  that  Caldwell  and  Johnson  had  been  to  great  expense  to 
secure  the  arrest  and  conviction  of  the  said  Richards. 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  549 

In  March,  1864,  the  County  Board  authorized  a  wolf  bounty  of 
$5.  Just  before  this  Supervisor  Kingsley  of  Barrington  had  paid 
$36  for  twelve  wolf  scalps.  In  March,  1864,  the  Board  passed  a 
resolution  extolling  President  Lincoln's  administration  and  favor- 
ing his  renomination  for  the  Presidency.  Thirty-seven  voted  for 
this  resolution  and  eight  against  it.  During  two  years  ending 
August  31,  1864,  Cook  county  paid  internal  revenue  as  follows: 
$5,127,749. 

In  December,  1864,  Cook  county  scrip  was  rated  at  from  93  to 
95  cents  on  the  $1.  In  January,  1865,  Cook  county  bonds  sold  at 
from  95  cents  to  97  on  the  $1.  In  December,  1864,  A.  B.  Johnson 
of  the  Eleventh  Ward  was  elected  by  acclamation  chairman  of  the 
County  Board. 

December  31,  1864,  Cook  county's  debt  was  $774,000;  but 
during  1865  the  county  paid  $2,100,000  in  bounties.  This  was 
war  scrip  with  interest  at  10  per  cent,  per  annum.  It  was  afterward 
refunded  into  long  time  bonds  bearing  7  per  cent. 

Ten  per  cent  old  bonds  $     43,000 

Six  per  cent  bonds,  '73 150,000 

Scrip    2,100,000 


$2,293,000 
Premium  for  finding  scrip 210,000 


Total   debt   January,   '66 $2,503,000 

DEBT   OF   THE   CITY   OF   CHICAGO,   DECEMBER   31,    1864. 

Floating  debt   $     79,295.39 

Funded  debt,  old 371,000.00 

Funded  debt,  new 950,500.00 

School  fund  bonds   28,000.00 

Sewerage  debt   1,100,000.00 

Water  debt   1,308,000.00 


Total    $3,836,795.39 

In  February,  1865,  Cook  county  bonds  sold  as  low  as  73  cents 
on  the  $1.  This  was  near  the  close  of  the  war,  when  a  considera- 
ble quantity  of  new  bonds  were  thrown  on  the  market.  Within  a 
month  the  price  rose  to  about  85  cents  on  the  $1.  One  reason  for 
the  fall  in  value  of  the  county  bonds  was  because  unprincipled 
brokers  circulated  the  report  that  their  issue  was  unauthorized. 

The  act  of  February  2,  1865,  authorized  the  Board  of  Super- 
visors of  Cook  county  to  issue  and  sell  bonds  from  time  to  time  as 
the  same  should  be  required,  in  any  sum  not  exceeding  one  million 
dollars,  to  be  applied  to  the  payment  of  certain  countv  orders  or 
certificates  issued  and  to  be  issued  for  bounties  to  soldiers  and  in 
aid  of  soldiers'  families;  but  by  act  of  February  15,  1865,  the  issue 
was  increased  to  one  million  five  hundred  thousand  dollars. 

In  February,  1865.  the  Legislature  authorized  the  issue  of  bonds 
to  take  up  the  Cook  county  scrip  or  orders  and  further  authorized 
the  levy  of  a  tax  to  retire  the  bonds. 


M 


EARLY   AMUSEMENTS 

ANY  people  assume  that  Chicago  in  particular  and  Cook 
county  as  a  whole  were  destitute  of  art  in  early  years. 
Such,  however,  is  not  the  fact.  The  first  settlers,  with 
comparatively  few  exceptions,  came  from  the  East  and 
had  been  reared  in  localities  where  education,  literary  culture  and 
artistic  advantages  had  been  enjoyed  for  many  years.  Indeed,  at 
the  time  Cook  county  was  first  settled  Boston  was  enjoying  its  first 
great  impulse  in  literature  and  art.  New  York  and  Philadelphia 
also  had  their  art  institutes  and  their  literary  institutions.  Even 
Pittsburg  was  already  making  great  pretensions  in  the  world  of 
art  and  learning.  Therefore,  many  of  the  first  settlers  of  Cook 
county,  coming  from  such  localities,  brought  with  them  the  art  and 
literary  training  they  had  acquired  before  their  arrival  here.  In 
Chicago,  almost  from  the  start,  were  to  be  found  good  writers  of 
poetry.  Many  of  the  leading  men  here  wrote  prose  of  the  purest 
diction  and  the  clearest  logic.  It  is  therefore  not  surprising  that 
almost  from  the  start  all  of  the  leading  citizens  took  interest  in 
theatrical  performances,  lectures,  oratory  and  art. 

As  early  as  1839  Daniel  Marble  and  his  wife  gave  humorous 
and  sparkling  entertainments  in  this  city.  Marble  was  a  Yankee 
comedian  and  had  the  reputation  and  the  cheerful  habit  of  making 
a  person  laugh  in  spite  of  himself.  His  inimitable  stories  produced 
bursts  of  merriment  and  his  tricks  could  not  be  fathomed.  The 
American  of  May  27,  1839,  said : 

"Marble  is  a  capital  fellow  to  make  one  laugh  in  spite  of  himself. 
He  has  few  equals  in  his  line.  We  regret  that  our  theatrical  com- 
pany were  not  here  to  have  secured  his  services  for  a  while.  The 
theater  could  not  have  held  many  more  without  crowding." 

In  June,  1839,  Colonel  Lehmanowsky,  who  had  been  a  Polish 
lancer  in  Napoleon's  army,  lectured  here  on  the  subject  of  "Na- 
poleon." A  little  later  Rev.  Orville  Taylor  lectured  on  the  subject 
of  "Public  Schools."  These  various  entertainments  were  given  in 
the  "City  Saloon,"  which  building  was  probably  owned  by  Mr. 
Russell.  Prior  to  1839  a  theatrical  company  had  been  organized  in 
this  city.  During  the  early  part  of  that  year  the  company  left  and 
traveled  throughout  the  West,  visiting  the  leading  points  and  giving 
entertainments.  The  actors  were  called  the  Illinois  Theatrical  com- 
pany. Mr.  Jefferson,  a  member  of  the  company,  returned  to  Chi- 
cago earlier  than  the  others  and  brought  with  him  considerable  new 
scenery. 

550 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  551 

"The  Illinois  Theatrical  company  reopen  their  theater  in  this 
city  next  Saturday  night  with  new  scenery  and  decorations.  There 
have  been  one  or  two  advantageous  alterations  in  their  company 
since  they  were  last  here,  and  a  general  improvement.  As  a  stock 
company  we  consider  it  unsurpassed,  either  in  the  East  or  the 
West." — (American,  August  30,  1839.) 

The  fall  season  of  1839  was  opened  by  the  company  with  Cole- 
man's  operatic  piece,  "The  Review,  or  Wag  of  Windsor,"  and 
closed  with  the  farce,  "Illustrious  Stranger,  or  Buried  Alive."  The 
early  newspapers  spoke  of  the  performance  as  very  creditable.  The 
scenery  was  considered  excellent..  Over  the  drop  curtain  was  the 
motto,  "For  Useful  Mirth  and  Salutary  Woe."  On  the  second 
night  the  company  rendered  "Warlock  of  the  Glenn,"  and 
closed  with  the  farce,  "Midnight  Hour."  Mr.  Sullivan  in  the 
character  of  Warlock  acquitted  himself  in  a  very  creditable  man- 
ner, according  to  the  American.  Later  during  the  season  Mr. 
Green  acted  as  Scotch  Andrew,  the  fisherman,  in  the  place  of  Mr. 
Warren,  who  was  sick.  Mr.  Wright  had  previously  been  con- 
nected with  the  company.  The  American  of  September  3,  1839, 
said :  "Mr.  McKenzie,  the  manager,  deserves  much  credit  for  his 
liberal  and  ambitious  efforts  to  increase  the  attractions  of  his 
theater."  On  September  5  they  played  "Isabelle,  or  Woman's 
Life,"  and  "Spectre  Bridegroom."  Between  performances  Mr. 
Germon  sang  "Rory  o'  More."  The  company  during  these  travels 
had  visited  Springfield,  111.,  and  upon  their  return  to  Chicago 
boasted  of  the  fact  that  the  most  cultured  people  of  that  city  had 
attended  their  performance.  Mr.  Dempster,  the  celebrated  vocal- 
ist, was  here  during  the  season.  He  sang  "John  Anderson,  My 
Joe,"  "Dear  Lady  of  My  Birth,"  "The  Brave  Old  Oak,"  "She 
Wore  a  Wreath  of  Roses,"  "My  Nannie,  O,"  "My  Heart's  in  the 
Highlands,"  and  others. 

"Mr.  Dempster  is  superior  in  what  we  consider  the  chief  beauty 
of  singing — musical  elocution.  His  style  of  singing  is  character- 
ized by  the  most  exquisite  sweetness  and  enchanting  simplicity." — 
(American,  September  10,  1839.) 

"An  amateur  of  this  city  makes  his  first  appearance  tonight  in 
the  character  of  Restive  in  the  laughable  farce  of  the  'Enraged 
Politician.'  We  have  many  amateurs  among  us  who  might  act 
that  character  well." — (American,  September  12,  1839.) 

During  the  season  Mrs.  Jefferson  appeared  as  Madame  La 
Trappe  in  the  laughable  comedy  of  "Simpson  &  Co."  Master 
Jefferson  sang  the  "Lass  o'  Gowrie,"  a  comic  song  that  brought 
down  the  audience.  On  September  10  a  benefit  was  given  by 
Mr.  Dempster.  On  that  occasion  "Sweethearts  and  Wives"  was 
rendered.  Mr.  Jefferson  appeared  as  Admiral  Franklin,  Mr. 
Warren  as  Bill  Lackaday,  Mrs.  McKenzie  as  Mrs.  Bell,  and  Mrs. 
Jefferson  as  Susan.  There  was  a  vocal  interlude  and  the  per- 


552  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

formance  ended  with  the  farce,  "My  Neighbor's  Wife."  Mr. 
Dempster  gave  his  first  concert  at  the  "City  Saloon"  September 
14;  the  price  of  admission  was  75  cents.  Scotch,  Irish  and  English 
songs  were  sung  by  Messrs.  Dempster,  Barnett,  Rodwell,  Wilson, 
Knight  and  Phillips.  The  performance  usually  began  about  6 
o'clock  in  the  evening  and  closed  not  later  than  9  or  9 :30.  Among 
the  leading  players  here  during  the  season  of  1839  were  Messrs. 
Warren,  Liecester,  Sankey,  Green  and  Dempster.  The  lady  per- 
formers were  Mrs.  Germon,  Mrs.  McKinzie,  Mrs.  Jefferson  and 
Mrs.  Ingersoll.  The  latter  was  a  teacher  of  dancing.  Among  the 
performances  rendered  were  the  following:  "Damon  and  Pythias," 
"The  Poor  Gentleman,"  "The  Loan  of  a  Lover"  and  the  "Drama 
from  Boz."  On  one  occasion  the  performance  was  broken  up  by 
a  gang  of  drunken  men  against  whom  Mr.  McKenzie  made  com- 
plaint, and  they  were  all  fined  the  next  day  by  a  justice  of  the 
peace. 

WE  BACHELORS. 

Free  as  the  bird  whose  downy  wing, 
Ripples  the  balmy  air  of  spring — 
That  floats  in  freedom  to  the  sky, 
Whose  bound  is  heaven's  blue  canopy. 
We  walk  the  fields,  we  breathe  the  air, 
Of  perfect  freedom ;  thrall  or  care 
Of  syren  wedlock,  we  have  none, 
We  joy  in  freedom  all  alone. 

Your  silken  chains  ve  damsels  fair, 
So  very  tempting,  will  not  snare. 
Those  teeth  so  beautiful  and  bright 
Are  very  charming — but  they  bite. 
And  eyes  that  sparkle,  they  can  leer; 
Those  lips  can  curl  too,  with  a  sneer. 
We're  your  admirers  true,  but  then 
We've  known  sad  peckings  by  a  hen ; 
Admirers,  yet  are  too  old  coons, 
To  make  a  shift  of  pantaloons. 

The  author  of  the  above  was  promptly  answered  as  follows : 

TO   THE   AUTHOR  OF   "WE   BACHELORS." 

You   sour-mouthed   rhymster ! — you  whose  blood 
Is  snow-broth  at  the  best! 
You  of  the  shriveled  brotherhood 
More  shriveled  than  the  rest ! 
You   boast    of    freedom — luckless   wight — 
You  could  not  but  be  free ; 
No  girl  would  be  so  crazy  quite 
As  to  be  cursed  with  thee. 

"We  have  a  few  writers  in  this  city  whose  productions  would  be 
highly  creditable  to  themselves  and  to  the  literary  character  of  the 
place,  but  they  seldom  have  the  energy  or  ambition  to  make  an 
effort  worthy  of  themselves." 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  555 

"Female  Lecturers. — Some  half  dozen  lecturers  of  the  softer  sex 
have  within  a  short  period  come  before  the  public  in  different  parts 
of  the  Union.  One  has  lectured  upon  religion  and  another  upon 
politics;  one  has  advocated  war  and  another  non-resistance.  In 
our  opinion,  and  we  mean  not  to  disparage  the  sex,  if  the  ladies 
will  lecture  they  should  confine  themselves  to  the  ancient  and  ap- 
proved class  of  lectures.  .  .  .  Our  objections  to  the  delivery  of 
public  lectures  by  females,  of  course,  are  that  it  is  subversive  of  that 
delicacy  which  is  the  great  charm  and  source  of  attraction  of  the 
other  sex  and  tends  to  render  women  less  domestic  than  she  should 
be." — (American,  November  18,  1841.) 

"Deeply  indignant  were  a  knot  of  us  gathered  around  the  hos- 
pitable board  of  Mrs.  -  —  last  evening  when  your  paper  was 
thrown  into  the  entry.  Rely  upon  it,  sir,  that  we  shall  not  give 
up  one  inch  of  ground  upon  which  we  stand.  Be  assured  that  you 
will  find  yourself  in  hot  water  if  you  undertake  to  deprive  us  of 
any  of  our  privileges.  Had  you  been  present  last  evening  you 
would  have  felt  as  if  you  could  have  crept  through  the  eye  of  a 
cambric  needle." — (Amanda  Learnwell  in  American,  November 
19,  1841.) 

In  October,  1839,  Mrs.  McClure  and  Mr.  Mason  appeared  here 
in  the  "Lady  of  Lyons,"  Mrs.  McClure  taking  the  part  of  Pauline 
and  Mr.  Mason  that  of  Claude  Melnotte.  They  also  rendered, 
while  here,  "Macbeth,"  "The  Wife  of  Manta,"  "Emperor  and  Sol- 
dier," in  which  Mr.  Mason  appeared  as  Napoleon;  "The  Wonder, 
or  a  Woman  Keeps  a  Secret;"  "Taming  of  the  Shrew,"  in  which 
Mr.  Mason  appeared  as  Petruchio;  "Romeo  and  Juliet;"  "Ham- 
let," Mr.  Mason  taking  the  character  of  Hamlet  and  Mrs.  McClure 
that  of  Ophelia.  The  papers  of  that  date  spoke  particularly  of  the 
excellence  of  Mrs.  McClure's  rendition  of  the  character  of  Lady 
Macbeth.  In  October.  1839,  Mr.  Warren  appeared  in  "The 
Rivals"  as  Sir  Lucius  O'Trigger. 

From  time  to  time  the  early  newspapers  published  poetry  ren- 
dered by  Chicagoans.  It  is  said  that  a  Mr.  Leary,  one  of  the 
early  lawyers  of  Chicago,  was  the  writer  of  much  of  the  poetry 
thus  published.  A  young  lawyer,  perhaps  Mr.  Leary,  residing  here, 
composed  the  following: 

Ah,  me !  thy  beauty,  now  beyond  control, 
Has  brought  its  actions  against  every  sense, 
And  served  its  sweet  subpoenas  on  my  soul, 
To  which,  alas,  I  dare  not  make  defense. 

Theatrical  people  in  early  times  in  this  city  were  accustomed  to 
announce  benefits  for  each  other.  These  served  to  advertise  the 
performances  and  each  character  received  pay  in  proportion  to  his 
popularity.  It  was  simply  a  means  to  attract  attention  and  secure 
patronage.  In  October,  1839,  Mrs.  M.  A.  Ingersoll  received  the 
largest  benefit  that  was  ever  given  to  any  of  the  early  actors. 
Standing  room  was  at  a  premium. 

Vol.   I — 32. 


556  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

In  1840  Rev.  Mr.  Hinton  was  the  author  of  a  history  on  "Bap- 
tism." 

As  early  as  July,  1840,  cricket  began  to  be  played  here  and 
throughout  the  West.  Milwaukee,  St.  Louis,  Chicago,  Cleveland, 
Cincinnati  and  other  cities  had  cricket  clubs.  In  Chicago  there 
were  several ;  one  located  on  the  North  branch  was  called  the 
North  Branch  club,  another  the  Desplaines  club,  and  still  another 
the  Chicago  club.  A  match  game  was  played  between  the  Chi- 
cago club  and  North  Branch  club  in  July.  The  former  won.  This 
match  was  played  at  Dutchman's  Point,  and  later  the  game  dinner 
was  eaten  at  John  Shrigley's  hotel  on  the  North  branch.  Later  in 
the  season  the  Desplaines  club  in  turn  won  a  game  from  the  Chi- 
cago club. 

As  early  as  the  fall  of  1840  a  sporting  club  was  organized  in  this 
city,  the  object  of  which  was  to  race  horses  at  a  track  on  the  lake 
shore  a  few  miles  south  of  the  city. 

In  February,  1841,  the  Young  Men's  association  was  organized 
in  this  city.  Walter  L.  Newberry  was  its  first  president.  Through 
its  influence  lecturers  from  the  East  came  here  annually  thereafter 
until  after  the  Civil  War.  Among  the  membership  were  the  very 
best  people  of  the  city  and  at  all  elections  for  officers  the  contests 
were  sharp  and  considerable  feeling  was  manifested. 

As  early  as  April,  1841,  Solon  Robinson,  afterward  a  contributor 
to  the  New  York  Tribune,  lectured  here  on  agricultural  subjects. 
He  was  the  author  of  a  story  that  was  published  about  this  time  in 
the  Chicago  American.  The  title  of  the  book  was  "The  Will  from 
Real  Life." 

As  early  as  June,  1841,  Chicago  had  an  excellent  band,  with 
N.  Burdell  as  leader.  It  consisted  of  sixteen  pieces.  There  were 
five  clarionets,  two  key  bugles,  three  trombones,  one  E  flat  piccolo, 
three  concert  horns,  one  valve  trumpet  and  one  bass  drum. 

About  this  time  Chicago  could  boast  of  a  gallery  of  paintings. 
It  was  opened  by  Wilkins  and  Stevenson  in  the  "City  Saloon." 
These  gentlemen  had  been  students  of  the  Royal  Academy  of  Lon- 
don. They  brought  here  over  200  paintings,  drawings  and 
sketches,  executed  by  themselves,  comprising  almost  every  variety 
and  representing  many  beautiful  subjects. 

At  this  date  Mr.  Gale  established  a  circulating  library  on  Lake 
street ;  he  started  with  about  300  volumes. 

Samuel  M.  Brooks,  miniature  painter,  opened  a  studio  in  Sep- 
tember, 1841.  The  newspapers  declared  that  his  work  possessed 
the  highest  merft;  he  was  declared  to  be  a  genius. 

"Samuel  M.'  Brooks,  No.  5  Saloon  building,  Chicago,  is  a  minia- 
ture painter  of  unusual  merit.  Nature  has  unquestionably  endowed 
him  with  genius.  It  is  only  some  three  or  four  months  since  he 
placed  himself  for  the  first  time  before  the  easel,  and  within  that 
period  he  has  done  wonders." — (American,  September  18,  1841.) 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  557 

Late  in  1841  George  C.  Tew  lectured  here  on  the  subject  of 
"Phrenology."  He  delivered  a  course  of  lectures  and  organized  a 
class  for  the  study  of  that  science.  About  this  time  Jared  Sparks 
delivered  a  course  of  eight  lectures  before  the  Young  Men's  asso- 
ciation. Dr.  Egan  lectured  on  "Physiology,"  G.  A.  Beaumont 
lectured  on  "American  Literature,"  Dr.  Daniel  Brainard  delivered 
an  interesting  lecture  on  "France,"  and  Mark  Skinner  lectured  on 
the  subject  of  "Education."  All  of  these  lectures  were  delivered 
before  the  Young  Men's  association.  William  H.  Brown  also  lec- 
tured before  the  association  on  the  subject  of  "The  Social  and 
Equal  Rights  of  Women."  By  December,  1841,  the  Young  Men's 
association  had  a  library  of  several  hundred  volumes.  On  Febru- 
ary 17,  1842,  the  day  of  its  first  anniversary,  it  had  a  membership 
of  240.  The  initiation  fee  was  $1.50  and  dues  were  50  cents  quar- 
terly. In  the  association  library  and  reading  rooms  were  thirteen 
dailies,  eight  semi-weeklies,  three  tri-weeklies  and  two  monthly 
newspapers.  About  a  dozen  of  the  most  important  reviews  of 
American  and  Europe  were  also  to  be  found  there.  About  this 
time  lectures  were  delivered  by  D.  S.  Griswold  and  I.  N.  Arnold. 
The  former's  subject  was  "Love,  Courtship  and  Marriage,"  and 
the  latter's  "The  Constitution  of  the  United  States."  In  February, 
1842,  a  Mr.  Salisbury  opened  a  daguerreotype  and  miniature 
studio  at  the  City  hotel. 

In  the  spring  of  1842  Mrs.  Mary  C.  Porter  paid  $30  for  a  license 
to  open  a  theater  in  Chicago.  Her  acting  manager  was  H.  B. 
Nelson. 

"Chicago  Theater. — Our  theater  reopens  this  evening  with  the 
burletta  of  the  'Swiss  Cottage.'  The  directress,  Mrs.  Porter,  is, 
we  understand,  the  daughter  of  Mrs.  Duff,  for  years,  as  our  read- 
ers are  aware,  a  distinguished  and  favorite  actress.  The  friends 
of  the  drama  will,  we  trust,  sustain  the  movement.  We  cannot 
see  why  a  theater  should  not  be  supported  here  during  two  or  three 
months  of  the  traveling  season." — (American,  March  31,  1842.) 

In  April,  1842,  Elder  Amos  B.  Fuller,  late  of  Nauvoo,  111.,  lec- 
tured on  "Mormonism"  in  Chapman's  building  at  the  corner  of 
Wells  and  Randolph  streets. 

In  the  spring  of  1842  H.  B.  Nelson,  comedian,  appeared  here  in 
a  series  of  humorous  entertainments;  he  was  a  capital  story  teller. 
Connected  with  Mrs.  Porter's  theater  was  W.  H.  Teller,  who  was 
famous  as  a  delineator  of  negro  character. 

The  press  of  Chicago  at  this  date,  like  that  of  other  cities,  was 
very  critical  and  discourteous  in  its  language  concerning 
Fannie  Elssler,  who  appeared  on  the  stage  in  tights.  Articles  of 
the  most  personal  and  insulting  character  appeared  in  the  news- 
papers of  that  date.  Such  articles  would  not  be  permitted  at  the 
present  time. 

In  August,   1842,  Messrs.   Lyne  and  Powell  secured  a  license 


558  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

to  open  a  place  of  entertainment.  It  became  known  as  the  Chicago 
theater.  The  opening  day  was  August  18.  Among  the  actors 
connected  with  this  theater  at  the  start  were  Messrs.  Lyne,  Powell, 
Hastings,  Graham  and  Jackson;  also  Mrs.  Hastings  and  Mrs.  Ram- 
sey. The  prices  of  admission  were  25  and  50  cents.  Among  the 
first  renditions  were  "Richard  III.,"  "An  Apostate,  or  Spanish 
Tyranny,"  "Soldier's  Daughter,"  "Drunkard's  Doom,"  "Chicago 
Assurance,"  and  also  the  opera  "Turnpike  Gate."  A  little  later 
Daniel  Marble  and  Mrs.  Salisbury  appeared  here  in  American  com- 
edy. Among  their  plays  were  "Forest  Rose,"  "Black-Eyed  Susan," 
etc.  On  one  occasion  a  number  of  drunken  men  forced  their  way 
into  the  theater  without  tickets,  but  were  soon  ejected  and  later 
were  fined. 

In  September  the  theater  was  located  in  the  Chapman's  building 
and  William  P.  Hastings  was  manager.  Among  the  early  plays 
were  "Golden  Slipper,"  "Lady  of  the  Lake"  (William  P.  Hastings 
taking  the  character  of  Roderick  Dhu),  "Hunting  the  Turtle,"  and 
others. 

In  October,  1842,  a  Mr.  Haswell  lectured  on  "Astronomy"  before 
the  Mechanics'  institute.  At  this  date  there  was  organized  here 
the  Junior  lyceum.  A  committee  of  the  liquor  interests,  headed  by 
Daniel  Elston,  after  an  investigation,  reported  that  the  grocery 
and  tavern  licenses  (saloons)  ought  to  be  abolished  because  it  was 
a  taxation  of  a  particular  business  and  therefore  was  unfair.  Owing 
to  the  need  of  revenue,  they  suggested  that  the  licenses  be  reduced 
one-half,  and  that  in  1842  all  such  licenses  should  be  abolished. 

At  .this  time  a  Mr.  Beddell,  a  celebrated  ventriloquist  from  New 
York,  gave  an  interesting  entertainment  in  Chapman's  rooms  on 
Randolph  street.  The  Irish  comedian,  Jack  Reeve,  appeared  here 
in  October,  1842,  and  one  of  his  performances  was  entitled  "Fiend 
of  the  Light  House." 

In  July,  1843,  J.  S.  Porter  was  granted  a  license  to  open  a 
theater,  paying  therefor  $25.  In  July,  1843,  John  Potter,  of  the 
Natchez  and  Vicksburg  Theatrical  company,  came  here  and  began 
the  task  of  fitting  up  the  Chicago  City  theater. 

In  September,  1843,  Edward  M.  Clifford  conducted  a  painters' 
studio  in  this  city.  He  had  some  excellent  landscapes  and  a  few 
marine  views  of  superior  merit.  About  this  time  L.  W.  Montgomery 
opened  a  dancing  acdemy. 

In  June  and  July,  1847.  a  new  theater  was  built  here  in  six  weeks. 
It  was  under  the  management  of  Mr.  Rice  and  was  designed  like  the 
old  Coliseum,  with  boxes,  gallery,  etc.  The  first  company  to  appear 
there  was  the  one  conducted  by  Mr.  Marble  and  Mrs.  Hunt. 

"Nearly  ten  years  ago,  entirely  unsupported  by  other  actors  and 
with  every  disadvantage,  Dan  Marble  came  here  and  played,  and 
ever  since  has  made  his  periodical  visits  when  other  actors  of  his 
rank  could  not  be  induced  to  come.  He  was  the  pioneer  in  giving 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  559 

character  to  the  theater  in  the  West  and  deserves  liberally  of  the 
Western  people.  He  is  the  first  actor  in  the  comic  line  in  the 
United  States.  Tonight  is  his  benefit.  Mr.  Forrest  will  appear  in 
'The  Pour  Sisters,'  'Forest  Rose'  and  'Black-Eyed  Susan.'"— 
(Democrat,  July,  1847.) 

In  August,  1847,  James  E.  Murdock  appeared  here  in  a  series  of 
performances.  His  rendition  of  Hamlet  was  pronounced  superb. 
He  was  assisted  by  Mr.  Harris,  Mr.  Mossop,  Mrs.  Hunt  and 
Mrs.  Rice.  Among  their  plays  were  "Lady  of  Lyons,"  "Romeo 
and  Juliet,"  "Hamlet,"  "Richelieu,"  "Othello,"  etc.  Mr.  Harris 
took  the  part  of  lago  and  Mr.  Ryer  that  of  Othello. 

In  1846  Gothic  hall  was  used  for  theatrical  purposes.  In  1845 
the  Chicago  theatrical  building  was  destroyed  by  fire  and  was  not 
rebuilt  until  1847,  when  Mr.  Rice  completed  it.  The  new  one  was 
40  by  80  feet  and  stood  at  the  corner  of  Dearborn  and  Randolph 
streets.  It  was  a  plain  frame  structure  and  was  opened  on  June 
28.  It  was  called  the  New  Chicago  theater. 

In  July,  1847,  J.  B.  Rice,  the  original  Jim  Crowe,  upon  a  pay- 
ment of  $20  was  licensed  to  conduct  a  theater  here.  About  this 
date  his  company  presented  "Rent  Day,"  "Irish  Tutor"  and  "Tom 
Pringle,"  the  latter  being  a  nautical  drama.  The  acting  of  Mr. 
Harris  of  this  company  was  declared  to  be  unusually  excellent. 
The  Democrat  of  November  24,  1847,  said :  "Mr.  Harris  has 
personified  almost  every  variety  of  character,  in  some  instances 
with  brilliancy  and  in  all  with  the  success  which  has  not  disap- 
pointed his  many  friends."  Other  plays  presented  by  the  company 
were  "Our  Flag"  and  "Wandering  Minstrel,"  the  latter  being  an 
amusing  farce,  of  which  the  public  could  never  get  enough. 

In  November,  1847,  a  foot  race  occurred  here  on  the  lake  shore. 
The  runners  were  Gildersleeve,  Smoke,  Armstrong  and  Canada, 
the  latter  three  being  Indians.  The  distance  was  ten  miles  and  a 
purse  of  $300  was  offered.  Gildersleeve  won. 

The  Chicago  theater  opened  for  the  season  of  1848  on  May  1. 
It  was  under  the  control  of  J.  B.  Rice.  The  Democrat  said :  "Rice, 
of  the  theater,  is  getting  to  be  a  great  monopolist.  The  moment  an 
actor  or  actress  of  distinction  is  to  be  heard,  Rice  secures  him." 
Daniel  Marble  appeared  there  with  a  stock  company  for  one  week. 
Among  the  plays  were  "Sam  Patch  in  France,"  "The  Wool  Deal- 
er," "Hunting  the  Turtle,"  "Deuteronomy  Dutiful,"  etc.  Among 
the  company  were  the  following  gentlemen :  Messrs.  Harris,  Mer- 
rifield,  Mossop,  Carroll.  Clifford  and  Wilson.  Among  the  ladies 
were  Mrs.  Rice,  Mrs.  Merrifield.  Mrs.  Price  and  Miss  Willis. 

In  July.  1848,  Edwin  Forrest  appeared  here  in  repertoire.  His 
first  performances  were  "Othello,"  "Richelieu"  and  "Lady  of 
Lyons."  He  was  assisted  by  Mrs.  Hunt. 

"Chicago  Genius. — The  poets  of  Chicago  are  becoming  famous. 
A  young  lawyer  of  this  city  has  taken  the  prize  of  a  silver  cup,  or 


560  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

$20,  offered  by  the  publishers  of  the  St.  Louis  Republican  for  the 
best  carrier's  address.  Another  disciple  of  Coke  in  this  city  has 
written  some  jeux  d'esprit  of  which  Byron  need  not  be  ashamed, 
and  which  have  created  a  sensation  in  some  circles,  while  the  daily 
and  weekly  papers  are  constantly  filled  with  graceful  and  though- 
ful  production  of  the  Muse." — (Democrat,  January  10,  1848.) 

In  May,  1848,  Miss  Julia  Dean  appeared  here  as  "Lucretia 
Borgia."  She  was  a  tragedienne  of  unusual  versatility  and  intense 
dramatic  power. 

In  July,  1848,  Raymond  and  Warring's  menagerie  exhibited  in 
a  tent.  Gen.  Tom  Thumb  was  a  part  of  this  show.  Among  the 
animals  were  an  elephant  with  huge  tusks,  several  lions,  etc.  Gen. 
Tom  Thumb  kissed  all  ladies  who  desired  the  honor,  and  it  is  stated 
they  were  not  a  few. 

In  September,  1848,  J.  B.  Booth  appeared  here  in  Shakespearean 
characters.  All  of  Chicago  turned  out  to  hear  him.  The  Demo- 
crat of  September  25  said :  "Mr.  Booth  belongs  to  a  school  of 
which  he  is  the  only  surviving  representative,  and  which  has 
stamped  its  genius  upon  the  age  in  which  we  live." 

The  Chicago  Race  Course  was  established  early  in  the  '40s  on 
the  lake  shore.  Annually  thereafter  trotting  and  running  exhibi- 
tions could  be  seen.  In  1848  two  horses,  Lady  Jane  and  Jack  Ros- 
siter,  trotted  for  a  purse  of  $1,000.  They  trotted  to  saddle  and  the 
first  mile  was  made  in  2 :33  and  the  second  in  2  :36.  Jack  Rossiter 
wa§  owned  in  Chicago.  He  was  taken  East  by  his  owner  and  at 
the  Buffalo  race  track  won  two  races  from  Lady  Jane  and  Chau- 
tauqua  Chief.  Two  other  horses  famous  for  their  trotting  qualities 
were  Butcher  Boy  and  Nonesuch.  Late  in  1848  a  beautiful  exhibi- 
tion of  chemical  dioramas  was  given  at  the  "City  Saloon."  Among 
the  scenes  presented  were  "The  City  of  Babylon,"  "Funeral  of 
Napoleon,"  "Milan  Cathedral"  and  the  "Court  of  Babylon."  The 
scene  at  the  cathedral  was  midnight  mass  and  the  scene  at  the  Court 
of  Babylon  was  the  famous  Feast  of  Belshazzar.  These  beautiful 
exhibits  of  pictures  were  well  patronized  and  greatly  enjoyed  by  the 
citizens. 

In  1849  the  Empire  Minstrels  and  Alleghenians  appeared  here. 
About  the  same  time  Miss  M.  Jones,  tragedienne,  appeared  as  Kate 
O'Brien  in  the  captivating  play  "Perfection."  Miss  Julia  Turnbull 
gave  dancing  exhibitions  as  an  interlude.  In  May,  1849,  Jamieson, 
a  celebrated  tragedian,  appeared  here  in  Shakespearean  plays.  His 
acting,  according  to  the  newspapers,  was  a  revelation  to  the  people 
of  Chicago.  He  was  assisted  by  Miss  M.  Jones. 

In  June,  1849,  the  Chicago  Museum  opened  under  the  manage- 
ment of  William  Buckley.  The  institution  was  named  "The  Chi- 
cago Museum  and  Gallery  of  Fine  Arts."  It  had  curiosities  from 
all  parts  of  the  world.  In  this  museum  the  Drummond  or  calcium 
light  was  exhibited  in  Chicago  for  the  first  time.  There  was  a 
stage  where  music  and  dancing  could  be  enjoyed. 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  561 

About  this  time  Mr.  Holland  appeared  here  in  comedy.  Two  of 
his  best  plays  were  "Who's  Your  Friend?"  and  the  charming  bur- 
letta,  "A  Play  After  the  Fair."  In  June.  1849,  Miss  Julia  Dean 
again  appeared  here  in  repertoire.  She  was  supported  by  Messrs. 
Harris,  Meeker,  Warwick,  Wilson  and  McVicker.  Among  the 
plays  presented  by  this  distinguished  lady  were  "Evadne,"  "The 
Hunchback,"  "Prisoners  of  Limbourg," -"Orphan  of  Paris,"  "Pi- 
zarro"  and  "Taming  of  the  Shrew." 

In  July,  1849,  Crane  &  Co.'s  Great  Oriental  Circus  appeared 
here.  They  had  240  men  and  horses  and  ten  camels. 

In  1849  Charles  L.  Green  was  a  successful  and  popular  actor  liv- 
ing here;  also  Mr.  Fleming.  The  latter  appeared  here  in  the  char- 
acter of  Hamlet  and  was  highly  spoken  of.  Miss  Helen  Mathews 
also  appeared  on  the  stage  here  about  this  time. 

In  February,  1849,  the  sporting  fraternity  of  Chicago  took  much 
interest  in  the  great  prize  fight  at  Baltimore  between  Yankee  Sulli- 
van and  Thomas  Hyer.  The  Democrat  of  February  10,  1849,  said : 
"So  great  was  the  anxiety,  even  in  this  city,  to  obtain  intelligence 
of  the  fight,  that  at  some  cost  a  private  dispatch  was  telegraphed  tc 
the  head  gambling  quarters  in  this  city." 

Early  in  1849  Mr.  Rice  thoroughly  reorganized  his  theater.  A 
new  drop  curtain  was  painted  by  Mr.  Beckwith.  the  artist;  the 
room  and  stage  were  ornamented  with  much  taste.  The  orchestra 
was  conducted  by  Mr.  Brookton.  In  April  the  theater  opened  with 
Mr.  McCready  as  leading  character  in  a  series  of  plays.  He  was 
assisted  by  the  superb  stock  company  of  Mr.  Rice.  This  theater 
stood  on  Randolph  street,  one  door  from  the  corner  of  Dearborn 
street. 

In  April,  1849,  there  was  exhibited  at  the  "City  Saloon,"  West's 
great  painting,  "Death  on  the  Pale  Horse."  In  the  picture  were 
forty  life-sized  figures.  The  scene  was  taken  from  the  sixth  chapter 
of  Revelations  and  was  considered  grand  almost  beyond  description. 

About  this  time  E.  F.  Matties'  Grand  Olympic  Arena  and  United 
States  Circus,  with  250  men  and  horses,  brass  bands,  etc.,  exhibited 
in  a  large  tent.  Among  the  equestrians  were  W.  Waterman,  H. 
Buckley  and  John  Goodspeed :  the  latter  gave  exhibitions  on  the 
tight  wire. 

In  May,  1849,  the  distinguished  actor,  J.  R.  Scott,  appeared  here 
for  a  few  evenings.  The  death  of  Daniel  Marble  in  May,  1849. 
was  sincerely  mourned  here  by  theater-goers.  He  was  regarded 
as  the  most  distinguished  delineator  of  Irish  character  on  the  Ameri- 
can boards.  His  wife  was  a  sister  of  Mrs.  J.  B.  Rice  of  Chicago. 

P.  Von  Schniedau  conducted  a  daguerreotype  gallery  in  1849. 
He  took  the  only  view  of  the  Chicago  flood  of  that  year.  The 
picture  was  executed  by  R.  N.  White. 

In  1849  Griggs  Brothers  &  Co.  were  music  dealers.  W.  D. 
Bradbury,  the  famous  composer,  was  connected  with  them.  The 


562  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

coming  here  of  Mr.  Bradbury  was  regarded  as  an  event  of  great 
importance  to  the  musical  advancement  and  interests  of  the  city. 

In  August,  1849,  a  lady  of  this  city  issued  a  small  volume  of 
poems.  The  book  was  published  by  a  New  York  house. 

In  the  summer  of  1849  Mr.  McVicker  distinguished  himself  as 
an  actor.  He  was  particularly  pleasing  as  Billy  Lackaday  in  the 
popular  comedy,  "Sweethearts  and  Wives,"  and  as  the  Dodger  in 
the  farce,  "Artful  Dodger" ;  also  as  Dick  in  the  drama,  "Ellen 
Wareham."  About  this  time  "Othello"  was  presented  here,  with 
N.  B.  Clarke  in  the  title  role  and  C.  D.  Pitt  as  lago.  Mr.  Pitt  also 
took  the  part  of  Werner  in  the  tragedy  of  that  name.  Mrs. 
Coleman  Pope  appeared  here  in  Shakespearean  plays.  She  was 
particularly  strong  and  noble  as  Rosalind  in  "As  You  Like  It." 

Brainard  &  Mould,  at  176  Lake  street,  were  music  publishers  in 
1849.  A  song  entitled  "Array  Thee,  Love,"  was  issued  by  this 
house,  the  composer  being  L.  D.  Hoard,  of  Chicago.  The  words 
were  by  the  poet  Thomas  Moore. 

In  1849  the  Choral  Union  was  a  popular  and  well-patronized 
musical  organization  of  this  city.  It  had  been  in  existence  for  a 
number  of  years.  At  this  date  the  members  assembled  and  changed 
the  name  to  the  Mozart  Musical  society.  Connected  with  this  or- 
ganization were  C.  N.  Holden,  A.  D;  Sturtevant,  George  Davis, 
Frank  Lumbard,  William  Dunham,  W.  B.  Aiken,  A.  Runyon  and 
S.  Johnson. 

The  City  hospital  of  1849  was  16  by  40  feet  and  12  feet  high. 
The  nearest  dwelling  was  about  400  yards. 

In  the  fall  of  1849  a  Masonic  lodge  was  organized  at  Dutch- 
man's Point  with  a  membership  of  about  fifteen.  W.  H.  Davis  was 
master;  S.  Anderson,  senior  warden;  and  Joseph  Filkins,  junior 
warden. 

In  February,  1850,  a  Professor  Sharpe,  a  mesmerist,  gave  a 
series  of  bewildering  entertainments.  He  succeeded,  to  the  intense 
amusement  of  his  audience,  in  mesmerizing  several  of  the  citizens, 
causing  them  to  see  snakes,  gardens,  giants,  bees,  fruit,  etc.  A  little 
later  C.  Chauncey  Burr,  also  a  mesmerist,  called  his  entertainments 
"biological  performances."  He  lectured  on  the  subject  to  lawyers, 
doctors  and  others  and  created  great  interest  among  the  leading 
citizens.  He  announced  that  his  experience  showed  that  about 
twenty  persons  out  of  twenty-five  could  be  "biologically  affected." 
This  science  is  now  called  hypnotism. 

In  January,  1850,  the  113th  anniversary  of  the  birth  of  Thomas 
Paine  was  celebrated  in  this  city.  Among  those  present  were  John 
Ludley,  A.  S.  Jenks,  J.  Bell,  R.  Breese  and  Mrs.  Charlotte  Bowen. 
Among  the  toasts  were  the  following:  "Thomas  Paine,"  "Free 
Thinkers,"  "Heroes  of  the  Age,"  "Government  and  Religion," 
"Education,"  "Frances  Wright,"  "The  Science  of  Phrenology." 
etc.  At  this  date  O.  S.  Fowler  lectured  before  the  Young  Men's 
association  on  the  subject  of  "Phrenology." 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  563 

In  October,  1850,  the  great  painting,  "Sea  and  Shore  of  the 
Mediterranean,"  was  exhibited  at  the  "City  Saloon"  by  Mr.  Hutch- 
ins.  At  this  time  Kimberly's  famous  operatic  troupe  and  Camp- 
bell's celebrated  minstrels  entertained  the  theater-goers  of  Chicago. 

It  was  in  October,  1850,  that  the  famous  concerts  given  by  Mr. 
Dyhrenfurth  at  the  new  Tremont  saloon  began  to  attract  the  atten- 
tion of  Chicagoans  and  to  earn  their  patronage  and  highest  praise. 
He  engaged  the  greatest  musicians  of  the  country  and  gave  enter- 
tainments that  surpassed  in  brilliancy  and  musical  excellence  any- 
thing ever  witnessed  in  this  city  up  to  that  date.  Among  the  stars 
who  first  appeared  at  his  concerts  were  the  following:  Carious 
Lenssen,  a  distinguished  European  violincello  player;  Messrs. 
Weinman,  Paline,  Koenig,  Stumps,  Hartung,  Psarrdrescher  and 
others.  Mr.  Dyhrenfurth  had  a  complete  orchestra  and  chorus  and 
rendered  as  well  solos,  double  quartettes,  etc. 

In  October,  1850,  Reverend  Giles  delivered  a  series  of  lectures 
before  the  Young  Men's  association.  Among  them  were  "Don 
Quixote,"  "Literary  Fame,"  "Dulcinea,"  "Womanhood"  and  "The 
Enthusiast." 

"City  Sewerage  Lecture  Tonight. — Professor  Davis  delivers  his 
lecture  on  city  sewerage  at  the  City  Hall  this  evening.  It  will  be 
a  free  lecture.  Professor  Davis  deserves  a  great  deal  of  credit  for 
the  time  and  attention  he  has  bestowed  upon  the  subject  of  proper 
sewerage  for  this  city.  His  plan  is,  we  think,  the  very  best  that 
has  been  proposed  and  advocated  in  this  city." — (Democrat,  Octo- 
ber 19,  1850.) 

Rice's  theater,  which  was  progressing  rapidly  in  October,  1850, 
had  a  stage  forty  feet  deep  and  the  whole  theater  hall  was  100  feet 
deep.  There  were  three  tiers  of  boxes  and  the  ceiling  was  high 
enough  for  a  fourth  tier. 

At  the  fair  of  the  Mechanics'  Institute,  held  in  the  fall  of  1850, 
George  Davis,  artist,  was  awarded  a  silver  medal  for  excellence  in 
drawing  and  painting.  His  studio  was  filled  with  paintings  of  rare 
merit. 

Another  interesting  entertainment  was  rendered  here  in  Novem- 
ber. It  was  a  presentation  of  Shakespearean  characters  by  little 
children  thoroughly  trained  to  act  their  parts.  It  was  such  a 
novelty  and  the  performances  were  so  meritorious  that  the  enter- 
tainments were  well  patronized. 

In  November,  1850,  the  skeleton  of  a  mastodon  was  exhibited  in 
Tremont  hall. 

The  entertainments  given  by  Julius  Dyhrenfurth  came  to  be 
called  "Dyhrenfurth's  Promenade  Concerts."  They  were  the  most 
popular  ever  given  in  Chicago  up  to  this  date.  They  were  so  well 
attended  that  improper  characters  sought  to  secure  admission,  but 
Mr.  Dyhrenfurth,  realizing  the  importance  of  the  social  features  of 
his  entertainments,  rigidly  excluded  every  person  whose  character 
could  not  be  vouched  for. 


564  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

On  December  10,  1850,  William  Bross  lectured  before  the 
Young  Men's  association  in  the  "City  Saloon"  on  "Evidences  of 
Fluidity  of  the  Central  Portion  of  the  Earth  and  the  Stratification 
of  the  Rocks."  Other  lectures  before  the  association  were  held  in 
Warner's  hall.  Among  the  lecturers  were  Benj.  F.  Taylor,  Dr. 
Daniel  Brainard,  Rev.  Dr.  Tucker,  Rev.  Mr.  Clarkson,  S.  Lisle 
Smith,  the  most  brilliant  orator  living  in  Chicago  in  early  times, 
and  Rev.  M.  Patterson. 

During  the  winter  of  1850-51  one  of  the  greatest  attractions  and 
treats  enjoyed  by  the  music  lovers  of  Chicago  were  the  famous 
concerts  given  by  Mr.  Dyhrenfurth.  They  continued  to  be  patron- 
ized by  the  most  distinguished  and  cultured  people  of  the  city. 
They  were  something  in  the  nature  of  sociables.  The  people  were 
permitted  to  promenade  around  the  hall  while  the  concert  was  in 
progress.  They  thus  furnished  facilities  for  social  intercourse 
among  the  select,  accompanied  with  the  most  ravishing  music. 
The  Democrat  of  January  16,  1851,  said:  "Promenade  Con- 
certs.— The  first  of  these  series  of  concerts  was  a  brilliant  affair. 
It  was  attended  by  the  youth,  beauty,  fashion  and  democracy,  too, 
and  all  went  off  merrily.  These  concerts  promise  to  be  the  most 
attractive  affairs  ever  gotten  up  in  this  city." 

On  December  30,  1850,  Rice's  new  theater  was  nearly  completed 
and  was  wholly  so  by  February,  1851.  The  Excelsior  society  cele- 
brated its  third  anniversary  on  January  7,  1851 ;  many  of  the  best 
people  of  the  city  were  enrolled  as  members.  John  Rogers  was 
president  and  C.  Bentley  secretary. 

In  February,  1851,  the  theaters  of  the  city  were  never  more 
brilliant.  The  leading  actors  in  attendance  were  Messrs.  McVicker, 
Archer,  Hahn  and  Mrs.  Rice.  Among  the  most  attractive  plays 
presented  were  the  following:  "Brigand,"  a  musical  drama;  "Bold 
Dragoons,"  a  comedy;  "Simpson  &  Co.,"  a  comedy;  "Sleepwalker," 
a  comedy;  "Serious  Family,"  a  comedy;  "Stranger,"  a  comedy; 
"Lend  Me  Five  Shillings,"  a  farce;  and  "Ladies,  Beware!"  also  a 
comedy. 

Early  in  1851  Mr.  McVicker  continued  to  distinguish  himself  in 
various  characters.  He  was  popular  as  Shubael  Rabbit;  he  also 
appeared  in  "Othello,"  "Rendezvous,"  "Rob  Roy."  "The  Wind- 
mill," "Pizarro,"  etc.  At  this  time  Messrs.  Archer,  Hahn  and  War- 
wick and  Mrs.  Rice  and  Mrs.  Reynolds  were  popular  to  Chicago 
theater-goers. 

So  popular  were  Mr.  Dyhrenfurth's  concerts  that  he  began  to 
have  imitators  early  in  1851.  Mr.  Robinson,  at  Warner's  hall, 
instituted  a  series  of  entertainments  similar  to  those  of  Mr.  Dyhren- 
furth's, but  they  had  not  the  same  high  qualities.  Probably  his 
dances,  quadrilles,  polkas,  schottisches,  etc.,  were  superior  to  those 
of  Mr.  Dyhrenfurth. 

At  Rice's  new  theater  in  April.  1851,  the  prices  for  box  seats 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  565 

were  50  cents,  pit  25  cents,  and  gallery  for  colored  persons  25  cents. 
Among  the  plays  presented  were  "Broken  Sword,"  a  tragedy; 
"Beauty  and  the  Beast,"  "Lady  of  the  Lake"  and  "Black-Eyed 
Susan,"  and  a  little  later  "Richard  III.,"  "Forty  Thieves,"  "Maid 
of  Crevscey,"  "Born  to  Good  Luck,"  "Cousin  Cherry,"  "Gilderoy, 
the  Barney  Boy,"  "The  Blue  Devils"  and  "Don  Juan." 

About  this  time  Mr.  and  Mrs.  John  Drew  and  Mrs.  Marble  ap- 
peared here  in  a  series  of  brilliant  entertainments.  The  power  of 
the  drama  had  never  been  fully  appreciated  here  until  its  merits  were 
revealed  by  the  superb  acting  of  the  Drews.  They  were  assisted 
by  Mrs.  Warwick,  Mr.  Archer  and  Mrs.  Mossop. 

In  April,  1851,  Ignats  Cranz,  a  distinguished  Hungarian  vocal- 
ist, appeared  here  in  the  Dyhrenfurth  concerts.  He  was  assisted 
by  Mrs.  Prats  on  the  piano  and  by  Mr.  Dyhrenfurth  on  the  violin. 
In  the  spring  of  1851  the  Young  Men's  association  succeeded  in 
raising  $20,000  for  building  purposes.  In  May,  1851,  the  grand 
panorama  entitled  "A  Voyage  to  Europe"  was  exhibited  here.  In 
May,  1851,  Mr.  Merrick,  who  owned  the  old  race  course  on  the 
lake  shore,  sold  twenty  acres  of  it  at  $350  per  acre.  This  course 
was  on  the  lake  shore  in  the  present  Hyde  Park. 

It  was  in  the  '50s  that  the  first  noticeable  improvements  in  archi- 
tectural design  rendered  Chicago  an  attraction  for  lovers  of  the 
building  arts.  Irving  Ranger  was  given  much  of  the  credit  due  for 
the  taste  displayed  in  the  buildings  of  this  date.  He  was  consulted 
by  architects  and  artists  and  his  fiat  was  deemed  authority. 

In  the  '50s  the  famous  Hutchinson  family  of  New  Hampshire, 
probably  the  greatest  vocalists  America  ever  produced,  appeared 
here  in  their  exquisite  and  beautiful  songs  of  sentiment  and  patriot- 
ism. Mr.  Dempster  also  appeared  here  in  his  character  songs  and 
was  always  welcomed  by  Chicago  people. 

In  June,  1851,  Miss  Julia  Dean  appeared  here  again  and  ren- 
dered her  old  favorites,  "Wrecker's  Daughter,"  "Rough  Diamond," 
etc. 

It  was  at  this  time  that  the  spirit  rappers  made  their  appearance 
in  considerable  numbers  in  this  city.  They  soon  had  large  and 
enthusiastic  followings.  They  attracted  the  attention  of  priests  and 
the  clergy  and  large  crowds  assembled  to  learn  if  possible  if  there 
was  any  truth  in  the  declaration  that  the  souls  of  the  departed  could 
be  conversed  with.  A  number  of  the  citizens  became  crazy  on  the 
subject  and  at  least  two  were  pronounced  insane  by  courts  appointed 
to  test  their  sanity. 

In  June,  1851,  Mr.  Collins,  the  famous  Irish  comedian  and  vocal- 
ist, again  appeared  in  a  number  of  entertainments,  among  which 
were  "Teddy  the  Tiler/'  "Wife  Hunters,"  "Born  to  Good  Luck," 
"Nervous  man"  and  "His  Last  Legs." 

On  June  23,  1851,  the  attention  of  the  city  was  called  to  a 
parade  on  Michigan  avenue  of  four  young  ladies  dressed  in  the 


566  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

famous  bloomers.  The  newspapers  commented  sarcastically  on  the 
spectacle  and  regarded  the  parade  as  immodest.  The  young  ladies, 
be  it  said  with  regret,  were  followed  by  a  crowd  of  small  boys,  who 
jeered  and  hooted  them. 

Among  the  stars  to  appear  here  in  July,  1851,  were  Mile.  Valle, 
Agnes  De  Vere  and  Mr.  De  Bar.  They  rendered  "The  Artful 
Dodger"  and  "Dumb  Girl  of  Genoa."  In  July,  1851,  Marshall 
Story,  a  portrait  painter  of  unusual  genius,  opened  a  studio  at  69 
State  street.  In  July  the  famous  Charlotte  Cushman  appeared 
here  in  the  following  plays:  "Guy  Mannering,"  "Stranger,"  "Dead 
Shot,"  "Romeo  and  Juliet,"  "Lady  of  Lyons,"  etc.  Miss  Cushman 
appeared  as  Romeo  and  Mrs.  Logan  as  Juliet  and  also  as  Pauline 
in  the  "Lady  of  Lyons."  Mr.  Hahn  assumed  the  part  of  Claude 
Melnotte.  In  August,  1851,  James  E.  Murdock  again  presented 
"Hamlet,"  "Robbers,"  "Money,"  "Blue  Devils,"  "Rough  Dia- 
mond," etc.  Madame  Anna  Bishop  gave  an  interesting  entertain- 
ment at  Tremont  hall  late  in  August,  1851. 

In  August,  1851,  Mr.  Rice  planned  a  larger  and  better  theater 
building  to  be  located  on  Dearborn  street  south  of  Randolph.  It 
fronted  eighty  feet  on  Dearborn  street  and  extended  back  toward 
State  street.  In  August,  1851,  Miss  Julia  Bennett  appeared  here  in 
the  "School  for  Scandal,"  "State  Secrets,"  "Love  Chase"  and  "The 
Intrigue." 

A  little  later  Mrs.  Coleman  Pope  entertained  the  public  with 
"Dream  at  Sea,"  "Forty  Thieves"  and  other  dramas. 

The  Druid  Home  Players  gave  an  interesting  exhibition  here  in 
September.  About  the  same  time  Kimball's  Nightingale  Ethiopian 
Opera  Troupe  entertained  the  public. 

In  September,  1851,  the  celebrated  American  tragedian  Mr.  Bu- 
chanan came  here  for  a  series  of  plays.  The  press  of  that  date 
pronounced  him  as  strong  as  Kean,  Kemble  and  McCready.  One 
of  his  plays  was  "A  New  Way  to  Pay  Old  Debts." 

In  September,  1851,  R.  Sands  &  Co.'s  large  circus  and  menagerie 
gave  an  exhibition  in  a  tent.  About  the  same  time  the  Raymond 
family,  famous  character  delineators  and  musical  specialists,  gave 
a  number  of  interesting  entertainments. 

Late  in  September,  1851,  a  memorable  musical  convention  was 
held  in  this  city  at  Warner's  hall.  It  was  conducted  by  Lowel  Ma- 
son, the  famous  musical  composer  of  Boston ;  Mr.  Wm.  B.  Bradbury 
was  also  in  attendance.  The  latter  taught  a  class  of  musical  teachers 
in  this  convention. 

In  October,  1851,  Bonyton  and  Thurston  announced  that  they 
would  on  a  certain  date  make  an  ascension  in  their  immense  balloon 
"Jupiter."  This  balloon  was  inflated  in  the  Bridewell  enclosure  at 
Wells  and  Third  streets.  The  date  of  ascension  was  about  October 
25.  The  balloon  was  inflated  with  65,000  gallons  of  hydrogen  gas 
and  an  admission  fee  to  see  the  process  of  inflation  was  charged. 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  567 

It  was  stated  that  2,000  pounds  of  sulphuric  acid  and  1,500  pounds 
of  iron  were  used  to  generate  the  hydrogen  gas.  The,  cost  of  the 
ascension  was  between  $300  and  $400.  The  balloon  was  eighty 
feet  in  circumference,  thirty-six  feet  high  and  contained  400  yards 
of  silk. 

In  October  an  important  musical  festival  was  held.  The  leading 
singers  were  Mile.  Teresa  Parodi,  Mile.  Amelia  Patti,  prima  donna 
contralto;  Mr.  Arthurson,  tenor;  Maurice  Strakosch,  pianist.  This 
festival  was  held  at  Tremont  hall  and  was  attended  by  the  best  peo- 
ple of  the  city. 

In  October,  1851,  Miss  Julia  Bennett  appeared  here  in  repertoire. 

In  the  spring  of  1852  Dan  Rice's  famous  circus  erected  a  large 
tent.  His  performances  were  crowded  to  suffocation.  During  the 
summers  of  1851  and  1852  Weinmann's  famous  brass  band  gave 
public  concerts  in  Dearborn  park  on  the  lake  front. 

In  June,  1851,  the  Chicago  Temperance  League  was  organized. 
It  was  proposed  at  the  time  to  raise  $100,000  to  be  devoted  to  the 
suppression  of  intemperance. 

During  the  winter  of  1851-2  the  Chicago  Relief  society  was  very 
active  in  assisting  unfortunate  and  poverty-stricken  persons  in  this 
city.  The  proceedings  of  this  society  were  a  credit  to  all  connected 
with  the  movement. 

In  1853  Welsh  citizens  organized  the  Ancient  Britain's  society  of 
Chicago  and  began  with  a  membership  of  about  twenty-five.  This 
year,  also,  the  Printers'  Union  was  reorganized  with  James  Camp- 
bell as  president,  Frances  Belfoy,  secretary,  and  Joel  Kiddey,  treas- 
urer. 

In  April,  1852,  Mile.  Rosa  Jacques  appeared  here  in  grand  con- 
cert. She  was  supported  by  Henry  Squires,  tenor,  and  Herr 
Brandeish,  pianist.  About  the  same  time  Miss  Greenfield,  colored, 
appeared  here  as  "The  Black  Swan,"  under  the  management  of 
Colonel  Wood.  She  was  a  renowned  soprano  singer  with  a  voice 
of  extraordinary  power  and  compass.  At  this  time,  also,  Runkle 
and  Nightingale's  Ethiopian  Opera  Troupe  gave  a  series  of  enter- 
tainments, among  which  were  "O,  Susanna,"  "Wait  for  the  Wag- 
on," and  "The  Old  Sexton."  At  this  date  Mrs.  Warner,  a  trage- 
dienne, appeared  here  as  "Lady  Macbeth"  and  also  in  "Winter 
Tale"  and  "Wrecker's  Daughter."  In  power  and  effect  she  was 
compared  to  Mrs.  Siddons,  Miss  O'Neal  and  Mrs.  Fawcett.  In 
June  Miss  Julia  Dean  again  appeared  in  her  attractive  and  famous 
characterizations.  In  June  also  Van  Amburg  and  Raymond's 
United  Menagerie  appeared  here  in  a  large  tent.  They  gave  three 
exhibitions  daily  to  crowded  houses.  In  this  month  also  the  great 
United  States  circus  entertained  the  Chicago  public;  and  a  little 
later  Older's  circus  exhibited  in  a  tent  at  Wabash  avenue  and  Lake 
street 


568  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

In  August,  1852,  Mrs.  Emma  G.  Bostwick  appeared  here  in 
grand  concert.  The  newspapers  of  that  date  praised  her  perform- 
ances greatly.  At  this  time  also  Miss  Julia  Bennett  again  appeared 
as  "Lucille,"  and  in  "As  You  Like  It,"  "Satan  in  Paris,"  "Twelfth 
Night,"  etc. 

In  August,  1852,  the  Milwaukee  and  Chicago  Cricket  clubs  played 
a  match  game  in  this  city.  It  was  won  by  the  latter  club.  At  this 
date  Thomas  Holbrook  was  secretary  of  the  Chicago  club. 

At  this  time,  on  the  Chicago  race  course,  the  horse  Chicago  Jack 
trotted  against  the  horse  Wisconsin,  three  best  in  five  mile  heats,  for 
a  purse  of  $1,000,  and  won. 

In  October,  1852,  Dyhrenfurth's  promenade  concerts  were  again 
enthusiastically  attended  by  the  Chicago  public.  So  great  was  the 
patronage  of  these  concerts  that  Mr.  Dyhrenfurth  was  compelled  to 
limit  the  membership  and  attendance  to  150  persons.  At  this  time 
Felix  Simon  endeavored  to  imitate  Dyhrenfurth's  concerts  and  par- 
tially succeeded.  He  had  an  orchestra  of  twenty  instruments,  but 
failed  to  win  the  favor  of  the  Chicago  public  as  Mr.  Dyhrenfurth 
had  done. 

In  1852  "Uncle  Tom's  Cabin"  was  exhibited  here  to  crowded 
houses.  W.  L.  G.  Smith,  a  Southerner  by  training,  prepared  a  play 
entitled,  "Uncle  Tom's  Cabin  As  It  Is,"  representing  a  different 
phase  of  the  negro  status  in  the  South  than  that  given  by  Mrs. 
Stowe.  However,  his  play  and  his  views  were  not  accepted  by  the 
North  and  in  a  short  time  his  company  was  disbanded.  It  was  at 
this  time  that  the  story  "Uncle  Tom's  Cabin"  created  a  remarkable 
furor  in  England  particularly,  and  also  on  the  Continent.  In 
America  it  was  a  permanent  sensation. 

In  October,  1852,  the  Milwaukee  and  Chicago  Cricket  clubs  had 
another  match  game  near  Bull's  Head  tavern,  between  Madison  and 
Randolph  streets,  near  Union  park.  This  game  was  won  by  the 
Chicago  club.  Mr.  Loomis  was  owner  of  the  grounds  where  the 
game  was  played. 

In  October  an  instructive  musical  convention  assembled  in  this 
city  under  the  direction  and  management  of  the  celebrated  musical 
composer,  William  B.  Bradbury.  The  convention  met  in  Warner's 
hall  and  was  attended  generally  by  the  music  lovers  of  Chicago.  It 
was  a  great  encouragement  to  musical  education. 

About  this  date  also  Herr  Alexander,  the  wizard  and  magician, 
entertained  the  Chicago  public  with  a  bewildering  display  of  sup- 
posed mystery.  Mr.  Neaffie  appeared  here  in  October  in  "Othello," 
with  Mr.  Hanley  as  "lago"  and  Mrs.  Rice  as  "Desdemona."  About 
the  same  time  Mr.  Collins,  the  famous  Irish  comedian,  entertained 
local  theater-goers.  He  appeared  in  "Teddy  the  Tiler,"  "McShane," 

In  November,  1852,  The  Chicago  Philharmonic  society  gave  its 
first  general  public  rehearsal  at  Warner's  hall.  The  society  received 
the  enthusiastic  patronage  of  the  Chicago  music  devotees. 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  569 

In  December,  1852,  a  new  version  of  "Uncle  Tom's  Cabin,"  dram- 
atized by  Mrs.  Anna  Marble,  was  presented  in  this  city  for  the  first 
time.  Mrs.  Marble  herself  appeared  as  Mrs.  Shelby.  It  should  be 
noticed  in  this  connection  that  when  "Uncle  Tom's  Cabin"  was  first 
presented  in  dramatic  form,  the  character  of  Topsy  did  not  appear  in 
the  play.  It  was  several  years  before  that  character  was  introduced. 
In  Mrs.  Marble's  dramatization  Topsy  was  not  represented. 

In  December,  1852,  Horace  Mann  lectured  here  before  the  Young 
Men's  association  on  "Young  Men,"  "Woman,"  and  other  subjects. 
At  this  date  Mr.  Mann  was  representative  in  Congress  from  Massa- 
chusetts. Prior  to  this  date  and  later  he  distinguished  himself  as 
an  educator  and  humanitarian. 

On  January  18  Mr.  Dyhrenfurth  presented  the  ninth  of  his  series 
of  soirees  to  the  Chicago  public  at  Irving  hall.  His  orchestra  selec- 
tions were  from  Beethoven,  Meyerbeer,  Rossini,  Bellini,  Donizetti, 
etc. 

He  instituted  a  fancy  dress  soiree  which  elicited  the  most  un- 
bounded praise  of  the  press  and  the  extravagant  enthusiasm  and 
delight  of  all  who  were  graciously  permitted  to  attend.  Each  sub- 
scriber or  patron  was  required  to  appear  in  appropriate  character 
costume.  Captain  Von  Schneidau  was  his  dignified  master  of  cere- 
monies at  this  date.  This  musical  presentation  and  parade  had  the 
unbounded  approbation  of  Chicago  art,  music  and  society  lovers. 

In  February,  1853,  Mr.  McVicker's  new  theater,  which  had  been 
thoroughly  reorganized  and  refitted,  was  opened  for  a  series  of 
entertainments.  It  had  been  closed  for  two  months.  Under  the  new 
arrangement  the  pit  was  transformed  into  a  parquet. 

Perhaps  the  most  important  event  in  the  musical  circles  of  Chi- 
cago prior  to  the  Civil  war  was  the  appearance  here  in  April,  1853, 
of  the  company  of  M.  Strakosch.  Among  this  talented  company 
were  Ole  Bull  and  Adelina  Patti.  This  was  considered  an  event 
of  such  importance  that  Chicago  music  lovers  were  notified  weeks 
in  advance  of  the  appearance  of  these  celebrated  artists.  Maurice 
Grau  was  advance  agent  of  the  company.  Ole  Bull  played  "A 
Mother's  Prayer,"  "Witch  Dance,"  "Grand  National  Fantasia," 
"Carnival  of  Venice,"  etc.  His  marvelous  rendition  of  these  mas- 
terpieces completely  carried  away  the  immense  audience.  Adelina 
Patti  sang  "Cavatina,"  selections  from  "La  Somnambula,"  "Coming 
Through  the  Rye,"  "Echo  Song,"  etc.  Her  singing  was  a  divine 
revelation  to  the  people  of  Chicago.  The  marvelous  sweetness, 
beauty,  power  and  compass  of  her  voice  and  her  effective  and  en- 
chanting manner  of  singing  kindled  tumultuous  applause.  Mr. 
Strakosch  was  the  pianist.  He  played  selections  from  "William 
Tell,"  etc.  The  admissions  at  this  entertainment  were  $1  and  $2, 
depending  on  the  location.  Amelia  Patti,  an  elder  sister  of  Adelina, 
was  the  wife  of  Mr.  Strakosch ;  she  appeared  in  songs  and  charac- 
terizations during  the  entertainment. 


570  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

In  May,  1853,  the  Swiss  Bell  Ringers  presented  an  attractive  en- 
tertainment. Martin  B.  Coombs  gave  an  interesting  series  of  Shakes- 
perean  readings.  The  Germania  Musical  society  entertained  music 
lovers  at  Tremont  hall. 

During  the  summer  of  1853  Neal  Dow,  of  Maine,  lectured  here 
on  the  subject  of  "Temperance."  It  was  at  this  date  that  a  dis- 
tinctive political  party  based  on  the  subject  of  temperance  was 
formed,  and  a  candidate  for  mayor,  Mr.  Throop,  was  nominated. 
In  July,  1853,  S.  M.  Brooks,  sculptor,  of  Chicago,  made  a  fine  bust 
in  plaster  of  Mr.  Kilbourn,  of  Milwaukee.  In  July,  1853,  Barnum's 
famous  show  appeared  here.  Gen.  Tom  Thumb  was  among  the  at- 
tractions; another  was  "The  Gorgeous  Car  of  Juggernaut  Drawn  by 
Ten  Elephants."  Mr.  Barnum  called  his  show  the  'Colossal  Mu- 
seum and  Menagerie." 

At  this  date  Bell's  Commercial  College  had  a  circulating  library 
of  about  2,000  volumes.  It  was  well  patronized  by  Chicago  readers. 

In  September,  1853,  the  Chicago  Musical  Conservatory  enter- 
tained the  citizens  in  a  variety  of  performances.  Otto  Stannis  was 
pianist  and  professor  of  music.  He  conducted  the  public  enter- 
tainments of  the  conservatory. 

In  September,  1853,  the  Chicago  and  Milwaukee  Cricket  clubs 
again  played  a  series  of  match  games.  The  first  day  Milwaukee 
won  by  144  to  88  and  the  second  day  repeated  the  defeat  by  154 
to  127.  These  defeats  served  to  awaken  the  flagging  energies  of 
Chicago,  and  never  again  was  this  city  beaten  at  cricket  by  Mil- 
waukee. In  December,  1853,  "Uncle  Tom's  Cabin"  was  again  pre- 
sented at  McVicker's  theater.  J.  H.  McVicker  was  stage  manager. 
Christy's  Nightingale  Serenaders  were  here  in  December,  1853. 

In  October,  1853,  Chicago  music  lovers  were  entertained  for  a 
week  with  Italian  opera.  Among1  the  performers  were  Madame 
Rosa  De  Vries,  Madame  Sontag,  Signor  Pozgolini,  Signer  Coletti, 
Signor  Arnoldi  and  Mile.  Leidenburg.  They  rendered  in  perfect 
style  "Norma"  and  "La  Somnambula,"  etc. 

In  December,  1853,  Horace  Greeley  lectured  before  the  Young 
Men's  association  on  "Reforms  and  Reformers."  Lucy  Stone  also 
lectured  on  "Legal  and  Political  Disabilities  of  Women." 

In  January,  1854,  a  branch  organization  of  the  Maine  Law  Alli- 
ance, a  temperance  organization,  was  established  in  this  city.  Its 
membership  embraced  the  leading  men  and  women  of  Chicago  and 
vicinity.  They  first  assembled  in  South  Market  hall  and  during 
1854  were  the  most  powerful  social  and  political  factor  in  the  city. 

In  January,  1854,  Rev.  Theodore  Parker,  of  Boston,  lectured 
before  the  Young  Men's  association.  At  this  time  the  Philhar- 
monic society  entertained  all  music  lovers  with  choice  selections. 
William  H.  Channing,  James  Freeman  Clark,  John  G.  Saxe,  Bay- 
ard Taylor,  Ralph  W.  Emerson,  Horace  Mann,  George  W.  Curtis, 
E.  P.  Whipple,  Bishop  Potter,  W.  H.  C.  Hosmer  and  others  lee- 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  573 

tured  before  the  Young  Men's  association  during  the  winter*  of 
1853-54.  At  the  conclusion  of  the  lecture  season  the  association 
announced  that  it  had  a  surplus  of  $809.71. 

In  April,  1854,  "Uncle  Tom's  Cabin,"  as  dramatized  by  George 
L.  Aiken,  was  presented  here  and  the  character  of  "Topsy"  was 
delineated  for  the  first  time  to  a  Chicago  audience.  This  drama- 
tization became  by  far  the  most  popular  of  that  celebrated  story. 
The  character  of  "Topsy"  captured  the  merriment  of  everybody. 
At  this  time  interesting  entertainments  were  given  at  Wood's  mu- 
seum. In  June,  1854,  Miss  Kimberly  appeared  here  as  "Hamlet." 
This  was  the  second  time  that  character  was  ever  presented  in  Chi- 
cago by  a  woman. 

Negro  minstrelsy  was  extremely  popular  throughout  the  West 
during  the  '40s  and  '50s.  E.  P.  Christy  did  much,  perhaps  more 
than  anybody  else,  to  improve  and  render  popular  entertainments 
of  that  character.  He  began  as  early  as  1842  and  retired  in  1853 
with  a  surplus,  it  was  said,  of  $160,873.  In  1850  he  made  over 
$26,000  and  about  the  same  in  1852. 

In  October,  1854,  D.  Thielck  was  a  successful  teacher  of  paint- 
ing and  other  forms  of  art  here.  He  had  been  a  student  of  the 
Royal  Academy  in  London.  In  October,  1854,  Ole  Bull  appeared 
here  again  during  a  grand  musical  festival  conducted  by  the  local 
musical  societies.  Decorative  painting  was  taught  here  by  Martin 
and  MacLean  in  December,  1854.  At  this  time  there  was  adver- 
tised for  sale  a  splendid  collection  of  oil  paintings  obtained  in  the 
markets  of  Europe.  The  sale  was  conducted  at  South  Market  hall 
and  the  paintings  .were  put  up  at  auction.  It  was  said  that  several 
masterpieces  in  this  collection  were  sold  to  Chicago  art  lovers. 
H.  Park  Goodwin,  editor  of  the  New  York  Post  and  Putnam's 
Magazine,  lectured  before  the  Young  Men's  association  on  "The 
Future  Republic."  He  was  the  author  of  the  famous  article,  "Our 
Parties  and  Politics,"  which  had  appeared  in  the  East  some  time 
before.  About  this  time,  also,  Fred  Douglas  lectured  at  Metropoli- 
tan hall. 

Late  in  1854  an  art  gallery  was  opened  in  the  Metropolitan  build- 
ing by  Alexander  Hessler.  He  was  probably  at  this  time  the  best 
photographer  in  the  West.  Early  in  1855  "Uncle  Tom's  Cabin," 
with  "Topsy"  and  all  the  other  renowned  characters,  was  again 
presented.  Cordelia  Howard,  a  child  phenomenon,  represented 
"Little  Eva."  In  February,  1855,  Mr.  C.  Evarts  gave  an  entertain- 
ment of  select  readings  from  his  own  poems. 

In  March,  1855,  the  officers  of  the  Chicago  branch  of  the  Maine 
Law  Alliance  were :  N.  S.  Davis,  president ;  B.  W.  Raymond, 
vice-president;  A.  G.  Throop,  treasurer;  and  George  F.  Foster, 
secretary. 

In  May,  1855,  Mrs.  Macready  entertained  the  Chicago  public 
with  dramatic  readings  from  Shakespearean  tragedies,  "The 

Vol.  1—33. 


574  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

Raven,'  etc.  About  this  time  Miss  Greenfield,  the  colored  song- 
stress, again  appeared  here.  It  was  noted  at  the  time  that  her 
voice  had  a  compass  of  four  full  octaves,  or  a  total  of  thirty-one 
notes.  About  this  time,  also,  Mr.  Collins,  the  Irish  comedian,  ap- 
peared here  in  songs,  etc.  He  sang  "A  Man's  a  Man  for  a'  That," 
"Widow  Macree,"  "The  Bowld  Sojer  Boy,"  etc.  About  this  date 
excellent  portraits  of  several  Chicagoans  were  painted  by  William 
E.  McMaster,  an  artist  of  unusual  genius. 

In  June,  1855,  a  trotting  match  occurred  on  the  Garden  City 
course,  which  was  located  near  Cottage  Grove.  The  purse  was 
$500,  two-mile  heats,  best  two  in  three  in  harness,  the  wagons 
weighing  250  pounds.  The  horse  O'Blennis  won  from  Tom  Hyer 
in  6:24  and  6:19.  At  the  same  meeting  the  horse  Reindeer  won 
three  straight  heats  from  Panny  Wood,  best  three  in  five,  for  a 
purse  of  $200.  The  best  time  was  2 :45.  At  the  same  meeting 
Chicago  Maid  trotted  against  Douglas  and  won,  the  best  time 
being  2 :52. 

In  September,  1855,  the  famous  New  Hampshire  family  of 
Hutchinsons  appeared  here  with  their  beautiful  songs.  Among  the 
family  were  Judson,  John  and  Asa.  They  were  the  most  remarka- 
ble singers  of  that  era  of  good  voices  and  musical  development. 
In  September,  1855,  E.  St.  Alary  painted  excellent  portraits  in 
pastelle  of  a  number  of  Chicagoans. 

In  October,  1855,  Henry  Ward  Beecher  lectured  before  the 
Metropolitan  Literary  Union  on  "Patriotism"  and  "Love  of  Power 
Among  Men." 

At  the  State  fair  held  here  in  September,  1855,  William  E.  Mc- 
Master, portrait  painter,  took  several  premiums.  At  this  date  Mr. 
Hessler  conducted  one  of  the  best  photograph  galleries  in  the  city. 
He  furnished  daguerreotypes  and  ambrotypes,  the  latter  being  an 
invention  on  glass  of  a  recent  date. 

In  October,  1855,  at  Metropolitan  hall,  Paul  Julian  and  Adelina 
Patti  appeared  in  a  series  of  musical  entertainments.  The  general 
admission  was  $1,  best  seats  $2.  The  hall  would  not  hold  all  who 
desired  to  hear  them  and  were  willing  to  pay  the  price. 

In  November,  1855,  Benjamin  F.  Taylor  read  his  poem  "Going" 
at  an  entertainment  in  connection  with  a  lecture  delivered  by  Rev. 
D.  Eddy.  At  this  time  also  John  B.  Gough  lectured  here  on  the 
subject  of  "Temperance." 

In  November,  1855,  a  large  musical  convention  of  a  week's  dura- 
tion was  conducted  here  by  Professor  Baker,  of  Boston.  Every 
musician  of  note  in  the  city  participated  in  this  feast  of  music. 

It  was  customary  in  the  fall  of  1855  for  the  people  of  Chicago  to 
promenade  every  Saturday  and  Sunday  afternoon  along  Lake  park 
from  Randolph  to  Twelfth  street.  It  was  the  the  principal  prome- 
nade at  that  date  and  every  evening  was  thronged  with  the  elite 
of  the  city. 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  575 

In  December,  1855,  David  Hall  Brown  lectured  before  the 
Young  Men's  association  on  "The  Passions."  It  was  at  this  time 
also  that  the  entertainments  at  North's  amphitheater  became  fam- 
ous. The  entertainments  were  after  the  fashion  of  an  indoor  cir- 
cus, where  feats  of  riding,  etc.,  were  enjoyed.  In  December  the 
riding  of  Mile.  Marie,  whoever  she  may  have  been,  was  considered 
something  marvelous. 

Late  in  December,  1855,  the  Chicago  Phrenological  society  was 
visited  by  Prof.  O.  S.  Fowler,  the  famous  phrenologist,  who  deliv- 
ered a  course  of  lectures  on  that  subject  to  large  audiences.  At 
this  date  Rev.  J.  Starr  King  lectured  before  the  Young  Men's  asso- 
ciation on  "Sight  and  Insight."  Prof.  T.  W.  Dwight  also  lectured 
on  the  subject,  "Men  of  Books  and  Men  of  the  World." 

In  February  and  March,  1856,  the  foot  races  at  North's  amphi- 
theater attracted  the  universal  enthusiasm  and  patronage  of  the 
sporting  fraternity  of  Chicago. 

During  the  winter  of  1855-56  the  Young  Men's  association 
greatly  increased  the  attractiveness  and  utility  of  its  reading  room. 
Newspapers  and  periodicals  from  all  parts  of  the  world  could  be 
perused  there. 

In  March,  1856,  Healy  and  McMasters,  artists,  held  public  recep- 
tions at  their  studios,  where  numerous  paintings  and  other  art 
works  of  high  merit  were  on  exhibition. 

In  the  spring  of  1856  the  Chicago  Philharmonic  society  gave  a 
series  of  brilliant  and  well-patronized  concerts.  The  music  of  the 
Alleghanians,  a  minstrel  troupe,  was  enjoyed  at  this  date. 

In  March,  1856,  the  Chicago  Theater  company  included  the  fol- 
lowing members:  J.  H.  McVicker,  John  Brougham,  J.  E.  Mur- 
doch, Mr.  Chanfrau,  J.  E.  Wallack,  Mr.  Davenport,  Miss  Alber- 
tine,  Miss  Maggie  Mitchell,  and  others. 

On  March  25  another  foot  race  of  Chicagoans  occurred  at 
North's  amphitheater.  The  runners  were  compelled  to  make  the 
circuit  fifteen  times,  the  distance  being  115  feet  over  one-third  of 
a  mile.  A  man  named  Logan  won  the  race  in  1 :43  and  Mr.  Ottig- 
non  was  second  in  1 :44. 

In  April,  1856,  the  German  theater  on  the  North  side,  at  Wells 
and  Indiana  streets,  was  formally  opened  to  the  public.  At  this 
time  Christy's  Minstrels  appeared  at  North's  amphitheater,  which 
was  situated  on  Monroe  street  on  the  South  side. 

During  the  winter  of  1855-56  the  lecturers  before  the  Young 
Men's  association  were  as  follows:  Bishop  Clark,  George  Sumner, 
Professor  Felton,  Wendell  Phillips,  Rev,  William  H.  Milburn,  the 
blind  preacher;  S.  S.  Cox,  Rev.  Dr.  Eddy,  James  Russell  Lowell, 
the  poet;  Professor  Hitchcock,  Rev.  A.  L.  Brook,  Rev.  E.  H. 
Chapin,  Rev.  T.  Starr  King,  Professor  Dwight,  and  others.  At 
this  date  the  Young  Men's  association  was  the  most  powerful  social 
and  literary  organization  in  the  West.  It  had  a  membership  of 


576  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

1,554  of  the  best  citizens  of  Chicago,  of  whom  625  were  added 
during  the  winter  of  1855-6.  In  their  library  were  3,250  volumes 
and  in  the  reading  room  more  than  100  newspapers  and  magazines. 

In  April,  1856,  a  splendid  circus  was  on  exhibition  at  North's 
amphitheater.  The  Campbells  exhibited  at  Metropolitan  hall.  In 
May  the  Garden  City  race  course  on  the  lake  front  at  Cottage 
Grove  was  thrown  open  for  a  week.  The  best  time  made  by  trot- 
ting horses  was  about  2 :34.  Among  the  trotters  were  the  follow- 
ing: Reindeer,  Fanny  Wood,  Lady  Kate  and  Chautauqua  Chief. 
The  trots  were  usually  in  mile  heats,  best  three  in  five,  for  a  purse 
of  $200.  At  this  time  the  races  were  patronized  by  the  wealthiest 
and  most  exclusive  men  and  women  of  the  city. 

In  May,  1856,  music  patrons  were  regaled  with  a  splendid 
musical  festival  held  at  Metropolitan  hall.  All  citizens  of  Chicago 
musically  inclined  participated  in  this  attractive  festival.  They 
rendered  in  excellent  style  George  F.  Root's  splendid  composition, 
"Flower  Queen,  or  The  Coronation  of  the  Rose,"  a  cantata,  given 
under  the  direction  of  Messrs.  A.  Mareschal  and  W.  H.  Currie. 
William  Burkhardt's  famous  band,  with  silver  instruments,  fur- 
nished the  orchestral  music. 

In  June,  1856,  Mr.  Strakosch  and  his  splendid  company  again 
made  their  appearance  before  Chicago  audiences.  Among  his 
talented  artists  were  Ole  Bull,  Sig.  Parodi  and  Adelina  Patti.  A 
little  later  Emmett's  minstrels  gave  an  enjoyable  entertainment  in 
Metropolitan  hall. 

It  was  in  the  summer  of  1856  that  the  lovers  of  amusement 
demanded  the  construction  of  a  new  theater.  The  best  one  then 
in  existence  had  been  built  five  years  before,  and  as  the  city  had 
tripled  in  population  it  was  demanded  that  a  new  and  up-to-date 
theater  should  be  erected.  North's  amphitheater  had  been  remod- 
deled  and  reopened,  but  did  not  meet  the  artistic  requirements  of 
critical  Chicagoans.  The  amphitheater  was  renamed  National 
theater,  and  the  lease  was  taken  by  Charles  Thorne,  an  actor.  Mr. 
Thorne  had  previously  exhibited  at  North  Market  hall,  which  he 
named  National  theater,  but  after  securing  the  lease  to  North's 
amphitheater  he  called  the  latter  by  that  name. 

In  August,  1856,  Miss  Matilda  Heron  appeared  at  Rice's  thea- 
ter as  "Camille"  and  as  other  characters.  The  newspapers  spoke 
very  highly  of  her  characterizations.  At  this  date  W.  McFarland 
was  manager  of  Rice's  theater. 

In  August,  1856,  a  trotting  meeting  was  held  at  Brighton  race 
course.  The  best  time  made  at  this  meeting  was  about  2  :35. 

In  September,  1856,  at  the  German  theater  on  the  North  side, 
was  given  the  first  operatic  performance  ever  rendered  in  the  city 
wholly  by  Chicago  people.  Previous  to  this  date  operatic  perform- 
ances had  invariably  been  presented  by  performers  from  abroad, 
though  sometimes  they  had  been  assisted  by  Chicago  singers  and 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  577 

actors,  but  this  performance  at  the  German  theater  was  wholly  by 
Chicagoans.  It  was  a  comic  operetta  and  was  pronounced  a  suc- 
cess. In  the  fall  of  1855  a  Mr.  Robbins  conducted  here  a  success- 
ful cantata  and  repeated  the  same  at  Metropolitan  hall  in  the  fall 
of  1856,  much  to  the  gratification  and  delight  of  a  select  coterie  of 
Chicago  music  lovers. 

In  September,  1856,  the  celebrated  gallery  of  paintings  owned  by 
Mr.  Coleman,  of  Buffalo,  was  placed  on  sale  here  at  auction. 
Among  the  collection  were  several  masterpieces.  In  October  the 
famous  oil  painting,  "An  English  Farm,"  was  placed  on  exhibition 
in  this  city.  The  Democratic  Press  of  October  30  said :  "It  is 
without  doubt  the  finest  painting  ever  brought  to  Chicago." 

In  September,  1856,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  W.  J.  Florence  appeared  in 
repertoire  at  Rice's  theater. 

In  September  the  Chicagos  defeated  the  Milwaukees  at  cricket 
in  this  city.  About  the  same  time,  at  the  Garden  City  race  course, 
there  was  an  exciting  contest  between  Indian  runners  and  horses. 
Previous  to  this  date,  at  Buffalo,  the  horses  had  defeated  the  In- 
dians in  a  running  match ;  but  in  1856,  in  this  city,  the  Indians 
outran  the  horses,  the  former  covering  three  and  one-quarter  miles 
and  the  latter  six  miles. 

In  October,  1856,  the  famous  actor  James  E.  Murdock  appeared 
here  in  a  series  of  plays.  He  was  well  patronized,  because  Chicago 
theater-goers  admired  and  enjoyed  his  delineation  of  Shakespear- 
ean and  other  characters. 

In  1856  the  musical  compositions  of  William  B.  Bradbury  had 
begun  to  attract  the  attention  of  the  artistic  public  throughout  the 
West.  His  books  of  church  and  society  music  were  selling  very 
extensively  in  Chicago. 

In  1856  the  art  of  photography  had  so  far  progressed  that 
artists  here  were  producing  excellent  results  and  satisfying  the  taste 
of  Chicagoans. 

Late  in  1856  the  equestrian  ring  in  North's  amphitheater  on 
Monroe  street  was  transformed  into  a  stage  and  wholly  reorganized 
and  changed.  The  stage  constructed  was  42  by  100  feet,  and  the 
hall  as  a  whole  was  93  by  200  feet.  It  was  renamed  "North's  Na- 
tional Amphitheater."  In  November,  1856,  modern  dramas  were 
exhibited  there  to  immense  crowds. 

In  November,  1856,  Mr.  P.  Stanton  did  excellent  work  in  oil 
painting  in  this  city.  In  December,  1856,  Wendell  Phillips  lec- 
tured on  the  anti-slavery  movement  at  Metropolitan  hall.  Almost 
the  entire  city  turned  out  to  hear  him  during  the  week  that  he  was 
here.  A  little  later  Dr.  Boynton  lectured  on  special  geological  sub- 
jects. At  this  date  Leonard  W.  Volk  was  in  Italy,  but  had  an- 
nounced his  intention  of  locating  in  Chicago  and  of  engaging  in 
the  business  of  sculpture.  George  D.  Prentiss  lectured  here  about 
this  time,  as  did  Horace  Greeley  on  the  subject  of  "Europe."  Elihu 


578  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

Burritt  also  lectured  before  the  Young  Men's  association  at  this 
date.     He  was  known  as  the  "Learned  Blacksmith." 

In  January,  1857,  Fannie  Kemble  appeared  in  a  series  of  dramas 
at  Metropolitan  hall.  J.  W.  Couldock  appeared  at  the  Chicago 
Opera  House.  The  famous  Ravels  came  here  at  this  time.  North's 
Amphitheater  continued  to  be  well  patronized.  In  January,  1857, 
Mrs.  Macready  gave  thrilling  dramatic  readings,  among  which  was 
Ann  S.  Stephens'  "A  Polish  Boy." 

Early  in  1857  John  B.  Gough  delivered  a  series  of  temperance 
lectures  in  this  city,  which  were  followed  by  the  organization  of 
the  Chicago-  Temperance  society  with  a  membership  of  over  500. 
In  February,  1857,  "Uncle  Tom's  Cabin"  was  presented  at  North's, 
or  the  "National  Theater,"  as  it  had  begun  to  be  called.  Joseph 
Proctor  appeared  in  tragedy  at  North's  amphitheater  about  this 
time.  The  Hutchinson  family,  famous  singers,  were  here  in 
March,  1857.  In  the  spring  of  1857  a  grand  musical  festival  was 
held  at  North's  Amphitheater.  In  April,  1857,  the  Chicago  Mu- 
sical Union  gave  their  first  concert,  which  received  the  approbation 
of  Chicago  critics.  In  April,  Yankee  Robinson  and  his  circus  ap- 
peared in  a  tent  on  Adams  street  and  were  well  patronized.  Ed- 
ward Everett  lectured  here  on  popular  subjects  at  this  time.  A 
musical  concert  in  April,  1857,  at  Metropolitan  hall,  was  conducted 
by  Henry  Ahner,  who  perhaps  had  done  more  to  cultivate  the  taste 
of  Chicago  for  concert  music  than  any  other  one  man.  His  efforts 
were  fully  appreciated  and  the  entertainments  were  crowded. 
About  this  time  Mrs.  T.  S.  Hamblin  appeared  as  Hamlet  at  North's 
Amphitheater.  She  was  supported  by  James  R.  Anderson  as 
Othello.  Her  rendition  of  the  character  of  Hamlet  was  pronounced 
successful. 

In  May,  1857,  J.  W.  Wallack,  Jr.,  appeared  in  "King  of  the 
Commons"  at  North's  Amphitheater;  a  little  later  Miss  Davenport 
appeared  in  "The  Lady  of  Lyons"  at  the  Chicago  theater  and  also 
in  the  plays  of  "Love"  and  "Maid  with  the  Milk  Pail."  In  May, 
1857,  Thalberg's  grand  concerts  were  given  here  to  large  and 
enthusiastic  audiences.  A  few  weeks  afterward  grand  concert  or 
opera  was  presented  at  Metropolitan  hall.  Among  the  players 
were  Mile.  Theresa  Parodi,  Mme.  Amelia  Patti,  Sig.  Nicolli,  and 
others,  who  appeared  in  appropriate  parts. 

In  May,  1857,  two  new  theaters  were  in  process  of  construc- 
tion— McVicker's,  on  Madison  street,  and  Wood's,  on  Clark  street. 
About  this  time  J.  W.  Couldock  and  Dion  Boucicault  appeared  at 
North's  Amphitheater  in  their  standard  yet  ever  attractive  and  in- 
structive plays.  In  June,  1857,  the  German  Musical  convention 
here  was  attended  by  distinguished  musicians  from  all  parts  of  the 
United  States. 

In  July,  1857,  Mr.  Blondin,  who  had  recently  crossed  the  gorge 
at  Niagara  Falls  on  a  tight  rope,  gave  an  exhibition  of  rope  walk- 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  579 

ing  here.  About  this  date  William  E.  Burton  appeared  in  farce 
and  was  well  patronized.  William  Schmidt  was  the  leader  of  the 
Great  Western  Band,  a  famous  musical  company  of  this  period. 
Spaulding  and  Rogers  exhibited  their  circus  in  a  tent  on  Dearborn 
street. 

During  the  winter  of  1857-8  the  following  lecturers  came  here 
under  the  auspices  of  the  Young  Men's  association :  Rev.  Dudley 
A.  Tyng,  of  Philadelphia,  on  "Politics  and  Politicians" ;  Rev.  A.  L. 
Stone,  of  Boston ;  George  Vanderhoff,  of  Boston,  on  "A  Discourse 
on  Poetry";  B.  P.  Shilliber  (Mrs.  Partington),  of  Boston;  Dr. 
J.  J.  Hayes,  of  Philadelphia,  on  "Access  to  the  North  Pole  by 
Kane  Sea" ;  Horace  Greeley ;  Prof.  O.  M.  Mitchell,  four  lectures  on 
"Astronomy  and  Its  Branches" ;  Prof.  Edward  L.  Youmans,  of 
New  York,  on  "Chemistry  of  the  Sunbeam" ;  Rev.  T.  Starr  King, 
of  Boston;  Wendell  Phillips,  of  Boston;  Charles  Mackay;  Edward 
Bates,  of  Missouri;  and  James  Pollock,  Governor  of  Pennsylvania. 

In  the  summer  of  1857  Leonard  W.  Volk,  sculptor,  located  in 
this  city  and  began  work.  He  came  highly  recommended  and  had 
finished  a  rigid  course  of  study  and  a  period  of  practical  work  in 
Europe.  In  January,  1857,  the  Chicago  Academy  of  Natural 
Sciences  was  organized.  It  was  located  in  the  Dearborn  Seminary 
building  and  Dr.  J.  V.  Z.  Blaney  was  president. 

One  of  the  first  art  works  undertaken  here  by  Mr.  Volk  was  a 
bust  of  Stephen  A.  Douglas  and  also  one  of  Dr.  Rodgers.  At  this 
date  Higgins  Brothers  were  large  music  dealers  at  84  Randolph 
street.  It  was  noted  by  art  critics  that  Mr.  Oldershaw,  of  the 
East,  had  done  much  for  oil  painting  in  the  United  States. 

In  September,  1857,  the  Highland  Guards  gave  a  picnic  at 
Hyde  Park,  on  which  occasion  games  of  various  sorts  were  played. 
Mr.  J.  Fairweather  won  the  prize  at  throwing  the  hammer  and 
putting  the  shot.  Captain  McArthur  captured  first  prize  by  jump- 
ing fifty  inches  in  height ;  David  Bremner  won  the  200-yard  race 
and  James  Finnerty  the  600-yard  race.  The  proceedings  of  the  day 
ended  with  a  game  of  shinny,  or  shinty,  as  it  was  then  sometimes 
called,  and  all  present  who  desired  were  permitted  to  participate  in 
this  game.  In  the  fall  of  1857  the  Chicago  and  Prairie  clubs 
played  a  match  game  of  cricket  at  Bull's  Head  on  the  West  side. 
In  September  Mr.  Hessler,  the  artist,  painted  a  fine  portrait  of 
Captain  Shelly  of  the  Emmet  Guards. 

In  October,  1857,  Mrs.  J.  M.  Wallack  appeared  at  the  Chicago 
theater  in  a  series  of  entertainments,  one  of  which  was  the  famous 
play,  "London  Assurance." 

Early  in  November,  1857,  McVicker's  new  theater  building  was 
opened.  The  hall  was  80  by  97  feet.  It  had  a  parquet,  dress  circle, 
second  circle  and  second  dress  circle.  The  stage  was  60  by  80 
feet,  and  the  room  was  lighted  by  gasoliers.  The  opening  night 
was  November  5,  and  the  proceedings  were  commenced  with  an 


580  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

address  written  by  Benjamin  F.  Taylor  and  spoken  by  Miss 
Alice  Mann.  It  was  a  poem  entitled  "The  West."  The  theater  was 
located  on  Madison  between  State  and  Dearborn,  and  J.  H.  Mc- 
Vicker  was  proprietor  and  manager.  T.  Harrington  was  assistant 
manager.  The  building  and  equipment  cost  $85,000;  there  were 
seats  for  2,500  people.  A  large  stock  company  appeared  first  at 
this  theater.  Later  stars  to  appear  were  Charlotte  Cushman, 
Charles  Mathew,  Eliza  Logan,  James  E.  Murdock,  Edwin  Booth, 
J.  M.  Davenport,  A.  J.  Neavie,  James  Proctor,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  John 
Drew,  H.  A.  Perry,  Henry  Placide,  and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Florence. 
Later  Miss  Davenport  appeared  as  Parthenia  and  H.  A.  Perry  as 
Ingomar.  "Honey  Moon"  and  "Rough  Diamond"  were  rendered 
by  this  company.  In  November,  1857,  North's  amphitheater 
opened  with  a  splendid  display  of  equestrianism  in  a  spectacular 
piece  entitled  "Don  Juan." 

In  November,  1857,  William  McFarland  became  lessee  and 
manager  of  the  Chicago  theater.  He  was  well  known  here  and 
began  by  presenting  the  "Corsican  Brothers."  Mr.  Neavie  was  a 
distinguished  tragedian  and  rendered  in  excellent  style  Shake- 
speare's tragedies.  His  characterization  of  Hamlet  was  spoken  of 
very  highly.  In  January,  1858,  Charlotte  Cushman  appeared  at 
McVicker's.  Henry  Ahner  at  this  time  conducted  some  of  the 
most  popular  concerts  ever  given  in  this  city.  He  was  a  master  at 
musical  leadership  and  the  crowds  who  desired  to  enjoy  his  per- 
formances could  not  be  accommodated.  The  concerts  were  ren- 
dered in  Metroplitan  hall.  The  Great  Western  Band  furnished  the 
orchestral  music. 

Wendell  Phillips  lectured  here  about  this  time.  G.  J.  Arnold 
appeared  at  North's  amphitheater  in  "Damon  and  Pythias."  There 
were  given  at  the  same  entertainment  ring  performances.  Rice's 
Chicago  theater  stood  on  Dearborn  street  opposite  the  postoffice, 
which  was  at  the  corner  of  Monroe  and  Dearborn  streets.  The 
Garden  City  varieties  were  exhibited  at  the  corner  of  Wabash  and 
State  streets.  There  could  be  seen  farces,  comedies,  burlesques, 
etc.,  and  could  be  heard  all  songs  of  recent  date.  In  January,  1858, 
Mr.  Basham,  a  successful  oil  painter,  located  here.  In  February, 
1858,  Henry  Ahner,  who  had  done  more  for  the  success  of  concert 
music  than  any  leader  in  the  West,  died  in  this  city.  His  death  was 
deeply  lamented  by  all  music  lovers,  as  it  was  felt  that  his  loss 
could  scarcely  be  replaced  by  one  with  qualifications  so  high  and 
varied. 

In  March,  1858,  Rosa  Bonheur's  famous  painting,  "The  Horse 
Fair,"  was  placed  on  exhibition  in  this  city  by  S.  P.  Oklershaw. 

During  the  winter  of  1857-8  there  was  organized  here  a  con- 
gress patterned  after  the  one  at  Washington,  for  the  purpose  of 
debating  various  public  questions  of  interest.  Many  of  the  lead- 
ing citizens  took  part  in  the  weekly  proceedings. 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  581 

In  the  spring  of  1858  Mr.  Collins,  the  Irish  comedian,  again  ap- 
peared here  in  plays  and  songs. 

In  April,  1858,  Maggie  Mitchell  gave  an  interesting  entertain- 
ment at  North's  Amphitheater.  About  this  time  Julius  Unger's 
Wednesday  night  concerts  at  Metropolitan  hall  were  well  patron- 
ized and  were  considered  attractive  and  artistic.  In  May,  Joseph 
Hayden's  famous  oratorio  of  the  "Creation"  was  rendered  by  home 
talent  at  Metropolitan  hall.  The  Chicago  Musical  Union  presented 
it  and  received  the  unbounded  praise  and  approval  of  Chicago. 
The  newspapers  declared  that  the  rendition  surpassed  that  given 
by  companies  of  far  greater  pretensions. 

In  May,  1858,  Louis  Paulsen  advertised  to  play  ten  games  of 
chess  at  one  time,  with  his  eyes  blindfolded,  with  the  best  players 
Chicago  could  produce.  These  games  were  played  at  Light  Guard 
hall,  on  the  corner  of  State  and  Randolph  streets,  and  an  admission 
fee  of  25  cents  was  charged.  Large  audiences  witnessed  the  play- 
ing. In  May,  1858,  Chanfrau's  splendid  imitations  of  Booth,  Bur- 
ton, Barney,  Williams,  Dan  Rice  and  Edwin  Forrest  were  enjoyed 
at  North's  amphitheater.  In  May,  1858,  also,  Miss  Davenport 
appeared  in  "Love,"  "Adrienne"  and  as  Juliet,  Camille,  Charlotte 
Corday,  etc. 

At  North's  amphitheater,  in  June,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  John  Drew 
appeared  in  their  powerful  dramatic  representations.  Standing 
room  was  at  a  premium,  so  the  newspapers  of  that  day  stated.  In 
June,  1858,  Sanford's  opera  troupe  of  minstrels  gave  an  interesting 
entertainment  at  Metropolitan  hall. 

In  September,  1858,  a  wrestling  match  at  Ontario  and  Wells 
streets  was  well  patronized  by  the  sporting  fraternity.  The  wrest- 
lers were  Jacob  J.  Winkle  and  John  Peters.  The  prize  was  $100 
a  side.  Mr.  Peters  won  the  match.  In  June,  1858,  Dan  Rice  was 
here  with  his  famous  circus  in  a  tent  on  Adams  street  between 
Wells  and  Clark.  He  had  many  trained  animals  and  several  noted 
equestrians. 

In  the  fall  of  1858  the  Chicago  and  Prairie  cricket  clubs  played 
several  match  games  near  Bull's  Head  on  the  West  side.  The 
Prairies  won  the  first  game,  but  subsequent  contests  were  won  by 
the  Chicagos. 

In  July,  1858,  at  the  Garden  City  Race  Course  at  Cottage  Grove, 
Lady  Kate  won  a  fast  trotting  race  from  Ike  Cook  and  Tom 
Murray.  The  best  time  made  was  about  2  :33 — fast  for  that  date. 

As  early  as  1856  baseball  began  to  be  played  in  this  city,  but 
did  not  attract  general  attention  until  1857  and  was  not  well 
patronized  until  1858.  In  the  latter  year  it  suddenly  became  popu- 
lar, and  an  admission  fee  was  invariably  charged  thereafter  at  all 
match  games.  There  were  in  the  city  in  1858  some  half  dozen 
clubs,  and  a  series  of  games  was  played  to  see  which  was  the  best. 
The  grounds  were  at  the  corner  of  South  Halsted  and  West  Harri- 


582  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

son  streets.  An  important  game  was  played  on  July  7  between  the 
Union  club  of  Chicago  and  Downer's  Grove  club.  The  latter  won 
the  contest. 

"Baseball. — A  baseball  club  was  organized  on  Monday  evening 
by  a  number  of  young  men  of  this  city.  They  style  themselves  the 
Niagara  Baseball  club  and  hold  themselves  open  to  play  with  any 
junior  club  that  may  challenge  them  after  the  first  of  next  month. 
The  following  officers  were  elected  for  the  ensuing  year:  Presi- 
dent, P.  P.  Wood;  vice  president,  G.  McCagg;  secretary,  C.  S. 
Birdsal;  treasurer,  E.  P.  Wood;  steward,  J.  O'Neil." — (Chicago 
Democrat,  July  2,  1858.) 

There  were  written  here  in  the  '50s  several  plays  that  were  pre- 
sented to  Chicago  audiences.  One,  entitled  "Chicago  Playwrights 
and  Their  Productions,"  and  another,  "Fact  and  Fiction,"  were 
presented  to  the  Chicago  public.  The  latter  was  a  serio-comic 
musical  libretto.  The  music  was  composed  by  William  H.  Curry 
and  the  play  written  by  William  Toothe.  Another  play  that  was 
written  but  not  presented  was  called  "E-X,  or  The  Adverse  Fac- 
tions." Another  farce,  that  was  issued  in  pamphlet  form  but  not 
presented  on  the  stage,  was  entitled  "Ye  Kort  Martial."  It  was 
an  interesting  farce  and  should  have  been  successful,  according  to 
the  newspapers. 

In  July,  1858,  the  Chicago  Associated  Congress  debated  many 
of  the  important  political  questions  then  agitating  the  people  of 
Illinois.  The  slavery,  Kansas  and  Dred  Scott  questions  were  dis- 
cussed in  detail.  At  this  date  Col.  James  Speed  was  president  of 
the  congress,  O.  B.  Maple  secretary,  and  L.  C.  Blake  treasurer. 
E.  T.  Ingraham  was  president  of  the  Senate  and  James  M.  Smith 
speaker  of  the  House. 

In  August,  1858,  the  Union  and  Excelsior  Baseball  clubs  played  a 
match  game  at  Bull's  Head  on  the  grounds  of  the  Prairie  Cricket 
club  to  an  audience  of  about  1,000  people.  The  score  was:  Union, 
11;  Excelsior,  17.  At  that  time  the  pitcher  actually  pitched  the 
ball — was  not  allowed  to  throw  it. 

In  August,  1858,  at  the  Garden  City  Race  Course  a  trotting 
match  of  nine  miles,  for  a  purse  of  $1,000,  was  given.  The  black 
mare  Gypsy  Queen  won  from  the  horse  Tenbroeck.  The  nine 
miles  were  trotted  in  mile  heats. 

In  1858-59  billiards  became  a  very  popular  game  in  this  city. 
Almost  every  saloon  put  in  one  or  more  billiard  tables,  and  contests 
here  and  elsewhere  throughout  the  West  were  frequent.  Prior  to 
1858  billiard  halls  were  few  here  and  were  distinct  from  places 
where  liquor  was  sold. 

In  October,  1858,  Kark  Formes'  grand  mammoth  concerts  and 
oratorios  were  rendered  here  by  a  celebrated  and  distinguished 
company,  Mr.  Ullman  being  manager  and  director.  These  concerts 
were  attended  by  the  best  people  of  the  city.  The  rendition  in  many 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  583 

cases  was  superior  to  any  ever  before  given  here.  Particularly 
the  oratorios  were  rendered  in  grand  style. 

Late  in  1858  the  mare  Flora  Temple,  then  thirteen  or  fourteen 
years  old,  was  advertised  to  trot  against  the  Chicago  horses  Rein- 
deer and  Ike  Cook,  best  three  in  five,  to  harness.  A  few  years 
before,  Flora  Temple  had  trotted  a  mile  in  harness  on  Long  Island 
in  2:24)4.  At  that  time  it  was  the  fastest  mile  that  had  ever  been 
made  in  the  United  States.  In  the  race  here,  though,  she  was 
probably  "pulled."  She  easily  defeated  both  Reindeer  and  Ike 
Cook  in  2:32i/2.  The  other  horses  apparently  were  not  in  her 
class. 

In  October,  1858,  the  famous  fight  between  John  Morrissey  and 
John  C.  Heenan  (the  Benecia  Boy),  which  took  place  in  Canada 
opposite  Buffalo,  attracted  great  interest  among  sporting  men  in 
Chicago.  Twelve  rounds  were  fought  in  twenty-two  minutes. 

In  December,  1858,  Horace  Greeley  lectured  before  the  Young 
Men's  association  on  "Great  Men."  Bayard  Taylor  also  lectured 
here  at  this  date.  Fred  Douglass  and  George  Sumner  delivered 
lectures  in  February,  1859. 

During  the  winter  of  1858-59  the  Chicago  river  was  frozen 
nearly  solid.  It  was  customary  for  horsemen  to  race  on  the  river 
from  the  Forks  to  the  lake.  Large  crowds  gathered  along  the 
bank  and  congregated  on  the  bridges  to  witness  the  contests. 

Early  in  1859  Mr.  Strakosch  and  company  appeared  here  in 
Italian  opera.  On  this  occasion  the  company  rendered  "Martha," 
"Lucia  di  Lammermoor,"  etc.  In  February,  1859,  the  Chicago 
Billiard  club  was  in  active  operation.  At  this  time  an  important 
billiard  match  was  played  at  Detroit  by  two  of  the  greatest  players 
of  the  country,  and  attracted  the  attention  of  Chicago  billiard  en- 
thusiasts. The  players  were  Serreiter  and  Phelan,  the  latter  win- 
ning the  contest.  They  played  2,000  points  for  $5,000  a  side.  The 
newspapers  of  that  date  declared  that  the  $5,000  offered  was  not 
real,  but  was  used  for  advertising  purposes.  So  great  was  the 
interest  that  the  Tremont  billiard  hall  received  the  news  of  the 
game  by  wire  as  it  progressed. 

In  April,  1859,  the  Chicago  Musical  Union  presented  with 
splendid  effect  to  crowded  houses  the  oratorio  of  the  "Messiah." 
The  executive  committee  of  the  Union  at  this  date  were  J.  S.  Platt, 
J.  J.  Lumbard,  C.  M.  Cady,  D.  A.  Kimbark  and  A.  L.  Coe. 

About  this  time  Henry  Ward  Beecher  lectured  in  Metropolitan 
hall  on  the  subjects,  "Success  and  Failure"  and  "The  Burdens  of 
Society." 

In  April,  1859,  a  beautiful  comic  opera  was  rendered  in  Metro- 
politan hall  by  a  company  of  distinguished  artists  and  musicians, 
among  whom  were  Maria  Piccolomini. 

On  May  9,  1859,  Chicago's  first  fine  art  public  exhibition  was 
opened  at  the  corner  of  Lake  street  and  Wabash  avenue.  It  was  an 


584  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

exhibition  of  celebrated  and  approved  works  of  art — paintings, 
sculpture,  etc.,  contributed  by  the  citizens  of  Chicago.  It  may  be 
presumed  at  the  present  time  that  in  1859  few  good  oil  paintings 
or  works  of  sculpture  were  owned  in  this  city,  but  such  is  not  the 
fact.  Among  the  best  citizens  in  Chicago  were  people  of  great 
culture  and  of  unbounded  wealth  who  had  in  the  past  purchased 
here  and  in  the  East  or  abroad  some  of  the  finest  masterpieces  in 
the  world.  This  exhibit  was  to  reveal  to  the  people  of  Chicago  the 
art  collections  of  Chicagoans  and  was  a  splendid  success.  There 
were  exhibited  over  300  pictures,  many  of  which  were  of  exquisite 
coloring  and  design  and  none  of  which  was  inferior.  The  exhibit 
was  patronized  by  every  Chicagoan  who  loved  art  for  art's  sake. 

In  May,  1859,  baseball  again  became  the  rage.  Nearly  a  dozen 
clubs  were  organized  and  began  playing  a  published  schedule  of 
games  throughout  this  city  and  with  adjoining  cities.  In  May, 
1859,  also,  the  Chicago  and  Cincinnati  cricket  clubs  played  a  series 
of  games  here  and  in  Cincinnati.  There  were  here  at  this  time  at 
least  two  strong  cricket  organizations,  namely,  the  Chicago  and  the 
Prairie  clubs.  From  these  two  clubs  the  best  players  were  selected 
to  play  against  the  Cincinnati  club.  Probably  the  latter  selected 
the  best  players  of  Cincinnati,  as  did  the  Chicago  clubs.  The  latter 
won  from  Cincinnati. 

In  May,  1859,  a  dog  fight  was  witnessed  at  Brighton.  The  law 
prohibited  such  an  exhibition,  but  it  was  carried  out  nevertheless, 
and  over  200  men  paid  $3  apiece  to  witness  the  contest.  It  lasted 
for  two  hours  and  was  a  bloody  and  brutal  exhibition. 

In  June  the  Excelsior  and  Atlantic  baseball  clubs  played  a  match 
game  at  Bull's  Head  on  the  Prairie  cricket  grounds,  and  a  news- 
paper of  that  date  said :  "We  are  pleased  to  note  the  growing  in- 
terest in  this  truly  American  game."  Five  hundred  spectators, 
including  many  ladies,  witnessed  the  contest.  The  newspaper 
further  said :  "The  game  was  excellently  played."  The  following 
are  the  names  of  the  players  and  the  scores : 

ATLANTICS.  EXCELSIORS. 

E.  Van  Buren,  catcher 1      W.  llartshornc,  first  base 4 

A.  L.  Adams,  pitcher 1  W.  F.  Prouty,  catcher <> 

B.  Burton,  first  base : .  2  T.   Malcom,  pitcher 4 

G.  Child,  second  base 1  T.  A.  Hayes,  third  base 1 

VV.  Scales,  third  base 2  S.  Farwell,  second  base (i 

C.  Scales,  left  field 2  Dr.  Hunt,  right  field 1 

F.  F.  Burton,  right  field 4  W.  Houghten,  cenler  field 3 

E.  Bean,  cenler  2  G.  C.  Smilh,  left  field 3 

S.  Child,  short  field 2  F.  H.  Bostock,  short  field 3 

Total    17         Total   31 

The  fine  art  exhibition  closed  late  in  June,  1859,  having  received 
a  total  attendance  of  12,000.  The  receipts  were  $2,000  and  the 
profits  between  $700  and  $800.  It  was  a  grand  success  from  every 
point  of  view.  Hundreds  of  people  revisited  the  exhibit  in  order 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  585 

to  study  the  paintings  and  thus  cultivate  their  taste  for  the  beautiful 
and  strong  in  art.  Leonard  W.  Volk,  G.  F.  Rumsey  and  Lieut- 
Col.  J.  D.  Graham  took  an  active  part  in  making  the  exhibit  a 
success.  Mr.  Volk  assisted  in  preparing  the  exhibit  and  during 
the  display  served  as  curator.  Among  those  who  were  actively  in- 
terested in  the  success  of  the  exhibit  were  C.  B.  McCagg,  E.  K. 
Rogers,  W.  Barry,  W.  L.  Newberry,  Mark  Skinner,  S.  H.  Kerfoot, 
I.  N.  Arnold,  I.  H.  Burch,  J.  E.  Wilkins,  H.  H.  Magie  and  Alex- 
ander White. 

In  July,  1859,  the  following  trotting  horses  were  owned  in  this 
city:  Reindeer,  Prairie  Boy,  Chieftain  and  Mountain  Boy.  Mr. 
Moore,  their  owner,  shipped  them  all  to  Louisville,  Ky.,  where  they 
participated  in  a  series  of  races  late  in  July. 

On  July  27,  1859,  the  Excelsior  and  Columbia  baseball  clubs 
played  a  match  game  on  the  Prairie  cricket  grounds  near  Bull's 
Head.  The  score  was  as  follows :  Excelsior  49,  Columbia  33. 

In  August,  1859,  J.  W.  Brougham  appeared  at  McVicker's 
theater  in  a  series  of  plays,  among  which  were  "Dombey  and  Son," 
"Good  for  Nothing,"  etc. 

In  the  fall  of  1859  the  Audubon  Shooting  club  held  matches  near 
this  city.  Contests  were  carried  on  a  short  distance  from  the  lake 
shore.  Hunters  were  interested  at  this  time  in  making  records  of 
killing  game.  In  one  day  Hall  and  Scoville  killed  in  the  Winne- 
bago  swamp  the  following  game :  One  hundred  and  fifty  seven 
prairie  chickens,  92  ducks,  1 1  rail  and  about  25  miscellaneous  birds. 
This  broke  the  record  for  a  day's  shooting  up  to  that  time. 

During  the  fall  of  1859  the  drilling  of  Ellsworth's  cadets  at  the 
big  gymnasium  in  Garrett  block  attracted  the  attention  of  Chicago- 
ans.  Captain  Ellsworth  was  a  master  in  teaching  military  evolu- 
tions. The  perfection  of  the  drill  of  his  command  was  marveled 
at  by  all  Chicago.  A  little  later  his  cadets  made  a  tour  of  the  East 
and  were  the  sensation  of  the  season. 

In  June,  1859,  the  Chicago  Model  Yacht  Club  advertised  that 
in  August  a  regatta  would  be  held  near  the  mouth  of  the  Chicago 
river.  There  were  three  classes  of  boats  and  three  different  races. 
The  course"  was  from  the  North  pier  around  a  stake  boat  east  of 
Hyde  Park  and  return,  the  total  distance  being  about  ten  miles. 
This  race  attracted  the  attention  of  all  persons  interested  in  lake 
shipping  or  vessels  of  any  description.  The  race  was  witnessed  by 
thousands  of  Chicagoans  from  the  lake  front. 

In  June,  1859,  the  Peak  family  appeared  here  in  an  interesting 
musical  entertainment.  The  Ravells  exhibited  at  McVicker's 
theater  about  this  time.  In  June,  1859,  the  Prairie  Cricket  club  of 
Chicago,  which  had  won  the  city  championship,  played  a  match 
game  with  the  Cleveland  club  for  the  championship  of  the  West. 
This  game  was  played  in  Cleveland  and  was  won  by  the  Prairie 
Cricket  club. 


586  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

Several  years  before  1859  the  trotting  mare  Princess  was  owned 
by  Daniel  Gage,  of  the  Tremont  House.  In  fact,  Mr.  Gage  first 
developed  her  trotting  qualities  at  the  race  course  on  the  lake  front 
at  Cottage  Grove.  He  finally  sold  the  mare  for  $200.  She  was 
taken  East  and  in  June,  1859,  defeated  Flora  Temple  at  the  famous 
race  course  on  Long  Island.  Mr.  Gage,  upon  learning  this  news, 
expressed  regret  that  he  had  parted  with  the  famous  mare. 

In  July,  1859,  Cooper  Opera  company  rendered  here  in  English 
Verdi's  famous  "II  Trovatore."  This  was  an  important  event  in 
musical  circles  and  the  rendition  was  witnessed  by  the  most  cul- 
tured music  lovers  of  the  city. 

In  August,  1859,  the  famous  European  tragedian,  Barry  Sulli- 
van, presented  several  of  his  most  attractive  entertainments  to 
Chicago  people.  Among  them  were  "Beverly,"  "The  Gamester," 
"Twenty  Minutes  with  a  Tiger,"  etc.  His  acting  suited  the  dra- 
matic critics  and  was  witnessed  by  large  audiences. 

It  was  late  in  the  '50s  that  athletics  began  to  attract  great  atten- 
tion. Baseball  started  the  furor  and  billiard  tables  next  attracted 
lovers  of  sport.  Finally  water  athletics  engrossed  attention, 
and  about  the  same  time  boxing  and  running  became  favorite 
amusements.  In  August,  1859,  the  water  athletic  carnival  was  held 
in  the  lake  off  Jackson  street.  Great  crowds  witnessed  the  splendid 
exhibition  of  swimming,  diving,  etc. 

On  August  16  after  a  season  of  sharp  contests  the  Atlantic  base- 
ball club  by  a  score  of  18  to  16  defeated  the  Excelsior  club,  and  by 
so  doing  won  the  championship  of  the  West. 

In  1859  little  Mary  McVicker  was  a  charming  player  at  her 
father's  theater.  A  Chicago  lawyer  (Mr.  Wilson)  wrote  specially 
for  her  a  sparkling  drama  in  which  she  appeared  as  Gianetta,  the 
heroine  of  the  performance.  The  newspapers  spoke  of  her  acting 
as  of  unusual  merit. 

In  August,  1859,  as  high  as  $10,000  was  advertised  for  a  ten- 
mile  race  to  be  run  in  alternate  mile  heats  at  the  Brighton  race 
course  and  at  Garden  City  race  course.  Two  of  the  best  horses  in 
the  contest  were  Honest  John  and  Louisa  Uttley. 

In  September,  1859,  Phelan  and  Tiemann  gave  a  splendid  exhibi- 
tion of  billiard  playing  to  a  large  audience  in  this  city. 

In  September,  1859,  at  the  National  fair  held  here  the  racing 
was  an  important  feature  and  the  best  trotting  and  running  horses 
of  the  country  appeared  in  the  contests,  which  were  greatly  enjoyed 
by  many  Chicago  people.  Among  the  horses  were  Gray  Eddy, 
Black  Hawk  Maid,  Tippo,  Sultan,  Gypsy  Queen,  Billy,  Fox,  Belle 
of  Chicago,  Ike  Cook,  Wabash  Chief,  Reindeer,  Dick,  and  Ten- 
broeke.  Nearly  all  of  these  horses  were  owned  in  this  city.  At  the 
fair,  among  other  amusements,  were  pigeon-shooting  contests,  band 
drills,  military  drills,  racing,  and  balloon  ascensions.  The  fair  was 
held  at  Brighton,  which  is  now  the  Union  Stock  Yards.  At  the 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  587 

Garden  City  race  course  while  the  fair  was  in  progress  Flora  Tem- 
ple and  Princess  trotted  a  match  race.  The  best  time  was  2:31. 
The  newspapers  declared  that  the  race  was  a  fake  and  not  trotted 
on  its  merits.  Flora  Temple  was  winner  in  the  above  time,  but  the 
newspapers  declared  she  had  been  held  in  by  her  driver.  During 
the  races  at  the  fair  the  best  time  made  by  the  trotting  horses  was 
as  follows :  Belle  of  Saratoga,  2 :28y2  ;  Ike  Cook,  2  :33  ;  Dick  Ten- 
broeke,  2:41 ;  Black  Weasel,  2:44;  and  Magna  Charta,  2:46. 

In  1859  Mr.  Healy,  the  artist,  painted  a  portrait  of  President 
Buchanan  for  the  national  collection  at  Washington.  On  Septem- 
ber 18,  1859,  there  was  played  at  McVicker's  theater  a  billiard 
match  between  Michael  Phelan,  of  New  York,  and  Philip  Tiemann, 
of  Cincinnati.  Phelan  won  by  120  points  in  a  game  of  500  points. 
In  September,  1859,  James  Forbes  conducted  an  oil  painting  studio 
at  Washington  and  Dearborn  streets.  He  had  some  beautiful  speci- 
mens of  art  in  his  collection. 

In  October,  1859,  James  Anderson,  the  famous  American 
tragedian,  appeared  here  in  a  series  of  entertainments.  His  delin- 
eation of  the  character  of  Macbeth  was  pronounced  of  superior 
excellence.  He  appeared  also  in  Damon  and  Pythias.  The  Press 
and  Tribune  of  October  4,  1859,  said:  "We  hesitate  not  to  say 
that  Mr.  Anderson  is  the  best  tragedian  on  the  American  stage — 
much  the  superior  to  Edwin  Forrest."  In  October,  1859,  the  Chi- 
cago Academy  of  Natural  Sciences  and  the  Chicago  Academy  of 
Medical  Science  were  in  existence.  A  young  sculptor  of  Chicago 
named  John  Rodgers  made  at  this  time  in  plaster  a  group  entitled 
"The  Slave  Mart,"  which  received  the  highest  commendation  from 
Chicago  critics.  In  November,  1859,  James  E.  Murdock  appeared 
in  repertoire  here.  Among  the  plays  were  "Money,"  "Wild  Oats," 
"Laugh  When  You  Can,"  "Richelieu,"  "The  Gamester,"  "Pizarro," 
"Hamlet,"  "Robbers,"  etc.  His  entertainments  were  given  at  Mc- 
Vicker's. 

In  November,  1859,  Professor  Jacobs,  a  celebrated  ventriloquist 
and  magician,  entertained  the  Chicago  people.  In  December,  1859, 
Balfe's  celebrated  opera,  "Bohemian  Girl,"  was  rendered  here  by 
a  distinguished  English  opera  troupe,  which  also  rendered  "La 
Somnambula"  and  "A  Daughter  of  the  Regiment,"  etc.  In  De- 
cember, 1859,  Blondin,  the  famous  tight-rope  walker,  appeared  at 
Metropolitan  hall.  Late  in  1859  and  early  in  1860  Mary  Mc- 
Vicker  and  Mr.  Squires  gave  interesting  concerts  not  only  in 
Chicago  but  in  other  cities.  The  singing  of  the  little  girl  received 
the  approval  of  local  critics.  In  January,  1860,  Prof.  Evan  Ed- 
wards, of  Lemont,  wrote  excellent  poetry,  several  of  his  best  pro- 
ductions appearing  in  the  county  newspapers.  In  January,  1860,  at 
McVicker's  theater,  Miss  Kimberly  appeared  in  "The  Octoroon,  or 
Life  in  the  South."  The  play  was  not  well  received  here,  owing  per- 
haps to  the  prejudice  against  the  colored  people.  In  the  winter  of 


588  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

1859-60  Benjamin  F.  Taylor,  of  the  Journal,  lectured  here  and 
throughout  the  West  on  literary  subjects. 

In  February,  1860,  Melville  W.  Fuller  (1909  chief  justice  of  the 
United  States)  read  his  poem,  "Borrowed  Light,"  before  the 
Young  Men's  association.  At  the  same  time  Rev.  T.  W.  Hig- 
ginson  lectured ;  the  two  gentlemen  thus  gave  a  joint  entertain- 
ment. Judge  Fuller,  at  a  commencement  of  Bowdoin  college,  read 
his  poem,  "Flora  McFlimsy  at  Church,"  a  part  being  as  follows: 

To  no  religion  are  her  feelings  true ; 

She  goes  to  church  because  her  neighbors  do; 

Her  only  wish  her  friends  and  beaux  to  meet; 

With  gilded  prayer-book  and  a  cushioned  seat. 

Of  prayer  or  praise  does  she  but  little  reck, 

And  reads  the  hymns,  for  tho"  she  never  sings, 

An  open  book  will  best  display  her  rings. 

To  save  her  soul  in  vain  the  priest  aspires 

To  rouse  a  dread  of  everlasting  fires ; 

No  matter  what  the  force  he  puts  upon  it, 

She  smiles  at  him — and  thinks  about  her  bonnet. 

In  February,  I860,  Miss  Jane  Coombs  rendered  several  interest- 
ing dramatic  entertainments  here.  She  appeared  as  the  Countess  in 
the  drama  "Love." 

In  the  spring  of  1860  Thomas  B.  Bryan,  a  gentleman  of  excellent 
culture  and  probably  the  most  public  spirited  citizen  of  the  city, 
purchased  the  entire  picture  gallery  of  Healy,  the  artist,  and  placed 
the  same  in  his  new  hall  on  Dearborn  street.  The  pictures  cost 
a  total  of  about  $15,000  and  among  them  were  the  following: 
"Webster's  Reply  to  Hayne,"  "Franklin  at  the  French  Court,"  a 
portrait  of  all  the  Presidents,  also  of  Clay,  Webster,  Calhoun, 
Fremont,  Douglas,  Everett,  Story  and  others.  The  bust  of  Mr. 
Lincoln,  prepared  by  Leonard  W.  Volk,  was  finished  in  May,  1860. 
Mr.  Volk  also  made  a  bust  of  Douglas,  I.  N.  Arnold,  Rev.  Doctor 
Patterson  and  Dr.  Rodgers. 

In  1860  Edward  Wright  was  president  of  the  Prairie  Cricket 
club.  His  players  distinguished  themselves  by  defeating  the  clubs 
of  Detroit,  Cincinnati,  Cleveland  and  St.  Louis. 

In  April,  1860,  the  Excelsior  and  Niagara  baseball  clubs  played  a 
match  game  at  Bull's  Head  on  the  West  side;  the  score  was  as 
follows :  Excelsior,  44 ;  Niagara,  3. 

In  July,  1860,  Wood's  minstrels  gave  an  interesting  entertain- 
ment at  Kingsley  hall.  On  July  24  the  Douglas  and  Lincoln  base- 
ball clubs  played  a  match  game  at  West  Lake  and  Ann  streets. 
The  score  was  as  follows:  Douglas,  16;  Lincoln,  14.  Another 
game  was  played  between  the  Ossawatomie  Juniors  and  the  Wide 
Awake  Seniors,  the  score  being  62  to  12  in  favor  of  the  former. 
On  August  20  a  match  game  of  baseball  was  played  by  the  Atlan- 
tic and  Excelsior  second  nines,  with  the  following  result :  Atlan- 
tics,  9;  Excelsiors,  17.  F.  S.  Bostock,  of  the  Excelsior  club,  urn- 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  591 

pired  this  game.  On  August  25,  1860,  the  first  nines  of  the 
Atlantic  and  the  Excelsior  baseball  clubs  played  a  match  game,  with 
the  following  result : 

Atlantics    .  42244041      2—23 

Excelsiors    2      1      0      4      1      0      0      3      1—12 

The  newspapers  said  that  this  game  was  witnessed  by  a  much 
larger  crowd  than  ever  before  had  attended  a  match  game  in  this 
city.  The  Atlantics  had  been  the  champions  of  the  previous  year 
and  the  Excelsiors  made  desperate  efforts  in  1860  to  defeat  them. 
The  game  was  played  on  the  grounds  of  the  Prairie  Cricket  club 
near  Bull's  Head.  Over  1,000  people  paid  an  admission  fee  to  see 
the  contest.  The  newspapers  spoke  as  if  1,000  paid  admissions  were 
an  unusual  occurrence  in  baseball  annals.  Many  ladies  witnessed  the 
game. 

Mr.  Bryan,  with  the  Healy  gallery,  rendered  Bryan  hall  one  of 
the  most  beautiful  and  attractive  centers  of  the  city.  The  hall 
itself  was  decorated  and  finished  with  exquisite  taste.  The  stage  was 
78  by  76  feet.  The  stage  of  Metropolitan  hall  was  only  77  by  60 
feet. 

In  September,  1860,  the  great  prize  fight  between  Heenan  and 
Morrissey  at  Long  Point,  Canada,  attracted  the  attention  of  Chi- 
cago sporting  men. 

In  1860  the  newspapers  commented  favorably  upon  the  beautiful 
acting  of  Mary  McVicker  in  the  character  of  Gianetta  in  the  play 
of  the  same  name.  This  drama  was  written  by  S.  M.  Wilson, 
attorney.  She  also  appeared  in  "Youthful  Brigand,"  "Hamlet,"  as 
Little  Pickle  in  "A  Spoiled  Child,"  and  as  Desdifina  in  "Bombastes 
Furioso." 

In  May,  1860,  Hurley  and  Campbell's  minstrels  gave  an  interest- 
ing performance  at  Kingsbury  hall.  The  great  fight  between 
Heenan  and  Sayers  in  England  in  April,  1860,  possessed  great  in- 
terest for  the  sporting  fraternity  here.  In  the  spring  of  1860  Van 
Amberg  &  Co.'s  famous  menagerie  and  circus  opened  under  an 
immense  tent  on  Washington  street  opposite  the  courthouse. 

The  Metropolitan  gymnasium  in  the  Kingsbury  block  was  an 
attractive  resort  for  athletes  in  the  summer  of  1860.  The  gym- 
nasium was  conducted  by  John  C.  Babcock  and  William  B.  Curtiss. 
They  gave  instruction  in  athletics  of  various  kinds.  They  had  hori- 
zontal bars,  rings,  tight  ropes,  heavy  weights,  Indian  clubs,  and 
a  track  for  running  and  jumping.  In  May,  1860,  the  Osceola  and 
Junior  Excelsior  baseball  clubs  played  several  games  at  May  and 
West  Lake  streets.  In  June,  1860,  a  new  and  beautiful  ode  by 
B.  F.  Taylor  was  read  to  a  select  audience  in  one  of  the  halls. 
Late  in  June,  I860,  the  Niagara  and  Junior  Athletic  baseball  clubs 
played  at  May  and  West  Lake  streets.  The  score  was  as  follows: 
Niagaras,  27;  Junior  Athletics,  19. 

Vol.  1—34. 


592  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

On  June  19  and  20,  1860,  the  famous  musical  company  of  M. 
Strakosch  again  appeared  here  in  a  series  of  brilliant  entertain- 
ments. Among  the  performers  were  Adelina  Patti,  Madame  Stra- 
kosch, who  was  an  elder  sister  of  Adelina  Patti,  Sig.  Brigude,  Sig. 
Ferri  and  Sig.  Junca.  The  general  admission  was  $1 ;  reserved 
seats,  $2.  They  rendered  in  magnificent  style  "II  Trovatore," 
"Lucretia,"  "Martha,"  "La  Favorita"  and  "II  Barbier  di  Siriglia." 
Patti  was  invited  to  sing  in  the  Roman  Catholic  cathedral  and  ac- 
cepted the  invitation.  Her  appearance  on  Sunday  morning  in  the 
cathedral  was  an  event  of  great  importance  not  only  to  music  lovers 
but  to  church-goers.  The  Press  and  Tribune  said :  "No  singing 
ever  affected  us  like  the  singing  of  Adelina  Patti  in  the  Roman 
Catholic  cathedral  in  Chicago  on  one  Sunday  morning  in  the  leafy 
month  of  June."  That  paper  further  said :  "Patti  in  Chicago. — 
The  enthusiasm  that  a  week  or  more  since  was  manifested  in  ad- 
vance in  the  direction  of  reserved  seats  culminated,  but  not  to  wane, 
when  the  matchless  little  prima  donna,  Patti,  answered  all  expecta- 
tions and  more  than  met  every  anticipation  in  one  of  the  most  bril- 
liant triumphs  ever  won  before  a  Chicago  audience." 

In  June,  1860,  the  big  trot  between  Flora  Temple  and  Patchen 
was  watched  by  Chicago  sporting  men.  In  1860,  when  the  Repub- 
lican National  convention  assembled  in  the  historic  wigwam,  Tom 
Hyer,  the  famous  prize  fighter,  was  in  the  city  and  attended  the 
convention  one  or  more  times.  In  June,  1860,  two  men  named 
Hawkins  and  Royal,  sailors  from  one  of  the  lake  vessels,  fought 
a  prize  fight  near  the  cemetery.  After  the  fight  had  progressed 
about  fifteen  rounds  it  was  broken  up  by  a  raid  from  the  police. 

On  June  23  a  match  foot-race  occurred  in  the  Metropolitan  gym- 
nasium in  the  Kingsbury  block.  The  prize  was  a  championship  belt. 
The  distance  was  one-quarter  of  a  mile  and  was  covered  in  1  minute 
4l/2  seconds  by  J.  Van  Inwagen.  There  were  seven  contestants. 
About  this  time,  also,  a  wild  pigeon  shooting  match  occurred  just 
outside  the  city  limits.  J.  Farnsworth  secured  44  birds  out  of  50,  and 
G.  T.  Abbey  41  out  of  50.  The  shooting  occurred  at  Stagg's  trap, 
wherever  that  may  have  been. 

Among  those  who  lectured  before  the  Young  Men's  association 
during  the  winter  of  1859-60  were  the  following:  George  Vanden- 
hoff,  Prof.  E.  T.  Youmans,  Dr.  J.  G.  Holland,  Ralph  W.  Emerson, 
Rev.  T.  Starr  King,  Bayard  Taylor,  James  Russell  Lowell,  Henry 
Ward  Beecher,  E.  H.  Chapin,  Mortimer  Thompson,  Prof.  L.  Agas- 
siz,  Oliver  W.  Holmes,  Wendell  Phillips,  George  W.  Curtis  and 
Rev.  Charles  Wadsworth. 

In  September,  1860,  at  the  Cottage  Grove  park,  the  two  horses 
Ethan  Allen  and  Prairie  Boy  trotted  for  a  purse  of  $500.  The  fol- 
lowing day  Dracow,  of  New  York,  and  Prairie  Boy  trotted  for  a 
purse  of  $300,  three  best  in  five.  Dracow  won,  his  best  time  being 
2:35. 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  593 

In  September,  1860,  Miss  Jane  Coombs  appeared  at  McVicker's 
theater  in  "School  for  Scandal"  and  "Evadne."  The  Osceola  and 
Niagara  baseball  clubs  played  several  match  games  which  were 
attended  by  large  audiences.  In  October  an  important  game  was 
played  on  Sangamon  street,  between  Jackson  and  Van  Buren,  by 
the  Niagara  and  Ossawatomie  clubs,  the  score  being  Niagara  28, 
Ossawatomie  11. 

In  November,  1860,  D.  W.  Waller  appeared  here  in  a  series  of 
interesting  presentations.  His  Othello  and  Macbeth  were  highly 
praised.  Mrs.  Emma  Waller  assumed  the  part  of  lago. 

In  November  John  C.  Heenan,  the  prize  fighter,  came  to  Chicago. 
He  advertised  to  give  a  boxing  exhibition  and  the  hall  did  not 
hold  one-half  of  those  who  gathered  to  see  the  performance.  The 
first  bout  was  between  Price  and  Perkins;  the  second  between 
Carroll  and  Ryan,  of  Chicago;  the  third  between  McBride  and 
O'Regan,  both  of  Chicago;  the  fourth  between  Perkins  and 
Thompson,  of  Chicago,  and  the  fifth  between  Pell,  of  Cottage 
Grove,  and  Powers,  of  Chicago.  During  the  performance  Mons. 
Gregorie,  a  strong  man,  gave  an  exhibition  of  lifting  great  weights. 
The  closing  performance  was  a  boxing  bout  of  six  rounds  between 
Mr.  Heenan  and  Aaron  Jones.  It  was  noticed  that  when  Heenan 
came  on  the  stage  he  had  a  black  eye.  The  admission  at  this  enter- 
tainment was  50  cents.  It  took  place  in  Bryan  hall. 

In  November,  1860,  the  first  exhibition  of  the  work  of  Chicago 
artists  was  opened  at  Hessler's  gallery.  The  principal  works  were 
those  of  Volk,  the  sculptor,  and  Healy,  the  painter.  It  was  a  cred- 
itable exhibit  and  was  praised  highly  by  newspaper  critics  of  tint 
date.  About  this  time  it  was  announced  that  George  F.  Root,  a 
famous  musical  composer  who  had  been  residing  in  New  York, 
was  soon  to  make  his  permanent  home  in  Chicago.  Lovers  of 
music  in  Chicago  welcomed  the  announcement  and  predicted  that 
Chicago  would  become  a  congenial  field  for  the  display  of  Mr. 
Root's  talent. 

In  November,  1860,  Julian  S.  Rumsey  was  president  of  the 
Ogden  Skating  club.  During  the  winters  for  several  years  previous 
skating  was  a  popular  pastime  in  which  many  Chicagoans  partici- 
pated. There  were  several  extremely  graceful  and  skillful  skaters 
here. 

Several  years  before  this  date  George  P.  A.  Healy,  the  Chicago 
artist,  had  been  commissioned  by  Congress  to  paint  portraits  of  all 
the  Presidents  of  the  United  States.  He  completed  his  task  about 
this  time,  and  his  works  are  in  existence  yet  and  may  be  seen  at 
Washington,  D.  C. 

In  December,  I860,  a  Mr.  Berger  visited  Chicago  on  a  tour 
throughout  the  West  giving  exhibitions  of  fancy  billiard  playing. 
The  newspapers  spoke  very  highly  of  his  remarkable  skill.  In 
December,  1860,  the  Chicago  Art  Union  gave  one  of  the  best  ex- 


594  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

hibits  ever  shown  to  Chicago  people.  Among  those  who  con- 
tributed masterpieces  were  C.  H.  McCormick,  J.  H.  Kinzie,  W.  F. 
Gurnee,  I.  N.  Arnold  and  Dr.  Caldwell.  About  300  oil  apintings 
were  shown,  besides  many  pieces  of  sculpture  and  other  forms  of 
art.  This  exhibit  was  the  largest  and  best  ever  given  here  up  to  this 
date. 

In  January,  1861,  many  fine  oil  paintings  were  exhibited  at 
Union  Gallery  No.  2.  Among  the  finest  were  "Mary  at  the  Feet 
of  the  Savior,"  "A  Roman  Landscape,"  "A  Spanish  Pastoral," 
"The  Siege  of  Yorktown,"  "View  on  the  Hudson,"  "Scene  in  the 
Catskills,"  "The  Prodigal  Son,"  and  "The  Binding  of  Samson  by 
the  Philistines."  In  January,  1861,  Dr.  J.  G.  Holland  and  Rev. 
Dr.  Tiffany,  of  Chicago,  lectured  before  the  Young  Men's  associa- 
tion. At  this  time  also  Professor  Youmans  delivered  several  lec- 
tures here  on  branches  of  geology.  Henry  Ward  Beecher  said  of 
Professor  Youmans  that  he  surpassed  all  the  men  he  had  ever  heard 
in  popularizing  science. 

In  January,  1861,  an  important  convention  of  gymnasts  and 
athletes  was  held  at  Bryan  hall.  Representatives  were  here  from  all 
parts  of  the  country.  Among  the  most  distinguished  was  Doctor 
Winship,  of  Massachusetts.  Prizes  to  the  amount  of  $1,000  were 
given.  Dr.  Winship  lifted  four  kegs  of  nails  weighing  1,000 
pounds.  He  also  lifted  in  harness  on  his  shoulders  1,517  pounds. 
He  shouldered  a  barrel  of  flour  weighing  229  pounds  and  slowly 
lowered  it  to  the  floor.  At  this  meeting  also  William  Thompson, 
of  Chicago,  lifted  in  harness  2,106  pounds  and  by  so  doing  received 
a  prize  of  $200,  and  Mr.  Curtis  swung  the  100-pound  dumb-bells. 
Thompson  also  toyed  with  a  dumb-bell  weighing  165  pounds. 

In  February,  1861,  the  Chicago  Curling  club  was  in  existence 
and  gave  a  series  of  public  exhibitions  on  the  North  side. 

In  February,  1861,  Mr.  Sothern  appeared  here  in  an  entertain- 
ment that  attracted  the  attention  of  theater-goers  and  received  large 
patronage.  His  appearance  as  "Lord  Dundreary,"  it  was  declared, 
could  not  be  surpassed. 

In  March,  1861,  the  Chicago  Art  Union  offered  prizes  for  the 
best  specimens  of  artistic  work,  but  owing  to  the  hard  times  inci- 
dental to  the  war  withdrew  the  offer  a  little  later. 

In  1861  the  famous  old  trotting  horse  Moscow  was  owned  in 
this  city.  At  one  time  he  was  the  fastest  trotter  in  the  United 
States.  In  1852  he  had  beaten  Lady  Suffolk  in  the  time  of  2:21 
on  the  famous  Long  Island  course.  In  1861  he  was  about  26 
years  old  and  was  owned  by  W.  W.  Eggleston.  Formerly  he  had 
been  owned  by  Robert  B.  Mills. 

In  March,  1861,  Grace  Greenwood  lectured  here  on  the  subject 
of  "The  Heroic  in  Common  Life."  Her  lecture  was  greatly  en- 
joyed. From  1857  to  1861  G.  G.  Thomas,  96  Adams  street,  manu- 
factured billiard  balls. 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  595 

In  April,  1861,  James  E.  Murdock  appeared  at  McVicker's 
theater  in  "Hamlet,"  "The  Elder  Brother,"  etc.  Soon  after  the  war 
commenced  George  F.  Root,  musical  composer,  began  to  publish 
war  songs,  many  of  which  became  very  popular  as  time  passed. 
In  April  Miss  Dresser  lectured  here  on  "Brigham  Young  and  the 
Mormon  Church."  She  described  the  inside  workings  of  polygamy 
in  Utah. 

In  July,  1861,  Jerry  Donavan  and  John  McGlade,  prize  fighters, 
trained  secretly  in  this  city  and  finally  fought  a  match  at  Ains- 
worth,  the  present  South  Chicago.  McGlade  lost  in  the  twelfth 
round  after  a  desperate  fight.  The  men  were  so  exhausted  at  the 
conclusion  of  the  contest  that  they  fell  down  by  the  force  of  their 
own  blows.  McGlade  was  counted  out  after  he  had  fallen  under 
these  circumstances.  The  decision  was  disputed  because  it  was 
claimed  he  had  not  been  defeated  by  his  opponent  in  a  direct  act. 

In  July,  1861,  Chicago  as  well  as  the  whole  United  States 
marveled  at  the  large  and  beautiful  comet  seen  every  evening  in  the 
northwestern  heavens.  Many  superstitious  people  thought  in  the 
early  stages  of  the  war  that  the  comet  was  sent  to  destroy  the  earth 
as  a  punishment  for  slavery  and  the  struggle  between  brothers  on 
this  continent. 

Sporting  men  this  year  anxiously  heard  the  details  of  the  great 
fight  in  England  between  Mace  and  Hurst.  The  former,  although 
much  the  smaller,  won  the  fight. 

In  August,  1861,  E.  A.  Sothern  again  appeared  here  at  Mc- 
Vicker's theater.  His  most  popular  play  during  this  season  was 
"The  Angel  at  Midnight."  Scores  were  turned  away  from  the 
theater  every  night. 

In  August,  1861,  a  trot  took  place  at  the  Brighton  race  course 
between  Twilight  Raven  and  Captain  Buford,  famous  horses  of  that 
day.  The  race  was  one  mile  heats,  two  best  in  three,  for  a  purse 
of  $200.  The  best  time  was  about  2:30.  In  1858  the  Mendels- 
sohn Musical  society  was  organized  in  this  city.  It  was  not  strong 
and  prominent,  however,  and  did  not  make  much  of  a  showing 
until  1861;  at  which  date  it  received  a  large  increase  in  membership 
and  likewise  received  funds  which  enabled  it  to  renew  its  power 
and  influnce. 

In  October,  1861,  the  monument  to  Stephen  A.  Douglas  was 
designed  here.  The  committee  having  the  work  in  charge  con- 
sisted of  John  M.  Wilson,  George  W.  Volk,  S.  M.  Fuller,  H.  G. 
Miller,  W.  C.  Goudy,  J.  W.  Sheahan  and  J.  M.  Rountree.  Mr. 
Volk  designed  the  monument.  In  October,  1861,  Mr.  Chanfrau 
appeared  in  repertoire  at  McVicker's  theater.  Among  his  presenta- 
tions were  the  plays  "Phelim  O'Flanigan,"  "O'Flanigan  and  the 
Fairies,"  "Timothy  Toodles,"  etc. 

Late  in  1861  there  were  brought  here  from  the  old  Dusseldorf 
gallery  of  New  York  many  valuable  paintings  which  were  collected 


596  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  . 

into  a  gallery  in  Kingsbury  block.  There  they  were  on  exhibition 
and  from  time  to  time  were  sold  at  public  auction.  As  there  were 
many  masterpieces  among  the  collection,  Chicagoans  were  enabled 
to  secure  rare  art  treasures  at  a  comparatively  low  price. 

In  November,  1861,  the  Philharmonic  society  gave  several  splen- 
did entertainments  at  Bryan  hall,  and  devoted  a  portion  of  the 
proceeds  to  the  support  of  soldiers'  families.  The  entertainments 
were  patronized  by  Chicago  music  lovers. 

In  December,  1861,  the  famous  prize  fighter  Bendigo  was  put  in 
training  at  Cottage  Grove  preparatory  to  a  fight  with  McGlade, 
who  also  trained  near  this  city.  The  fight  occurred  about  January 
1,  1862,  at  Wright's  Station  and  was  won  by  Bendigo. 

In  December,  1861,  Mr.  Collins,  always  a  favorite  here,  enter- 
tained the  public  at  McVicker's  theater.  He  appeared  in  "Teddy 
the  Tiler,"  "The  Boys  of  the  Irish  Brigade,"  "The  Glory  of  Ameri- 
ca," "How  to  Pay  the  Rent,"  etc.  Gen.  Tom  Thumb  was  at  Wood's 
museum  about  this  time.  Late  in  1861  Italian  grand  opera  was  ren- 
dered here  in  Bryan  hall.  Among  the  performances  were  "Lu- 
cretia  Borgia,"  "Barber  of  Seville,"  "Lucia  di  Lammermoor,"  "Don 
Paskale,"  "II  Trovatore,"  etc.  Among  the  performers  were  Sig. 
Brignoli,  tenor;  Marcusi,  baritone;  Susini,  basso;  and  Mallen 
Hauer,  violoncellist. 

It  was  at  this  time  that  J.  S.  Rarey  gave  his  marvelous  exhibit 
of  horse  training  at  North's  amphitheater.  His  method  of  handling 
vicious  horses  was  a  revelation  to  the  horsemen  of  this  city.  He 
formed  a  class  and  gave  instruction  along  the  lines  which  had  made 
him  so  successful  as  a  trainer  of  wild  horses.  In  January,  1862, 
Heller,  the  magician,  appeared  at  Bryan  hall  in  an  interesting  enter- 
tainment. In  February,  1862,  Professor  Anderson  appeared  here 
in  the  character  of  Rob  Roy. 

During  1862  there  were  numerous  dog  and  cock  fights,  not  only 
at  Camp  Douglas,  but  throughout  Chicago.  There  was  a  city 
ordinance  against  such  an  exhibition,  but  sporting  men  managed  to 
evade  the  law.  Every  Sunday  fights  of  that  kind  occurred  either 
in  the  city  or  in  the  suburbs.  One  dog  fight  lasted  one  and  one-half 
hours  and  was  bloody  and  brutal  in  the  extreme. 

In  January,  1862,  John  Wilkes  Booth,  the  third  son  of  the  elder 
Booth,  appeared  here  in  "Richard  the  III,"  "Romeo  and  Juliet," 
"The  Apostate,"  "Hamlet,"  etc.  The  newspapers  spoke  very  highly 
of  his  performances,  notwithstanding  his  youth. 

In  January,  1862,  a  saloon  at  the  corner  of  Canal  and  Randolph 
streets  was  raided  by  the  police,  who  arrested  eleven  prize  fighters, 
among  whom  were  Jerry  Donovan  and  James  Burns,  who  had  pre- 
viously been  the  seconds  of  Bendigo  in  a  fight  the  latter  had  south 
of  the  city.  Bendigo  himself  was  present  and  was  also  arrested. 
All  were  fined  the  next  day.  Donovan  and  Bendigo  gave  bail  for 
a  future  hearing.  A  little  later  the  police  raided  a  so-called  boxing 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  597 

exhibit  on  Archer  road,  near  Bridgeport,  and  arrested  twenty-six 
performers.  The  prize  fighter  John  McGlade  was  one  of  those  ar- 
rested. He  had  previously  fought  Bendigo  near  this  city.  Free- 
man, the  keeper  of  the  house  on  Archer  road,  was  fined  $10  and  all 
the  others,  including  McGlade,  $3  each. 

In  January,  1862,  Professor  Winship,  of  Massachusetts,  appeared 
here  in  feats  of  strength.  Chicago  at  this  time  had  a  strong  man — 
William  Thompson — who  lifted  publicly  in  conjunction  with  Mr. 
Winship.  Mr.  Thompson  raised  with  one  hand  a  dumb-bell  weigh- 
ing 162  pounds.  He  lifted  2,000  pounds  by  means  of  harness. 

In  March,  1862,  Christy's  burlesque  opera  house  at  the  corner 
of  Randolph  and  La  Salle  streets  was  one  of  the  principal  resorts 
for  lovers  of  the  comic.  Miss  Julia  Daly,  comic  actress,  appeared 
at  McVicker's  theater  in  March,  1862.  At  this  time  Hermann,  the 
wizard,  who  it  was  said  surpassed  all  other  magicians  of  the  "black 
art,"  gave  a  week's  entertainment  to  Chicagoans. 

In  the  spring  of  1862  Wendell  Phillips,  who  had  just  come  from 
Cincinnati  where  he  had  been  pelted  by  his  audience  with  rotten 
eggs,  lectured  here  on  "The  Lost  Arts."  "The  War,"  etc.  His  hot 
words  did  not  meet  the  same  fate  they  encountered  in  Cincinnati. 

In  April,  1862,  L.  M.  Gottschalk  gave  a  number  of  interesting 
concerts  in  this  city.  He  was  a  young  American  pianist  of  wonder- 
ful power  and  promise.  He  was  assisted  by  Carlotta  Patti,  soprano; 
George  Simpson,  tenor ;  and  Sig.  Morino,  baritone. 

On  April  22,  1862,  the  Young  Men's  Christian  association  cele- 
brated its  fourth  anniversary.  The  proceedings  were  interesting 
and  varied,  and  embraced  the  reading  of  a  history  of  the  organiza- 
tion since  its  commencement. 

In  1862  Healy,  the  artist,  completed  a  full  length  portrait  in  oil  of 
General  Rosecrans. 

Before  May,  1862,  the  old  cricket  clubs  had  wholly  disappeared. 
The  members  had  parted  and  gone  to  the  war.  During  1861  the 
club  had  won  the  championship  of  the  West  with  the  single  excep- 
tion of  Detroit.  The  sport  was  so  well  liked  here  that  in  May,  1862, 
a  new  club  was  organized  and  took  possession  of  the  old  Prairie 
cricket  grounds  near  Bull's  Head  on  the  West  Side.  James  Stin- 
son  was  president  of  the  new  organization,  which  was  named  Zin- 
gari  Cricket  club. 

In  May,  1862,  the  famous  Hutchinsons  again  appeared  here  in 
their  charming  songs  and  were  well  patronized.  The  oratorio  of 
"Elijah"  was  presented  at  Bryan  hall  by  a  Philadelphia  orchestra 
and  a  chorus  of  100  Chicagoans.  The  entertainment  was  pro- 
nounced a  great  success.  Mr.  Balatka  was  the  conductor. 

In  May,  1862,  Edward  Everett  lectured  before  the  Young  Mens' 
association  on  the  subject  "Origin  and  Character  of  the  War." 
In  May  John  Ward  and  Patrick  McMullen  fought  a  prize  fight  on 
North  Water  street,  but  upon  being  interrupted  by  the  police  ad- 


598  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

journed  and  renewed  the  contest  at  "The  Sands."  They  were 
finally  arrested  and  fined.  In  May  Mr.  Hackett  appeared  in  Shakes- 
pearean characters.  His  rendition  of  Falstaff  was  greatly  enjoyed 
by  theater-goers.  In  May  Secretary  Chase's  national  banking  law 
attracted  the  attention  of  all  the  citizens  of  Chicago. 

In  June  John  Wilkes  Booth,  who  later  became  the  assassin  of 
President  Lincoln,  appeared  at  McVicker's  theater.  He  presented 
some  half-dozen  performances,  among  which  were  "Shylock" 
and  "Romeo  and  Juliet."  During  the  balcony  scene  in  the  latter 
the  balcony  broke  down,  landing  Juliet  prostrate  at  Romeo's  feet. 
He  picked  her  up  and  retired  behind  the  scenes.  The  manager 
came  forward,  explained  and  apologized ;  the  balcony  was  repaired 
and  the  act  was  resumed  amid  the  cheers  of  the  audience. 

In  July,  1862,  Hanbuger  appeared  here  in  a  sleight  of  hand  per- 
formance. In  June,  1862,  William  King,  of  Springfield,  and  John 
Farnsworth,  of  this  city,  gave  a  shooting  exhibition  at  the  Horse 
Fair  grounds,  Cottage  Grove.  The  contest  was  25  double  birds 
and  50  single  birds  each  at  25  yards  rise  and  bounds  of  100  yards. 
Of  the  doubles,  King  killed  34  and  Farnsworth  27  out  of  the  50. 
There  were  1,000  spectators. 

In  July,  1862,  Mr.  Healy,  the  artist,  announced  that  he  expected 
to  change  his  residence  to  Boston.  He  therefore  offered  his  entire 
gallery  of  paintings  for  sale ;  but  the  sale  was  not  made  and  he  con- 
tinued a  resident  of  Chicago. 

In  July,  1862,  Messrs.  King  and  Farnsworth  held  another  shoot- 
ing match,  during  which  King  killed  51  single  birds  out  of  60 
and  Farnsworth  49  out  of  60.  Of  the  double  birds,  King  killed  13 
out  of  40  and  Farnsworth  28  out  of  40. 

In  August,  1862,  McDonough  appeared  here  in  the  character  of 
Virginius.  His  acting  was  greatly  enjoyed. 

In  September,  1862,  the  first  music  book  ever  prepared,  stereo- 
typed and  printed  in  this  city  was  issued  from  the  Tribune  office. 
It  was  called  "The  Silver  Lute"  and  was  designed  for  scholars  and 
teachers.  Its  author  was  George  F.  Root.  Large  numbers  were 
sold  throughout  the  United  States  and  orders  for  this  book  came 
even  from  Boston.  Among  the  songs  were  "Battle  Cry  of  Freed- 
om," "Kingdom  Coming,"  etc. 

In  October,  1862,  John  Antrobus,  a  portrait  painter  of  unusual 
strength  and  taste,  located  here.  At  this  date  Volk,  the  sculptor, 
was  at  work  on  an  ideal  statue  of  an  Indian.  In  October  the  sale  of 
Mr.  Healy's  paintings  was  in  progress.  Among  the  pictures  were 
portraits  of  Rosecrans,  Webster,  Fillmore,  Pryor,  Giles  Spring  and 
Marshal  Souet. 

In  October,  1862,  the  Chicago  Musical  Union  again  presented 
several  meritorious  concerts  which  were  largely  attended  by  mu- 
sically inclined  Chicagoans.  Mr.  Balatka  was  the  leader. 

In  March,  1863,  the  Young  Men's  association  having  concluded 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  599 

to  build  a  home  for  themselves,  called  for  subscriptions,  and  among 
the  subscribers  were  the  following:  Charles  D.  Ogden,  $1,000;  John 
V.  Farwell,  $1,000;  Thomas  B.  Bryan,  $1,000;  J.  Y.  Scammon, 
$1,000;  Doggett,  Bassett  &  Hills,  $500;  Brown  Bros.,  $500. 

In  October,  1862,  Jastrebski,  a  celebrated  Polish  fresco  painter, 
located  in  this  city.  A  few  of  his  earliest  productions  were  spoken 
of  in  the  highest  terms  by  the  newspapers  of  that  date. 

In  November,  1862,  Robert  Kennicott,  of  Cook  county,  who  had 
traveled  and  explored  in  British  North  America  as  far  as  the  Polar 
Sea,  lectured  here  before  the  Young  Men's  association  on  his  ex- 
periences. While  absent  he  had  visited  the  Yukon  river  in  Alaska. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  Chicago  Audubon  club  and  was  traveling 
under  the  direction  of  Smithsonian  Institution,  Washington.  D.  n. 

Late  in  1862  the  young  sculptor,  John  Rogers,  exhibited  to  the 
public  a  few  specimens  of  his  work,  which  received  the  highest  praise 
of  Chicago  critics.  He  molded  in  plaster  the  following :  "Watering 
the  Horse,"  "The  Picket  Guard,"  "The  Sharp  Shooter,"  "Castles 
in  the  Air,"  etc.  His  works  attracted  the  attention  of  artists 
throughout  the  country  and  in  a  short  time  he  removed  to  New 
York. 

Late  in  1862  John  Wilkes  Booth  again  appeared  here  in 
"Othello,"  "Shylock,"  "Richard  III,"  "Hamlet,"  "Claude  Mel- 
notte,"  "Marble  Heart,"  etc.  His  entertainments  were  largely  at- 
tended and  his  efforts,  while  criticised,  yet,  as  a  whole,  received  the 
approval  of  critics  and  the  public. 

During  the  winter  of  1862-3  skating  was  probably  the  most  pop- 
ular pastime  of  Chicagoans.  Washington  skating  park  consisted 
of  five  acres  and  was  located  on  Randolph  street  a  short  distance 
east  of  Union  park.  Central  skating  park  consisted  of  three  acres 
at  Twelfth  street  and  Michigan  avenue.  Ogden  skating  park  was 
located  on  the  North  Side  at  the  foot  of  Superior  street.  Thousands 
of  people  enjoyed  this  sport. 

In  January,  1863,  G.  S.  Calliso  and  H.  Geyer  sold  an  elegant 
gallery  of  landscape  paintings  at  public  auction.  Generally  they 
brought  good  prices.  About  this  time  Carlotta  Patti  appeared  here 
in  concerts.  In  January,  1863,  the  Chicago  Musical  Union  gave 
another  of  their  splendid  renditions  of  Hayden's  "Creation."  Im- 
mense audiences  listened  to  the  performances.  During  the  winter 
of  1862-3  Mr.  Ford,  a  distinguished  landscape  painter  who  had 
spent  four  years  abroad  in  study,  opened  a  studio  in  the  Volk  and 
Antrobus  art  building. 

In  January,  1863,  home  talent  gave  a  series  of  brilliant  musical 
entertainments  for  the  benefit  of  the  Sanitary  commission.  Late 
in  January,  1863,  Mrs.  Jane  G.  Swisshelm  lectured  here  on  the 
subject  of  the  "Indian  Massacre  in  Minnesota."  Her  incisive  meth- 
od of  discussion,  her  brilliant  criticisms  of  political  affairs  and  her 
intense  literary  style  were  greatly  enjoyed  by  all  who  heard  her. 
She  was  at  this  date  editor  of  the  St.  Cloud  (Minn.)  Democrat. 


600  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

Late  in  January,  1863,  the  Philharmonic  society  gave  several  well 
attended  performances  at  Bryan  hall.  Hans  Balatka  was  leader. 

In  January,  1863,  the  celebrated  actor  J.  W.  Florence  appeared 
at  McVicker's  theater  in  several  brilliant  performances.  About 
this  time  Ralph  W.  Emerson  lectured  before  the  Young  Men's  asso- 
ciation on  "Perpetual  Forces." 

In  February,  1863,  a  new  gallery  of  paintings  was  opened  for 
exhibition  at  107  Lake  street.  The  gallery  embraced  selections  from 
all  modern  schools.  In  February,  1863,  Peter  Cartwright  lectured 
before  the  Young  Men's  association  and  about  the  same  time  the 
distinguished  tragedian,  James  E.  Murdock,  presented  several  in- 
teresting entertainments. 

In  March,  1863,  H.  M.  Higgins,  music  publisher,  issued  a  patri- 
otic glee  book,  written  and  composed  by  Chicagoans,  which  had  a 
large  sale  throughout  the  country. 

In  April,  1863,  John  Antrobus,  who  had  been  in  the  South,  ex- 
hibited here  several  exquisite  landscapes  which  were  purchased  by 
the  leading  citizens.  At  this  time  also  Healy's  landscapes  were 
greatly  admired.  It  was  thought  that  his  specialty  was  in  the  line 
of  portrait  painting,  but  he  proved  that  in  still  life  he  could  also 
produce  excellent  effect. 

In  April,  1863,  the  distinguished  Irish  orator,  Mason  Jones,  lec- 
tured here  on  "Thomas  Curran  and  the  Wits  of  the  Irish  Bar." 

In  April,  1863,  a  match  billiard  game  was  played  in  this  city. 
The  prize  was  a  $500  billiard  table,  and  the  points  played  were  1,500. 
Among  the  contestants  were  W.  Campbell,  C.  Coan,  T.  McCarty, 
and  H.  LeBrun.  The  match  was  the  American  four-ball  carom 
game.  Campbell  was  the  winner  of  the  contest. 

In  the  summer  of  1863  another  splendid  exhibition  of  the  oil 
paintings  owned  in  the  city  was  given  for  the  benefit  of  soldiers'  fam- 
ilies. The  paintings  of  artists  Healy,  Ford,  Antrobus  and  Reed 
were  pronounced  specially  meritorious. 

In  May,  1863,  Root's  operetta  was  rendered  here  before  a  large 
audience  in  Bryan  hall.  It  had  been  shown  here  before,  but  was 
always  popular.  It  was  presented  wholly  by  home  talent  and  was 
given  the  most  beautiful  setting  ever  witnessed  in  Chicago.  The 
scenery,  flowers,  shrubs,  beautiful  girls,  rich  costumes  and  en- 
chanting singing  were  fully  appreciated  by  the  immense  audiences 
which  attended. 

In  May,  1863,  John  Wilkes  Booth  again  appeared  here  in  trag- 
edy. About  this  time  Henry  Clay  Work's  famous  composition, 
"Song  of  a  Thousand  Years,"  became  popular  throughout  the 
country.  For  weeks  every  one  in  Chicago  sang  the  sweeping 
music. 

In  June,  1863,  Italian  opera  was  presented  here.  The  attendance 
broke  all  records  in  this  city.  The  first  day's  sale  of  seats  amounted 
in  round  numbers  to  $4,000.  On  the  second  day  the  sales  slightly 
exceeded  that  amount. 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  601 

In  June,  1863,  Volk  completed  busts  of  Dan  Rice  and  Seth  Catlin. 
About  this  date  Antrobus  finished  a  superior  painting  in  oil  of 
Judge  Manierre  for  the  Law  Institute. 

In  July,  1863,  Miss  Hosmer  appeared  at  McVicker's  theater,  and 
VanAmberg's  menagerie  exhibited  in  a  tent  on  the  South  side. 

In  1857  Mr.  Frodsham,  principal  of  the  old  Dusseldorf  gallery 
of  New  York,  brought  to  America  a  magnificent  collection  of  Eu- 
ropean paintings  known  as  the  "French  Exhibit."  This  collection 
contained  many  masterpieces  and  all  possessed  high  merit.  By 
1863  many  of  this  collection  had  found  their  way  to  the  homes  of 
Chicagoans.  It  was  now  proposed  that  a  public  exhibition  of  these 
and  other  works  of  art  should  be  given  for  the  benefit  of  soldiers' 
families.  It  was  determined  to  exhibit  them  amid  proper  surround- 
ings and  to  charge  an  admission  fee. 

In  July,  1863,  the  officers  of  the  Chicago  Musical  Union  elected 
at  the  annual  meeting  were  as  follows :  G.  R.  Chittenden,  president ; 
J.  H.  Bross,  secretary;  C.  M.  Cady,  treasurer.  In  July,  1863,  Healy 
completed  a  fine  portrait  of  Governor  Yates.  At  this  date  the  fa- 
mous songs  "Daisy  Dean,"  "Babylon  is  Fallen,"  and  "Before  the 
Battle,  Mother,"  were  popular  here. 

In  August,  1863,  the  Chicago  museum  was  opened  in  Kings- 
bury  hall.  At  this  time  several  interesting  trotting  races  were  held 
at  the  Chicago  Driving  park.  The  park  consisted  of  sixty  acres  at 
Cottage  Grove.  The  best  time  made  was  about  2  :35.  One  thousand 
persons  paid  to  witness  the  races.  At  that  date  no  liquor  was  per- 
mitted to  be  sold  on  the  grounds  and  the  meeting  was  attended  by 
the  best  people  of  the  city. 

In  August,  1863,  another  billiard  match  for  $200  a  side  was 
played  by  Campbell,  of  Chicago,  and  Parker,  of  New  York.  The 
game  was  four-ball  carom,  1,000  points.  Mr.  Parker  won  the  first 
game  and  Mr.  Campbell  the  second.  An  ordinance  prohibited  the 
contest  and  both  the  principals  were  arrested  and  fined. 

In  September,  1863,  a  match  game  of  baseball  was  played  be- 
tween the  Garden  City  and  Osceola  clubs,  the  score  being  19  to  16 
in  favor  of  the  latter.  The  game  was  played  at  the  Prairie  cricket 
grounds  on  the  West  side.  G.  Kinzie,  of  the  Atlantic  club,  was 
umpire.  Nearly  1,000  people  attended  this  game. 

In  the  fall  of  1863  John  Antrobus,  the  artist,  painted  a  life-sized 
portrait  of  General  Grant.  This  portrait  is  now  owned  in  this  city. 
In  September,  1863,  the  trotting  horse  Black  Diamond  defeated  the 
horse  Cooley  at  the  Chicago  Driving  park  near  Cottage  Grove  in 
three  straight  heats,  the  best  time  being  2:44y2.  The  prize  was 
$500.  At  this  time  D.  Thompson  was  president  of  the  Driving 
Park  association,  and  Charles  D.  Braggon,  secretary.  At  the  same 
meeting  Jersey  Boy  defeated  Plow  Boy  two  best  out  of  three,  in  a 
trotting  match,  the  best  time  being  2  :53. 

In  September,  1863,  Mr.  Hackett  appeared  at  McVicker's  theater 
in  "Mazeppa,"  "Rip  Van  Winkle,"  etc. 


602  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

The  studio  of  Mr.  Antrobus  was  on  State  street.  In  September, 
1863,  he  showed  portraits  of  Mrs.  McVicker,  Joseph  Rutter,  John 
V.  Farwell,  Russell  Jones,  Carrie  Church  and  others. 

Late  in  1863  a  new  negro  minstrel  hall  was  built  on  Washington 
street  between  Dearborn  and  Clark.  At  the  Northwestern  Sanitary 
fair  held  here  in  1863,  Mr.  Volk  had  charge  of  the  art  department. 

Musical  concerts  by  Mrs.  Mozart  and  Mr.  Thomas  were  enjoyed 
by  the  Chicago  public  in  October.  Late  in  1863  Gilbert  &  Sampson 
opened  an  art  exhibit  at  48  Dearborn  street.  The  most  of  their  ex- 
hibit was  offered  for  sale. 

The  first  Chicagoan  to  become  a  prima  donna  was  Miss  Anna 
Frederica  Magnussen,  who  made  her  debut  in  October,  1863.  She 
had  recently  returned  from  Europe  where  she  had  pursued  a  course 
of  musical  instruction. 

In  November,  1863,  A.  E.  Darling,  a  successful  painter  of  land- 
scapes, opened  a  studio  at  161  Lake  street. 

In  January,  1864,  Grace  Greenwood  (Mrs.  Lippincott)  lectured 
here  before  the  Young  Men's  association.  About  the  same  time 
Louis  John  Rudolph  Agassiz  lectured  here  on  various  subjects  of 
natural  history.  During  his  lecture  he  made  the  statement  that 
Col.  J.  W.  Foster,  of  Chicago,  was  the  first  scientist  to  define  Azoic 
rocks.  He  stated  that  in  the  course  of  a  lecture  delivered  by  Colonel 
Foster  some  time  before  at  Cincinnati  on  the  subject  of  "Primeval 
Continents  of  North  America"  he  described  the  Azoic  strata  of 
rocks.  This  paper  had  been  submitted  to  the  American  Association 
for  the  Advancement  of  Science.  This  recognition  of  the  service 
of  Colonel  Foster  by  so  renowned  a  naturalist  as  Professor  Agassiz 
was  commented  upon  favorably  by  the  newspapers  of  that  date. 

During  the  winter  of  1863-4  Wood's  museum  exhibited  several 
interesting  features.  A  sea  lion  was  shown  in  various  tricks. 
Numerous  freaks  could  be  seen  there.  One  called  an  "Invisible 
Lady"  surprised  the  audiences.  Gen.  Tom  Thumb  appeared  there 
several  times  during  the  winter.  At  that  date  the  Chicago  Acad- 
emy of  Music  was  well  patronized,  proving  how  deeply  interested 
Chicago  families  were  in  musical  culture. 

Early  in  1864  Anna  Dickinson's  powerful  lectures  on  "The  Hour" 
and  other  subjects  surprised  the  intellectual  celebrities  of  this  city. 
She  had  previously  been  a  poor  working  girl,  but  by  sheer  force  of 
intellect  and  beauty  and  strength  of  oratory  had  become  the  most 
prominent  and  popular  female  lecturer  before  American  people. 
Early  in  1864  Maggie  Mitchell  appeared  in  repertoire  at  McVick- 
er's  theater.  Adolph  Bamnack,  the  musician  and  teacher,  located 
here  about  this  date. 

At  the  sale  of  paintings  in  March,  1864,  made  by  Gilbert  and 
Sullivan,  one  painting  by  Sontag  brought  $600;  another  by  a  dif- 
ferent painter,  $245;  another,  $237,  and  one  by  Bierstadt,  $110. 
Many  oil  paintings  of  superior  merit  were  sold  from  this  gallery  to 
Chicagoans. 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  603 

In  March,  1864,  James  Van  Etta  was  president  of  the  Chicago 
Driving  Park  association.  At  this  date  it  was  announced  that  the 
receipts  of  the  association  for  1863  were  $10,746  and  the  expenses 
$10,885.  It  was  further  announced  that  other  debts  raised  the  total 
obligation  to  $2,383. 

In  the  spring  of  1864  the  pianos  of  W.  W.  Kimball  were  being 
sold  here  in  considerable  numbers.  The  house  was  then  located  at 
142  Lake  street.  William  McMaster's  fine  paintings,  both  figures 
and  landscapes,  were  sold  here  in  considerable  numbers  early  in 
1864. 

In  April,  1864,  Mr.  Volk  finished  his  first  clay  model  of  the 
Douglas  monument.  It  was  greatly  admired  by  lovers  of  sculptural 
art.  About  this  time  among  the  musical  successes  of  George  F. 
Root  were  the  following:  "Brother,  Tell  Us  of  the  Battle,"  "Va- 
cant Chair,"  "Just  Before  the  Battle,"  "Just  After  the  Battle,"  and 
"Battle  Cry  of  Freedom." 

In  May,  1864,  the  State  Street  railway  cars  ran  within  two  blocks 
of  the  Chicago  Driving  Park  Association  grounds.  At  this  time 
an  important  trotting  race  occurred  between  the  horses  Black  Dia- 
mond, General  Grant  and  Boston.  Black  Diamond  won  the  first, 
third  and  fourth  heats  and  the  match.  The  best  time  was  made  in 
the  third  heat  in  2  :39.  In  May,  1864,  at  Union  park,  the  Chicago 
cricket  club  defeated  the  Canada  cricket  club. 

In  May,  1864,  the  artists  of  Chicago  placed  200  of  their  best  pic- 
tures in  the  "Art  Emporium"  of  Jevne  and  Almini  at  101  Wash- 
ington street.  They  were  placed  there  on  exhibition  and  to  be 
sold.  Among  the  artists  whose  pictures  were  thus  offered  were 
the  following:  H.  C.  Ford,  Mrs.  S.  H.  St.  John,  J.  Forbes,  Paul 
Brown,  J.  R.  Sloan,  S.  J.  Woodman,  H.  N.  Goger,  Miss  E.  Mack- 
way,  T.  E.  Harrison,  Mrs.  Nicholsen,  J.  H.  Drury,  P.  F.  Read, 
Jacob  Cox,  D.  F.  Bigelow,  Alfred  Sederberg,  Kate  E.  Cameron, 
Mary  E.  Thomas,  Wm.  E.  Voegtlin,  Minard  Lewis  and  Mrs.  Hall. 

In  another  race  at  the  Driving  park,  the  horse  Tom  Hyer  defeated 
General  Grant  and  Black  Douglas  three  best  out  of  five,  the  best 
time  being  2:37y2.  The  next  day  Black  Diamond  defeated  John 
Paul  and  Brown  Dick  in  three  straight  heats,  the  best  time  being 
2:40^.  The  following  day  Harry  Clay  defeated  Quaker  Boy  and 
Princess  in  one  of  the  best  races  that  ever  occurred  in  this  city  up 
to  that  date.  The  best  time  was  2 :31>4- 

In  1864  Mr.  Darling,  the  artist,  exhibited  excellent  oil  portraits 
of  Rev.  Nathan  Colver,  of  the  Tabernacle  Baptist  church;  General 
Ransom,  Dr.  I.  B.  Limb,  Rev.  James  Dixon,  and  J.  B.  Bradwell. 
He  also  exhibited  a  large  painting  entitled  "The  Three  Marys  at 
the  Tomb  of  the  Redeemer."  This  was  considered  one  of  the 
greatest  paintings  ever  exhibited  here  up  to  that  date. 

In  July,  1864,  G.  F.  Bailey's  famous  circus  exhibited  here  in  a 
tent.  William  Warren,  of  Boston,  a  distinguished  actor,  appeared 


604  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

in  repertoire  at  McVicker's  theater  in  July.  Mr.  Highwood  and 
Paul  Brown  were  successful  oil  painters  at  this  date.  The  former 
painted  exquisite  portraits. 

In  1864  Robert  Bonner,  editor  and  proprietor  of  the  New  York 
Ledger,  had  become  the  owner  of  several  of  the  fastest  trotting 
horses  in  the  United  States.  He  had  a  gray  mare  that  broke  the 
record  by  trotting  a  mile  to  wagon  in  2:23%.  A  Chicagoan  vis- 
ited him  and  proposed  selling  to  him  "the  best  horse  in  the  world." 
Mr.  Bonner  replied,  "I  don't  want  the  best  horse  in  the  world  unless 
he  can  beat  my  gray  mare."  The  sale  was  not  made. 

At  a  running  race  held  here  in  September  at  the  Chicago  Driving 
park,  the  horse  Knight  defeated  the  horses  Endeavor,  Blue  Flag  and 
H.  W.  Beecher,  the  time  being  1 :59l/2. 

In  1864  the  sculptor  Mr.  Volk  distinguished  himself  by  designing 
the  superb  ornamental  work  for  the  facade  of  Crosby's  opera  house. 
This  was  considered  the  finest  architectural  structure  erected  in  Chi- 
cago up  to  that  time. 

It  was  noted  in  the  fall  of  1864  that  nobody  visited  Chicago  with- 
out seeing  Colonel  Wood's  museum.  It  was  considered  the  greatest 
attraction  in  the  city  for  the  common  people. 

In  October,  1864,  Lawrence  Barrett  made  his  appearance  at  Mc- 
Vicker's theater.  He  afterward  became  a  great  favorite  with  Chi- 
cago audiences.  In  October,  1864,  C.  M.  Chadwick  was  the  man- 
ager of  a  successful  variety  theater  at  117  Clark  street. 

It  was  noted  at  the  time  of  his  death  that  Mr.  Ahner  was  the 
first  to  introduce  the  orchestra  in  this  city,  and  that  he  had  died 
unrequited  for  the  great  service  he  had  thus  performed  for  musical 
Chicago.  When  he  died  he  was  neglected,  poor  and  comparatively 
unnoticed.  His  effects  were  sold  to  pay  his  funeral  expenses,  but 
it  was  observed  in  after  years  that  his  efforts  still  lived.  He  was 
particularly  remembered  when  Crosby's  opera  house  was  first  opened 
to  the  public.  The  opera  house  itself,  its  origin  and  its  future  were 
considered  the  result  of  the  efforts  and  trials  of  Mr.  Ahner  at  a 
previous  period. 

Important  art  works  completed  in  1864,  though  perhaps  begun 
before,  were  as  follows:  By  Mr.  Volk,  "Minnehaha"  and  a  statue 
for  the  firemen's  monument.  By  Mr.  Siebert,  "Judith"  at  Clark  and 
Oak  streets.  By  Healy,  the  painter,  General  Ogelsby,  Jonathan 
Burr,  Rev.  D.  Woodbridge,  Thomas  Hoyne  and  General  Hecker. 
By  Mr.  Haywood,  the  painter,  Colonel  Ducat,  General  Grierson.  By 
Mr.  Woodman,  the  painter,  Colonel  Osborne,  Mr.  Child  and  At- 
lantic ocean  scenery.  By  Mr.  Drury,  the  painter,  "Atlantic  Coast 
Views,"  "Rock  Formations,"  "A  Girl,"  etc.  His  representation  of 
rock  formations  was  spoken  of  in  the  highest  terms.  By  Mr.  Ford, 
the  painter,  "Pennsylvania  Mountain  Scenery,"  etc.  The  office  of 
Mr.  Ford  was  in  the  old  studio  of  Antrobus. 

In  December,    1864,  Mr.   Honigman  conducted  an  oil  portrait 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  605 

studio  at  114  Randolph  street.  He  had  recently  painted  portraits 
in  oil  of  H.  J.  Miller  and  Hans  Balatka.  He  also  exhibited  a  beau- 
tiful fruit  scene  and  a  country  landscape.  About  this  time  Henry 
Clay  Works'  famous  songs,  "Wake,  Nicodemus,"  "Kingdom  Com- 
ing," and  "Song  of  a  Thousand  Years,"  were  very  popular  in  this 
community. 

During  the  winter  of  1864-5  the  Young  Men's  association  had 
the  most  successful  season  it  had  ever  enjoyed  up  to  that  date.  The 
largest  assemblage  during  the  winter  heard  Bayard  Taylor  lecture ; 
1,600  persons  were  present.  The  smallest  assemblage  during  the 
winter  numbered  400.  The  total  receipts  from  all  the  lecturers  ag- 
gregated $2,216,  and  the  expenses  were  $1,476.  After  the  season 
had  closed  two  additional  lectures  by  S.  S.  Cox  and  Bayard  Taylor 
raised  the  total  receipts  to  $3,308,  and  the  expenses  to  $2,386,  leav- 
ing a  surplus  of  over  $900  for  the  season.  Among  the  lecturers 
and  the  subjects  were  the  following:  E.  H.  Chapin,  D.  D.,  of  New 
York,  "Modern  Chivalry";  Josiaji  Quincy,  Jr.,  of  Boston,  "The 
Mormons  and  Joseph  Smith,  their  Prophet" ;  George  William  Cur- 
tis, of  New  York,  on  "Success" ;  Parke  Goodwin,  of  New  York,  or 
"Our  Future  Republic" ;  Clark  Hopkins,  D.  D.,  Professor  of  Wil- 
liams College,  "Nature  a  Language  and  Knowledge  a  Power" ; 
Rev.  A.  N.  Littlejohn,  of  New  Haven,  "Our  Characteristic  Wants" ; 
Rev.  T.  Starr  King,  of  Boston,  "Substance  and  Show" ;  and  Wil- 
liam Stark  of  Nashua,  N.  H.,  "The  Miracles  of  Time." 

In  December,  1864,  citizens  of  this  city  determined  to  form  an 
organization  for  the  purpose  of  retaining  here  the  celebrated  Healy 
Art  Gallery  of  paintings.  An  organization  was  effected  called  the 
"Art  Gallery  of  Chicago"  and  the  paintings  were  duly  secured. 
Among  the  subscribers  to  this  movement  were  the  following :  H.  W. 
B.  Ogden,  U.  S.  Crosby,  George  P.  A.  Healy,  N.  K.  Fairbanks, 
George  F.  Rumsey,  D.  J.  Ely,  E.  H.  Sheldon,  J.  Y.  Scammon,  C. 
T.  Scammon,  John  T.  Stafford,  H.  N.  Thompson,  John  B.  Turner, 
Bishop  Duggan  and  William  Bross. 

In  January,  1865,  Ralph  W.  Emerson  and  John  B.  Gough  lec- 
tured here  before  the  Young  Men's  association. 

Early  in  1865  spirit  manifestations  attracted  the  attention  of 
many  citizens.  Public  exhibitions  were  held,  judges  from  the  audi- 
ence were  appointed,  and  long  descriptions  of  the  tests  given  ap- 
peared in  the  newspapers. 

In  February,  1865,  the  Mendelssohn  Musical  society  under  -the 
leadership  of  Mr.  Doolin  gave  a  series  of  enjoyable  entertainments 
at  Dearborn  Seminary. 

In  June,  1865,  a  collection  of  choice  oil  paintings  known  as  "Rug- 
gles'  Gems"  were  sold  here  at  public  auction.  The  Tribune  said, 
"They  possess  rare  and  peculiar  excellence.  For  the  splendor  of 
their  tints  and  excellency  of  pictorial  effects  they  are  unsurpassed." 

In  July,  1865,  a  foot  race  for  $1,000  a  side  occurred  at  Chicago 


606  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNT J 

Driving  park.  The  race  was  for  five  continuous  miles  and  was 
run  by  three  Indians  named  Deerfoot,  Smith  and  Stevens.  Smith 
quit  at  the  end  of  the  third  mile  and  Deerfoot  and  Stevens  ran  a 
dead  heat  in  27  minutes  49  seconds.  The  first  mile  was  made  in 
5  :l6l/2,  the  second  in  5  :24l/2,  the  third  in  6:51,  the  fourth  in  5  :33 
and  the  fifth  in  5  :25.  Later  Deerfoot  and  Stevens  ran  against  two 
trotting  horses.  The  Indians  were  scheduled  to  run  two  miles  and 
twenty  rods  while  the  horses  trotted  four  miles.  The  horses  selected 
were  Princess  and  Cooley.  The  Indians  covered  the  distance  in  10 
minutes  17  seconds  and  the  horses  in  10  minutes  53  seconds. 

In  August,  1865,  the  Excelsior  first  and  second  nines  played  a 
match  game  of  baseball  on  the  West  side.  The  first  nine  won  by 
a  score  of  68  to  30. 

In  September,  1865,  W.  H.  Beatty,  artist,  exhibited  a  gallery  of 
fine  paintings  at  210  South  Clark  street.  At  this  date,  also,  Giles 
Brothers  opened  an  art  gallery  on  Clark  street. 

In  September,  1865,  Thomas  Foley  and  John  W.  Coons  played 
a  match  game  of  billiards — 1,500  points,  four-ball  carom  game.  One 
thousand  persons  witnessed  this  interesting  performance.  Mr. 
Coons  gave  Mr.  Foley  400  points,  but  the  latter  won  by  37  points. 
Mr.  Coons'  highest  run  was  143  and  Mr.  Foley's  93.  Another 
game  was  played  by  Charles  Frink,  of  Chicago,  and  Joseph  Ver 
Mullen,  of  Detroit.  This  game  was  also  for  1,500  points,  four- 
ball  carom,  for  $250  a  side.  Ver  Mullen  gave  Frink  400  points  and 
won  by  117.  The  winner's  average  was  14J4  points.  Ver  Mullen's 
highest  runs  were  136,  110  and  104.  Frink's  highest  runs  were  55, 
53  and  52. 


THE  INFIRMARY  —  THE  WORLD'S  FAIR  —  SPANISH- 
AMERICAN  WAR  — LATE  BANKING  — MARQUETTE 
CLUB— SEAL  OF  CHICAGO— HAMILTON  CLUB 

WHEN  the  Legislature  of  Illinois  in   1907  enacted  a  law 
authorizing  the  State  Board  of  Charities  to  take  charge  of 
and  care  for  all  insane  persons  confined  in  county  institu- 
tions, it  became  necessary  for  Cook  county  to  build  a  new 
infirmary.     Before  the  insane  asylum  at  Dunning  could  be  turned 
over  to  the  State  the  inmates  of  the  old  infirmary  and  consumptive 
hospital  had  to  be  removed  from  the  county  farm,  on  which  the  asy- 
lum was  located. 

Upon  the  passage  of  the  law  the  County  Board  set  about  seeking 
a  new  site  for  the  poorhouse.  One  was  found  at  Oak  Forest,  three 
miles  southwest  of  Blue  Island  and  nineteen  miles  from  the  center 
of  the  business  district  of  Chicago,  and  its  purchase  was  effected 
in  December,  1907,  at  a  cost  of  $33,624.  It  consists  of  255  acres 
of  high,  rolling  land,  one-third  of  which  is  covered  with  medium 
growth  black  and  white  oaks. 

Architects  Holabird  &  Roche  were  engaged  to  prepare  plans  for 
the  grounds  and  buildings  and  also  for  a  new  consumptive  hospital. 
It  was  estimated  that  these  improvements  would  cost  $2,000,000. 
On  April  7,  1908,  a  proposition  to  issue  bonds  to  this  amount  was 
approved  by  the  people  of  Cook  county  by  a  vote  of  three  to  one. 

After  they  had  prepared  their  original  plans  the  architects  visited 
the  Eastern  states  for  the  purpose  of  conferring  with  the  managing 
officials  of  almshouses  and  other  charitable  institutions  and  asking 
for  their  criticisms  and  suggestions.  The  plans  were  exhibited  at 
the  National  Conference  of  Charities  and  Corrections  held  in  Rich- 
mond, Va.,  in  May,  1908,  where  they  were  submitted  to  and  scru- 
tinized by  the  leading  charity  workers  of  the  country.  In  October 
the  plans  were  laid  before  the  Illinois  State  Conference  of  Charities 
at  Rock  Island,  111.  Local  experts  in  charity  work  were  also  asked 
to  examine  and  criticise  the  plans.  As  the  result  of  the  various 
criticisms  and  suggestions  some  important  changes  were  made  for 
improving  the  plans  and  broadening  the  scope  of  the  work  of  the 
institution. 

The  main  group  of  buildings  is  located  in  the  wooded  portion  of 
the  farm,  which  is  twenty  to  thirty  feet  higher  than  the  east  two- 
thirds  of  the  tract  of  land  purchased.  The  eastern  portion  of  the 
farm  is  open  prairie  land  under  cultivation,  except  a  strip  of  low 
ground  running  through  it.  In  the  lowest  depression  an  artificial 
lake  will  be  made  by  shallow  excavations  and  the  other  low  ground 
will  be  drained  into  it. 

Vol.  1—35  609 


610  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

In  the  general  scheme  the  buildings  are  arranged  on  the  block 
plan,  consisting  of  small  structures  located  apart  from  each  other 
but  connected  by  covered  arcades.  The  inmates  of  the  institution 
will  be  housed  in  separate  structures  or  ward  units  with  a  capacity 
for  160  persons.  Each  ward  unit  consists  of  two  buildings  con- 
nected in  front  with  an  open  porch  and  an  enclosed  corridor.  Each 
building  is  two  stories  in  height  and  each  story  contains  a  ward 
consisting  of  a  dormitory  with  forty  beds  and  a  day  room.  The 
ward  units  are  arranged  in  two  rows  150  feet  apart,  on  an  axis 
running  nearly  north  and  south. 

Intersecting  this  main  axis  near  the  center  and  crossing  it  at  right 
angles  is  the  axis  on  which  are  located  the  service  and  administra- 
tion buildings,  the  general  hospital,  homes  for  superintendents  and 
nurses  and  the  wards  for  irresponsibles. 

At  the  intersection  of  the  two  axes  is  located  the  chapel,  sur- 
rounded by  an  ornamental  garden,  which  in  turn  is  enclosed  by 
cloisterlike  communicating  corridors,  forming  the  ornamental  center 
of  the  scheme.  The  chapel  is  well  placed,  both  from  a  practical  and 
sentimental  point  of  view. 

West  of  the  chapel  is  the  receiving  and  administration  buildings, 
the  homes  for  superintendents  and  nurses  and  general  hospital. 
East  of  the  chapel  are  the  dining  room,  kitchen,  bakery  and  daily 
supply  refrigerators,  and  immediately  behind  these  are  the  laundry, 
men's  baths,  workshops  and  the  wards  for  irresponsibles,  while  at 
the  east  end  of  the  east  and  west  axis  are  the  water  and  power 
plants.  These  buildings  are  grouped  around  a  common  service 
ward  and  so  arranged  as  to  permit  of  economical  means  of  convey- 
ing light,  heat  and  water  to  the  numerous  buildings  and  to  insure  a 
thoroughly  convenient  means  of  food  distribution  aside  from  the 
dining  room  service.  Except  the  irresponsibles  and  inmates  of  the 
general  hospital  all  the  inmates  will  be  fed  at  the  central  dining 
room,  which  will  seat  660  persons.  The  inmates  of  the  irresponsi- 
ble wards  and  the  general  hospital  will  be  supplied  with  food 
through  underground  tunnels. 

The  east  and  west  axis  forms  a  dividing  line  which  separates 
inmates  according  to  sex,  the  males  being  cared  for  on  the  north 
and  the  females  on  the  south.  The  hospital  building,  for  practical 
reasons  of  administration,  is  located  near  the  center  of  the  scheme, 
as  near  to  the  administration  building  and  service  buildings  as  the 
proper  consideration  of  exposure  will  permit.  The  hospital  wards 
lie  north  and  south,  are  exposed  on  the  east,  south  and  west  sides, 
and  receive  the  maximum  amount  of  sunlight  and  air. 

The  nurses'  home  and  the  residences  for  the  superintendent  and 
medical  officer  are  located  in  front  of  the  administration  building 
and  hospital.  The  buildings  for  housing  consumptives  are  located 
at  some  distance  from  the  general  group  of  buildings  in  the  south- 
west corner  of  the  farm  and  on  the  highest  ground  in  it.  The 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  611 

morgue  building  and  isolation  ward  are  also  placed  away  from  the 
general  scheme,  near  the  driveway  leading  to  the  farm  buildings. 

For  the  convenient  working  of  the  administration,  all  communi- 
cating corridors  have  been  arranged  to  run  in  uninterrupted  straight 
lines  as  far  as  possible,  and  in  view  of  the  large  proportion  of  in- 
clement weather,  access  under  cover  to  all  buildings  on  the  grounds, 
with  one  or  two  exceptions,  has  been  made  possible. 

The  scheme  embraces  the  following  separate  buildings :  Admin- 
istration building,  receiving  building,  service  building,  eight  ward 
buildings,  old  couples'  home,  general  hospital,  buildings  for  con- 
sumptives, power  plant,  water  supply,  electric,  sewerage,  telephone, 
fire  alarm  and  heating  systems,  bathhouse,  workshops  and  men's 
club,  laundry  and  sewing  room,  morgue,  autopsy  and  mortuary 
chapel,  nurses'  home  and  farm  buildings. 

All  buildings  are  two  stories  in  height  except  the  administration 
building,  which  is  three  stories,  and  some  of  the  service  buildings, 
which  are  single  storied.  All  permanent  buildings  are  of  fireproof 
construction  and  of  sanitary  and  durable  materials. 


The  primary  aim  of  the  World's  Fair  movement  in  Chicago  was 
educational.  Nearly  30,000  persons  contributed  $1  to  $100,000 
to  the  glory  and  improvement  of  Chicago's  tributary  territory,  and 
750,000  Western  people  came  to  the  exposition  on  Chicago  day. 
Work  to  secure  the  site  for  Chicago  was  begun  in  1889.  Chicago's 
rivals  were  New  York,  St.  Louis  and  Washington,  D.  C.  St.  Louis 
and  Washington  were  smiling  in  their  defeat;  New  York  sulked. 
An  Illinois  company  was  incorporated  with  forty-five  directors, 
officered  thus:  Lyman  J.  Gage,  president;  Thomas  B.  Bryan,  first 
vice-president;  Potter  Palmer,  second  vice-president;  Benjamin 
Butterworth,  secretary;  A.  F.  Seeberger,  treasurer;  W.  K.  Acker- 
man,  auditor.  Congress  had  advanced  the  opening  of  the  exposi- 
tion from  1892  to  1893,  and  there  were  three  years  in  which  to  get 
ready.  Paris  had  had  six.  The  site  was  located  at  Jackson  Park. 
Root,  who  planned  the  White  City,  did  not  live  to  see  it,  but  others 
took  up  the  work  that  he  laid  down.  At  an  extra  session,  in  the 
summer  of  1890,  the  General  Assembly  of  Illinois  authorized  Chi- 
cago to  pledge  $5,000,000.  Meanwhile  commissioners  were  in 
England  and  on  the  continent,  doing  missionary  work  for  the  fair. 
Everywhere  they  were  royally  received.  In  the  winter  of  1890-91, 
while  work  was  being  pushed  at  Jackson  Park,  a  party  of  United 
States  naval  officers  sought  exhibitors  in  Central  and  South  Amer- 
ica. In  the  winter  of  1891-92  another  commission  visited  Rome, 
and  Pope  Leo  XIII. ,  hearing  for  the  first  time  of  the  Chicago 
World's  Fair,  expressed  a  lively  interest  in  America,  and  generous 
contributions  were  made  by  the  Vatican.  Everywhere  the  Chicago 


612  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

Columbian  Exposition  missionaries  were  successful.  The  season 
of  preparation  passed  quickly.  In  deference  to  New  York's  wish  to 
celebrate  the  12th  of  October,  the  dedication  of  the  World's  Fair 
buildings  was  postponed  till  October  22.  There  was  a  great  in- 
augural ball  and  next  day  a  great  civic  parade.  Red  and  yellow, 
the  Columbus  colors,  were  to  be  seen  everywhere  in  Chicago.  The 
consummation  of  this  celebration  was  the  dedication  itself.  So 
large  was  the  attendance  that  15,000  troops,  including  artillery  and 
cavalry,  were  scarcely  noticed  in  the  vast  assemblage  in  the  Manu- 
factures building.  The  spring  months  of  1893  were  cold  and 
stormy,  but  by  May  1  the  exposition  was  nearly  complete.  On  that 
date  the  fair  was  formally  opened.  The  Palace  of  Mechanic  Arts, 
though  devoted  to  ponderous  and  unornamental  exhibits,  was  in- 
deed a  palace  in  its  exterior  appearance.  Inside,  old  Spain,  young 
America,  France,  Germany,  England — the  whole  civilized  world — 
was  represented  in  wonderful  mechanical  creations.  The  Machin- 
ery building  and  the  Electrical  building,  isolated  though  they 
seemed,  were  vitally  bound  together  by  two  avenues,  one  surface, 
the  other  subterranean.  In  the  latter,  historic  exhibits  marked  all 
important  advances  in  electrical  science.  The  Transportation  build- 
ing was  one  of  the  "show"  structures  of  the  exposition.  The  range 
of  the  exhibits  within  it  was  so  wide  as  to  be  wellnigh  all-inclu- 
sive. The  Fisheries  building  was  as  unique  architecturally  as  the 
exhibit  was  subjectively.  No  building  was  more  popular  with  vis- 
itors of  all  classes  during  the  fair.  The  department  of  mining 
further  evidenced  the  progress  of  America.  Its  exhibit  was  at  once 
a  delight  and  a  surprise.  As  they  were  most  attractive  in  extreme 
purity  of  architecture,  so  in  their  contents  the  Art  and  Agriculture 
buildings  vied  with  each  other  in  beauty.  The  shoe  and  leather 
exhibits,  the  forestry  exhibit,  and  the  exhibit  of  dairy  products  and 
methods  together  would  have  constituted  by  themselves  a  fair  that 
should  have  drawn  hundreds  of  thousands  of  visitors  from  all  parts 
of  the  country.  Krupp's  stupendous  ordnance  creations,  the  Rab- 
ida,  with  its  priceless  collections  from  the  Vatican  and  from  Spanish 
treasures  of  history,  the  caravels  of  Columbus  fitly  anchored  in 
sight  of  the  ancient  convent,  the  White  Horse  inn,  the  Cliff-Dwell- 
ers' rocks,  the  elevated  Intramural  railway,  the  club  houses  of  vari- 
ous States  and  governments,  were  all  objects  of  great  and  never- 
failing  interest.  Not  since  the  Tower  of  Babel  fell,  through  the 
wrath  of  the  Almighty,  had  such  a  confusion  of  tongues  been 
heard  as  chattered  by  day  and  by  night  round  the  Ferris  wheel. 
It  would  be  as  vain  to  do  justice  to  a  tour  of  the  world  in  a  few 
paragraphs  as  to  attempt  any  brief  description  of  the  life,  habita- 
tions, costumes  and  customs  of  the  heterogeneous  population  of 
the  Midway  Plaisance.  Between  the  Esquimaux  village  and  Old 
Vienna,  and  between  quiet  existence  in  the  bamboo-housed  settle- 
ment of  the  Javanese  to  the  hurly-burly  of  the  Wild  East  and  Wild 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  613 

West  shows,  were  such  contracts  as  only  volumes  would  suffice  to 
properly  present.  One  night  Remenyi  went  into  the  Javanese  the- 
ater. The  manager  kept  the  orchestra  after  the  performance,  and 
as  they  played  their  weird,  quaint  melodies  the  great  Hungarian 
violinist  interpreted  them  in  music  intelligible  to  occidentals.  The 
Hollanders  present  wept.  They  were  moved  by  this  presentation 
of  the  difference  between  the  music  of  their  native  land  and  their 
adopted  land.  One  great  lesson  of  the  Columbian  Exposition — 
there  were  very  many — was  the  lesson  that  men,  regardless  of 
color,  of  nativity  or  of  language,  think  pretty  much  alike  and  act 
pretty  much  alike  under  given  circumstances.  It  was  a  liberal  edu- 
cation in  its  proof  that  "a  mon's  a  mon  for  a'  that" — in  its  inculca- 
tion of  the  scriptural  teaching  that  all  men  are  brothers. 


The  causes  which  led  to  the  Spanish-American  war  of  1898 
need  not  be  here  discussed  at  length.  Besides,  to  recapitulate 
those  causes  here  would  be  to  retell  a  story  of  tyranny,  oppres- 
sion and  revolting  cruelty  that  all  who  read  this  know  full  well 
and  would  be  glad  to  forget.  After  all,  this  is  a  record  of  Cook 
county,  not  one  of  Spain  or  of  Cuba,  except  so  far  as  men  of 
Cook  county  may  have  had  to  do  with  them.  All  those  bale- 
ful influences  which  brought  on  that  brief  but  decisive  interna- 
tional conflict  had  wrought  their  inevitable  work  of  humiliation, 
of  wrong  and  of  destruction  upon  a  loyal  and  long-suffering  peo- 
ple before  there  was  any  occasion  for  armed  men  from  Cook 
county  to  take  any  part  in  Spanish-Cuban  affairs. 

April  25,  1898,  President  McKinley  sent  a  message  to  Con- 
gress recommending  a  declaration  of  war.  That  same  day  Con- 
gress passed  a  formal  declaration  of  war,  the  Queen  Regent  of 
Spain  made  a  protest  to  all  the  European  powers  against  the  action 
of  the  United  States  and  President  McKinley  called  for  125,000 
volunteers.  The  last  of  the  vessels  of  the  Asiatic  squadron  left 
Hong  Kong  that  day  for  the  Philippine  Islands,  where  a  battle 
was  expected,  orders  were  issued  declaring  the  harbor  of  New 
York  closed  to  all  vessels  between  sunset  and  sunrise,  and  Gov- 
ernor Tanner  issued  a  mobilization  order  on  the  seven  infantry 
regiments,  Illinois  national  guard,  and  on  Colonel  E.  C.  Young's 
cavalry  troops  to  gather  at  Springfield  by  noon  on  the  following 
day.  Before  that  eventful  and  prophetic  day  was  over  the  First, 
Second  and  Seventh  regiments  of  infantry  and  the  First  regiment 
of  cavalry,  Illinois  national  guard,  left  Chicago  for  the  mobiliza- 
tion camp  at  Springfield — in  all,  4,633  men.  On  the  28th  orders 
were  issued  by  the  War  Department  calling  for  the  concentration 
of  about  10,000  troops  at  Tampa,  Fla.  From  there  the  force  that 
was  to  invade  Cuba  would  be  taken.  May  1st  Commodore  Dewey, 


614  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

in  command  of  the  Asiatic  squadron,  almost  totally  destroyed  the 
Spanish  fleet  in  Manila  bay.  War  was  in  progress.  So  far  it 
had  been  the  bloodiest  war  in  all  history,  but  it  had  not  drawn 
much  American  blood.  May  2,  60,000  Illinois  people  visited  Camp 
Tanner  at  Springfield  to  see  the  militia  in  bivouac.  On  the  9th 
Secretary  of  War  Alger  ordered  Governor  Tanner  to  prepare  two 
regiments  of  Illinois  volunteers  to  be  moved  as  early  as  possible 
to  Chickamauga  National  park  and  announced  that  the  artillery 
and  cavalry  of  the  State  would  soon  be  called  to  follow.  On  the 
10th  all  the  regular  troops  at  Chickamauga  were  ordered  to  move 
south,  there  to  be  coalesced  with  the  volunteer  forces  preparatory 
to  the  occupation  of  Cuba.  The  next  day  General  Miles  decided 
to  take  command  at  Tampa,  preparatory  to  an  invasion.  The  first 
fight  between  United  States  and  Spanish  soldiers  took  place  on 
the  12th  on  Cuban  soil.  The  First  and  Sixth  regiments  of  Illi- 
nois volunteers  left  Camp  Tanner  for  Chickamauga  and  Wash- 
ington on  the  17th.  The  Second  was  ordered  to  start  at  once  for 
Tampa.  The  Fourth  and  Seventh  were  ordered  to  move  south  im- 
mediately. 

The  First  regiment,  Illinois  volunteers,  originally  of  the  Illinois 
National  guard,  organized  in  Chicago,  was  mustered  into  the  service 
of  the  United  States  at  Camp  Tanner,  Springfield,  May  13,  1898, 
with  Col.  Henry  L.  Turner  in  command.  Four  days  later  it  started 
for  Camp  Thomas,  at  Chickamauga,  where  it  was  included  in  the 
First  brigade,  Third  division,  First  army  corps.  There  it  remained 
till  June  2,  when  it  left  for  Tampa,  Fla.,  where  it  did  provost  duty  till 
June  30.  On  that  day  most  of  the  regiment,  which  now  was  strength- 
ened by  many  recruits,  started  for  Cuba,  but  the  steamer  on  which 
it  sailed  was  detained  in  Key  West  harbor  till  July  5  and  did  not 
enter  Guantanamo  bay  till  after  nightfall  on  the  8th.  The  regi- 
ment landed  on  the  10th  and  reached  the  scene  of  hostilities  next 
day.  Two  of  its  companies  were  detached  for  service  in  nursing 
wounded  men  and  fever  patients  in  hospitals,  and  on  the  12th  about 
eighty  men  from  the  First  were  sent  with  Miles's  command  to 
Porto  Rico,  where  they  were  assigned  to  engineering  work.  But 
most  of  Colonel  Turner's  men  were  in  the  trenches  before  Santi- 
ago and  on  the  17th  were  of  the  troops  to  whom  that  city  was 
surrendered.  Meanwhile,  so  many  of  the  men  of  the  First  had 
succumbed  to  fever  or  were  in  its  grip  that  the  bulk  of  it  was  sent 
on  board  hospital  boats  to  Montauk  Point,  Long  Island,  to  be 
cared  for  at  Camp  Wikoff.  Thence,  as  many  of  its  members  as 
were  fit  for  the  hardships  of  the  journey  started  September  8  for 
Chicago,  where  they  were  received  with  many  honors  and  where 
the  regiment,  now  numbering  1,235,  rank  and  file,  was  mustered 
out  of  the  service  November  17.  The  First  is  entitled  to  historic 
distinction  for  more  reasons  than  one.  Though  greatly  weakened 
by  yellow  fever,  it  made  a  brilliant  record  and  was  warmly  praised 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  615 

in  official  reports.  It  was  the  only  regiment  from  Illinois  that  saw 
active  service  in  hostilities  in  Cuba.  Officers  as  shown  by  muster- 
out  rolls :  Henry  L.  Turner,  colonel ;  George  V.  Lauman,  lieutenant- 
colonel;  Joseph  B.  Sanborn,  major;  Edgar  B.  Tallman,  major; 
James  M.  Eddy,  Jr.,  major;  Frederick  A.  Brookes,  first  lieutenant 
and  adjutant;  Oliver  A.  Olson,  first  lieutenant  and  quartermaster; 
Hedley  A.  Hall,  chaplain;  William  J.  Sanderson,  first  lieutenant 
and  battalion  adjutant;  Benjamin  F.  Patrick,  Jr.,  first  lieutenant 
and  battalion  adjutant;  Willis  J.  Wells,  first  lieutenant  and  bat- 
talion adjutant;  Philip  A.  Burkhardt,  sergeant  major;  Marshall 
Brewster,  quartermaster-sergeant;  Edward  L.  Prescott,  principal 
musician;  William  D.  Codman,  principal  musician;  Edwin  J. 
Wight,  first  lieutenant  and  adjutant;  Frederick  C.  Patten,  chief 
musician.  Hospital  corps:  William  G.  Willard,  major  and  sur- 
geon; Thomas  E.  Roberts,  captain  and  assistant  surgeon;  Charles 
B.  Walls,  first  lieutenant  and  assistant  surgeon ;  George  W.  Sager, 
Lewis  S.  Ramsdell,  Wilber  F.  Curtis,  hospital  stewards.  Com- 
pany officers:  A — James  Miles,  first  lieutenant  (commanded  com- 
pany) ;  Edward  Davis,  second  lieutenant.  B — Walter  H.  McComb, 
captain;  Charles  H.  Errington,  first  lieutenant;  Frederick  B.  Hart, 
second  lieutenant.  C — Anson  L.  Bolte,  captain ;  Everett  W.  Peck- 
ham,  first  lieutenant;  Robert  M.  Ritchie,  second  lieutenant.  D — 
Edwin  J.  Dimmick,  captain ;  William  J.  Birge,  first  lieutenant ;  Jo- 
seph C.  Pollock,  second  lieutenant.  E — Edgar  C.  Sturges,  cap- 
tain ;  Frank  L.  Cheney,  first  lieutenant ;  Fred  O.  Moody,  second 
lieutenant.  F — Oliver  D.  Steele,  captain;  George  L.  Horton,  first 
lieutenant;  Charles  A.  Towne,  second  lieutenant.  G — Charles  T. 
Wilt,  Jr.,  captain;  Adolph  J.  Rosenthal,  first  lieutenant;  Harry  N. 
Culver,  second  lieutenant.  H — W.  H.  Whigham,  captain;  Charles 
H.  Warren,  Jr.,  first  lieutenant;  John  Curran,  second  lieutenant. 
I — William  H.  Chenoweth,  captain ;  David  P.  Barrett,  first  lieuten- 
ant ;  Charles  W.  Wilkinson,  second  lieutenant.  K — M.  L.  C.  Funk- 
houser,  captain;  Barnard  J.  Baumer,  first  lieutenant;  Benjamin  J. 
Moore,  second  lieutenant.  L — Alexander  M.  Daniel,  captain ;  Wil- 
liam C.  Gibhart,  first  lieutenant;  Archibald  Cook,  second  lieuten- 
ant. M — Edward  B.  Switzer,  captain ;  Francis  B.  Laramie,  first 
lieutenant;  Percy  C.  World,  second  lieutenant. 

The  Second  regiment  Illinois  volunteer  infantry,  originally  of  the 
Illinois  national  guard,  was  organized  at  Chicago  with  1,249  men, 
rank  and  file,  in  command  of  Col.  George  M.  Moulton,  and  was 
mustered  into  the  United  States  service  at  Springfield  May  4-15, 
1898,  and  left  for  Tampa,  Fla.,  May  17.  Its  destination  was 
changed  to  Jacksonville,  however,  and  it  was  assigned  to  the  Sev- 
enth army  corps,  commanded  by  Gen.  Fitzhugh  Lee,  with  which 
it  participated  in  the  dedication  of  Camp  Cuba  Libre.  It  was  trans- 
ferred, October  25,  to  Savannah,  Ga.,  where  it  was  quartered  at 
Camp  Lee  till  December  8.  Then  the  First  and  Second  battalions 


616  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

sailed  for  Havana.  They  disembarked  there  December  15  and 
were  soon  joined  by  the  Third  battalion  and  went  into  quarters 
at  Camp  Columbia.  Colonel  Moulton  was  chief  of  police  for  Ha- 
vana December  17,  1898,  to  January  11,  1899.  The  regiment  re- 
mained at  Camp  Columbia  till  March  28.  On  that  and  the  two  suc- 
ceeding days  it  left  in  detachments  for  Augusta,  Ga.,  where  (num- 
bering 1,051  officers  and  men)  it  was  mustered  out  of  the  service 
April  26.  There  were  no  fatalities  in  this  organization  while  it  was 
in  Cuba.  Officers  as  shown  by  muster-out  rolls :  George  M.  Moul- 
ton, colonel ;  William  D.  Hotchkiss,  lieutenant-colonel ;  James  E. 
Stuart,  major;  William  P.  Dusenberry,  major;  Holman  G.  Purin- 
ton,  major;  Frank  W.  Mechener,  captain  and  adjutant;  Frederick 
W.  Sass,  captain  and  quartermaster ;  Horace  W.  Bolton,  chaplain ; 
George  P.  Marquis,  major  and  surgeon;  Ralph  S.  Porter,  first  lieu- 
tenant and  assistant  surgeon ;  Thomas  W.  Bath,  first  lieutenant  and 
assistant  surgeon;  John  P.  Scheying,  first  sergeant  and  battalion 
adjutant;  Stephen  B.  Thompson,  first  sergeant  and  battalion  adju- 
tant; Joseph  R.  Kreuser,  sergeant-major;  William  A.  Saunders, 
quartermaster-sergeant;  Edward  T.  Smith,  chief  musician;  George 
D.  Ihling,  principal  musician ;  Charles  Fuller,  principal  musician ; 
Edward  j.  Barcal,  hospital  steward;  William  J.  Adams,  hospital 
steward;  Charles  E.  Daniels,  hospital  steward;  Frank  D.  Talmage, 
chaplain;  G.  Frank  Lydston,  major  and  surgeon;  John  G.  Byrne, 
first  lieutenant  and  assistant  surgeon ;  Charles  P.  Wright,  first  lieu- 
tenant and  battalion  adjutant;  James  P.  Sherwin,  adjutant;  Peter 
Osmar,  major  sergeant;  John  W.  McFarland,  quartermaster-ser- 
geant. Company  officers:  A — Paul  B.  Lino,  captain;  Chesley  R. 
Perry,  first  lieutenant;  Leon  K.  Magrath,  second  lieutenant.  B — 
Charles  P.  Wright,  captain;  Thomas  J.  McConlogue,  first  lieuten- 
ant ;  John  D.  Buess,  second  lieutenant.  C — Thomas  L.  Mair,  cap- 
tain; Edward  J.  Sharp,  first  lieutenant;  George  W.  Bristol,  second 
lieutenant.  D — Robert  E.  Brooks,  captain;  Edward  F.  Holden, 
first  lieutenant;  Harrison  S.  Kerrick,  second  lieutenant.  E — Henry 
Nussbaumer,  captain ;  John  E.  Van  Natta,  first  lieutenant ;  Edward 
H.  Titus,  second  lieutenant.  F — James  H.  Stanfield,  captain ;  Bernard 
J.  Burnes,  first  lieutenant;  Arthur  D.  Rehm,  second  lieutenant. 
G — Willis  McFeely,  captain;  John  R.  Mayeskie,  first  lieutenant; 
Jesse  S.  Garwood,  second  lieutenant.  H — John  J.  Garrity,  captain ; 
Walter  J.  Durand,  first  lieutenant;  Fred  V.  S.  Chamberlain,  sec- 
ond lieutenant.  I — Frederick  E.  Koehler,  captain;  Willis  C.  Met- 
calf,  first  lieutenant;  Bertram  S.  Purinton,  second  lieutenant.  K 
— Albin  A.  Benning,  captain;  Henry  J.  Freeman,  first  lieutenant; 
Frank  T.  Caspers,  second  lieutenant.  L — John  W.  Swatek,  captain ; 
William  J.  Unfried,  first  lieutenant;  Adolph  Baade,  second  lieu- 
tenant. M — John  McFadden,  captain;  Andrew  C.  Erickson,  first 
lieutenant;  Arthur  A.  Haussner,  second  lieutenant. 

The  Seventh  Illinois  volunteer  infantry,  the  Hibernian  Rifles, 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  617 

companies  A,  B,  C,  D,  E  and  F  of  which  were  recruited  in  Cook 
county,  was  mustered  into  the  United  States  service  at  Springfield, 
May  18,  1898,  with  Col.  Marcus  Kavanagh  in  command.  It  de- 
parted, May  28,  for  Camp  Alger,  Va.,  and  was  in  camp  later  at 
Thoroughfare  Gap  and  Camp  Meade  until  September  9,  when  it 
returned,  1,309  strong,  rank  and  file,  to  Springfield.  It  was  al- 
lowed a  thirty-day  furlough  previous  to  its  muster  out,  which  was 
effected  October  20.  There  was  good  fighting  material  in  this 
organization,  but  it  was  not  called  into  active  hostilities.  Officers 
as  shown  by  muster-out  rolls :  Marcus  Kavanagh,  colonel ;  Daniel 
Moriarty,  lieutenant-colonel;  Garrett  J.  Carriell,  major;  Lawrence 
M.  Ennis,  major;  Charles  Ballou,  major;  Michael  E.  Cassidy,  cap- 
tain and  regimental  adjutant;  William  W.  Harless,  captain  and 
regimental  quartermaster;  Thomas  J.  Sullivan,  major  and  sur- 
geon ;  George  W.  Mahoney,  chaplain  and  assistant  surgeon ;  Frank 
P.  St.  Clair,  first  lieutenant  and  assistant  surgeon ;  Edward  A.  Kel- 
ley,  chaplain ;  Thomas  W.  P.  Kavanagh,  first  lieutenant  and  bat- 
talion adjutant;  Thomas  R.  Quinlan,  first  lieutenant  and  battalion 
adjutant;  John  J.  Gillen,  first  lieutenant  and  battalion  adjutant; 
Shirley  M.  Philpott,  sergeant-major;  John  J.  W.  Riordan,  quar- 
termaster-sergeant; Charles  A.  Miller,  chief  musician;  Joseph  R. 
Begg,  principal  musician;  Octave  E.  Berteloot,  principal  musician; 
Charles  T.  Herr,  Herbert  E.  Stevenson,  Frank  J.  Wahl,  hospital 
stewards;  Eben  Swift,  major.  Company  officers:  A — William  E. 
Hoinville,  captain;  Joseph  Moore,  first  lieutenant;  Patrick  J.  Rati- 
gan,  second  lieutenant.  B — Patrick  O'Connor,  captain;  Joseph  G. 
Kirwan,  first  lieutenant;  James  J.  Trout,  second  lieuten- 
ant. C — Timothy  M.  Kennedy,  captain;  Edward  J.  Healy, 
first  lieutenant;  John  J.  Nolan,  second  lieutenant.  D — Mar- 
tin Duhig,  captain;  Edward  H.  White,  first  lieutenant; 
Frank  J.  McGuigan,  second  lieutenant.  E — James  Kelly,  captain. 
F — Jeremiah  J.  Sisk,  captain;  Daniel  J.  Crowley,  first  lieutenant; 
John  R.  Cooke,  second  lieutenant.  G — James  L.  Malley,  corporal 
(in  command)  ;  Cornelius  Falkner,  first  lieutenant;  Earl  H.  Plum- 
mer,  second  lieutenant.  H — William  J.  Carroll,  captain;  Stephen 
D.  Kelley,  first  lieutenant;  Thomas  G.  Agnew,  second  lieutenant. 
I — John  F.  Ryan,  captain;  James  V.  O'Donnell,  first  lieutenant; 
Richard  B.  Kavanagh,  second  lieutenant.  K — John  T.  McCormick, 
captain;  George  F.  Connolly,  first  lieutenant;  Cornelius  S.  Kelly, 
second  lieutenant.  L, — John  M.  Clasby,  captain;  Maurice  J.  Holo- 
way,  first  lieutenant;  Eben  Swift,  Jr.,  second  lieutenant.  M — 
James  Clark,  captain ;  James  Connolly,  first  lieutenant ;  John  J. 
Doyle,  second  lieutenant. 

The  Eighth  Illinois  volunteer  infantry  (colored)  contained  six 
companies  (A  to  F  inclusive)  from  Cook  county.  It  was  mustered 
in  at  Springfield  July  23,  1898,  numbering  1,217  men  and  offi- 
cers, under  command  of  Col.  John  R.  Marshall.  Having  offered 


618  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

to  relieve  the  First  Illinois  at  Santiago,  Cuba,  it  left  for  there  Au- 
gust 8,  going  via  New  York,  and  was  a  week  in  making  the  trip. 
It  was  at  once  assigned  to  duty  at  Santiago,  but  later  was  trans- 
ferred to  San  Luis,  where  Colonel  Marshall  was  appointed  military 
governor.  There  the  bulk  of  the  regiment  was  stationed  till  early 
in  March,  1899,  when  it  was  ordered  to  Illinois.  It  reached  Chi- 
cago March  15.  When  mustered  out  of  the  service  April  29  it 
numbered,  officers  and  men,  1,226. 

The  First  Illinois  cavalry,  organized  in  Chicago  upon  the  first 
call  of  President  McKinley  for  troops,  embraced  seven  companies 
of  Cook  county  men.  It  was  mustered  into  the  service  at  Spring- 
field, May  21,  1898,  with  Col.  Edward  C.  Young  in  command; 
started  for  Camp  Thomas,  Ga.,  May  30,  was  encamped  there  till 
October  11,  then  was  mustered  out,  numbering,  rank  and  file, 
1,208.  It  participated  in  no  engagements,  but  in  drill  and  discip- 
line was  brought  to  high  efficiency.  Officers  as  shown  by  muster- 
out  rolls :  Edward  C.  Young,  colonel ;  Roy  B.  Harper,  lieutenant- 
colonel;  William  P.  Butler,  Frank  B.  Alsip,  John  S.  Hart,  majors; 
Alvar  L.  Bournique,  regimental  adjutant;  Milton  J.  Foreman, 
quartermaster;  Louis  M.  Reeves,  first  lieutenant  and  adjutant,  first 
squadron;  George  R.  Linn,  first  lieutenant  and  adjutant,  second 
squadron;  Orville  W.  McMichael,  first  lieutenant  and  adjutant, 
third  squadron;  T.  J.  Robeson,  major  surgeon;  Jesse  Rowe,  cap- 
tain and  assistant  surgeon;  Albert  E.  Mowery,  first  lieutenant  and 
assistant  surgeon ;  Charles  L.  Bullock,  captain  and  chaplain ;  Rufus 
Tulford,  sergeant-major;  George  R.  Holden,  quartermaster-ser- 
geant; Clarence  H.  Thompson,  chief  trumpeter;  Thomas  H. 
Gravestock,  sergeant  and  regimental  saddler;  Harry  Hagey,  Oli- 
ver J.  Flint,  George  S.  Parke,  hospital  stewards;  William  Cuth- 
bertson,  surgeon ;  George  J.  Sperry,  sergeant-major ;  John  J.  King, 
sergeant-major.  Troop  officers:  A — Paul  B.  Line,  captain;  H. 
Dorsey  Patton,  first  lieutenant;  Joseph  E.  Wilson,  second  lieuten- 
ant. B — Cleon  L.  Hills,  captain;  Edward  E.  Pearson,  first  lieu- 
tenant; Frederick  J.  Knorr,  second  lieutenant.  C — Thomas  E. 
Young,  captain;  Emil  A.  Hoeppner,  first  lieutenant;  Charles  H. 
Alsip,  second  lieutenant.  D — William  H.  Roberts,  captain;  Henry 
Bunn,  first  lieutenant ;  John  E.  Dalby,  second  lieutenant.  E — Fred- 
erick L.  Pray,  captain ;  Archibald  Watt,  first  lieutenant ;  Charles  E. 
Eager,  second  lieutenant.  F — George  P.  Tyner,  captain;  Arthur 
M.  Chamberlain,  first  lieutenant;  Benjamin  F.  Chase,  Jr.,  second 
lieutenant.  G — Edward  C.  Butler,  captain ;  Charles  M.  Ream,  first 
lieutenant;  Chris.  C.  Taylor,  second  lieutenant.  H — John  J.  Mc- 
Donell,  captain;  Charles  U.  Bear,  first  lieutenant;  Paul  W.  Line- 
barger,  second  lieutenant.  I — Thomas  S.  Quincy,  captain ;  Wright 
A.  Patterson,  first  lieutenant ;  George  J.  Sperry,  second  lieutenant ; 
James  E.  Rend,  second  lieutenant.  K — John  D.  C.  Oglesby,  cap- 
tain ;  Walter  J.  Chapman,  first  lieutenant ;  Fred  Boyer,  second  lieu- 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  619 

tenant.  L — Herbert  B.  Fort,  captain;  Bayard  W.  Wright,  first 
lieutenant;  Charles  E.  McCullough,  second  lieutenant.  M — James 
H.  Conlin,  captain;  Edmond  McMahon,  first  lieutenant;  Rudolph 
C.  Seibricht,  second  lieutenant. 

It  is  probable  that,  in  proportion  to  the  number  of  men  involved, 
Cook  county's  representatives  in  the  United  States  navy  during  the 
Spanish-American  war  saw  more  active  service  than  its  representa- 
tives in  the  army.  In  considering  this  fact  it  should  not  be  forgot- 
ten that  it  was  distinctively  a  naval  war.  As  members  of  the  Naval 
Reserves  they  nobly  did  their  duty  in  every  station  and  in  every 
emergency.  They  were  assigned  as  follows  to  various  battleships, 
and  in  smaller  numbers  to  other  vessels  in  active  service:  To  the 
Oregon,  60 ;  to  the  Yale,  47 ;  to  the  Harvard,  35 ;  to  the  Cincinnati, 
27;  to  the  Yankton,  19;  to  the  Franklin,  18;  to  the  Montgomery, 
17 ;  to  the  Indiana,  17 ;  to  the  Hector,  14 ;  to  the  Marietta,  11 ;  to  the 
Wilmington,  10;  to  the  Lancaster,  10.  Illinois  Naval  Reserves 
were  in  service  on  board  nearly  sixty  vessels,  notably  on  board  most 
of  the  vessels  of  the  North  Atlantic  squadron.  They  took  part  in 
the  historic  engagement  off  Santiago,  in  which  Cervera's  fleet  was 
destroyed  and  in  about  every  other  maritime  event  of  the  war  that 
took  place  in  the  West  Indies.  Exposed  to  peril  in  many  forms, 
not  a  man  of  them  was  lost.  The  reserves  from  Illinois  were  mus- 
tered into  the  United  States  navy,  while  the  naval  militia  of  other 
States  retained  their  State  organizations.  When  it  became  certain 
that  war  was  inevitable,  the  government  set  about  strengthening 
the  navy.  The  Naval  Militia,  originally  organized  about  five  years 
earlier,  made  it  possible  for  this  State  to  promptly  offer  for  the  ser- 
vice men  of  high  efficiency.  This  fact  was  promptly  and  forcibly 
brought  to  the  knowledge  of  the  Navy  department  by  General 
McNulta,  head  of  the  local  committee,  and  the  Naval  Militia  was 
enlisted  almost  in  a  body.  Only  eighty-eight  of  its  men  failed  to 
meet  physical  requirements,  and  they  were  immediately  replaced  by 
recruits.  A  detachment  of  more  than  200,  commanded  by  Col.  John 
M.  Hawley,  left  Chicago  May  2,  1898,  the  day  following  that  of 
Dewey's  destruction  of  the  Spanish  fleet  at  Manila,  and  was  soon 
joined  by  the  rest  of  the  First  battalion.  The  number  of  men  from 
Cook  county  was  400.  The  Second  battalion,  267  strong,  was 
made  up  of  men  from  other  parts  of  Illinois.  The  Reserves  were 
mustered  out  at  the  close  of  hostilities  in  different  fields  as  they 
could  be  spared  from  the  service,  some  of  them  serving  out  their  full 
term  of  twelve  months.  The  Reserves  from  Chicago  and  vicinity 
are  organized  under  the  style  of  Naval  Reserve  veterans. 

Mention  has  been  made  of  eighty  men  who  were  detached  from 
the  First  Illinois  volunteer  infantry  at  Tampa,  Fla.,  for  engineering 
service  at  Porto  Rico.  They  went  with  General  Miles's  expedition, 
July  12,  1898,  and  being  pioneers  in  such  service  in  that  field,  be- 
came known  as  the  First  Engineering  Corps.  They  were  chiefly 


620  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

employed  in  bridge  building,  in  furtherance  of  operations  prepara- 
tory to  an  intended  movement  across  the  island,  till  September  8, 
when  they  sailed  for  he  United  States.  They  arrived  in  Chicago 
September  17.  November  20  they  were  mustered  out  of  the  ser- 
vice. 


There  came  down  to  the  new  Chicago  from  the  old  Chicago  several 
stanch  national  banks  which  have  been  referred  to  at  more  or  less 
length  and  quite  a  number  of  strong  private  banks  whose  history  an- 
tedates the  Great  Fire  of  1871.  The  latter  were  the  institutions  of 
Greenebaum  Brothers,  bankers,  established  about  1854;  Adolph  Loeb 
&  Bro.,  bankers,  about  1856;  Foreman  Brothers,  bankers,  1860; 
Meadowcroft  Brothers,  bankers,  1860;  the  Hibernian  Banking  asso- 
ciation, 1867;  E.  S.  Dreyer  and  Co.,  before  1870;  the  Union  Trust 
company,  1870.  Among  private  banks  established  soon  after  the  fire 
were  the  Corn  Exchange  bank,  1872;  and  the  bank  of  Peterson  & 
Bay,  1873.  There  were  nineteen  national  banks  and  eight  savings 
banks  in  operation  in  Chicago  January  10,  1872,  in  which  were  de- 
posited $41,742,922,  against  $26,077,921  on  deposit  October  2,  1871, 
six  days  before  the  fire.  Not  only  had  the  city  revived  financially, 
but  it  was  in  a  more  healthy  condition  than  ever  before. 

The  stringency  that  followed  the  panic  of  1873  caused  the  sus- 
pension of  several  national  banks  without  serious  injury  to  the 
financial  system  of  the  city.  But  later  the  failure  of  the  State  Sav- 
ings Institution,  Chicago's  leading  savings  bank,  and  of  some  lesser 
banks,  was  far-reaching  in  its  effects.  Public  confidence  in  savings 
banks  was  destroyed,  and  it  was  sorhe  years  before  it  was  revived 
with  the  encouragement  of  a  policy  of  State  supervision  of  all  banks 
doing  business  under  State  charters. 

The  First  National  bank  came  out  of  the  panic  of  1873  with  re- 
newed and  strengthened  public  confidence  in  its  stability  and  in  the 
wisdom  and  resourcefulness  of  its  management.  It  has  often  been 
remarked  that  Mr.  Gage  not  only  averted  a  calamity  for  his  own 
bank  but  stimulated  the  nerve  of  other  bankers  and  inspired  a  public 
belief  that  most  Chicago  banks  could  meet  all  obligations  if  they 
were  not  harassed  or  hampered. 

Peterson  &  Bay,  bankers,  began  business  in  1873 ;  Schaffner  & 
Co.,  bankers,  in  1878. 

In  the  State  Savings  Institution,  organized  in  1863,  D.  D.  Spen- 
cer became  a  stockholder  in  1872,  a  director  in  January,  1873,  presi- 
dent in  June,  1873,  owner  of  more  than  four-fifths  of  the  capital 
stock  February  5,  1874.  From  then  on  he  was  its  borrower-in- 
chief.  Insolvency,  with  all  the  attendant  horrors  of  a  failure,  in- 
volving hundreds,  if  not  thousands  of  hard-working,  frugal  men 
and  women  was  inevitable.  The  following  is  a  copy  of  a  promis- 
sory note  found  by  the  assignee  among  the  bank's  assets: 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  621 

"$479,177.40.  Chicago,  December  31,  1875. 

"One  year  after  date,  I  promise  to  pay  to  the  State  Savings 
Institution,  in  the  City  of  Chicago,  four  hundred  and  seventy-nine 
thousand,  one  hundred  and  seventy-seven  dollars  and  forty  cents, 
for  value  received,  with  interest  at  eight  per  cent  per  annum,  for 
money  borrowed.  D.  D.  SPENCER." 

Hardly  had  the  closing  doors  of  the  bank  clanged  their  alarm  to 
a  too-trusting  public  when  it  was  known  that  Spencer  had  disap- 
peared from  Chicago.  He  lived  long  afterward  at  Stuttgart,  Ger- 
many, but  it  is  not  of  record  that  he  ever  made  good  his  defalca- 
tions. The  Cook  County  National  bank,  which  he  had  organized, 
had  failed  badly  in  1873.  The  receiver  of  the  assets  of  the  Illinois 
State  Savings  Institution  paid  the  last  of  50  per  cent  to  depositors 
in  1884.  Soon  after  the  collapse  of  the  State  Savings  Institution 
came  the  failure  of  the  "Fidelity,"  a  savings  bank  which  eventually 
paid  about  70  per  cent  of  an  indebtedness  of  a  million  and  a  half. 
The  greed  of  profit  at  the  expense  of  security  brought  on  the  "sav- 
ings bank  crash"  of  1877. 

In  1880  the  deposits  in  Chicago  banks  were  $64,764,  increase 
over  about  $47,000,000  in  1879.  The  clearing  house  returns  for 
those  years  showed  an  increase  of  nearly  half  a  million.  In  1881 
there  was  a  further  increase  of  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  million. 
Chicago  had  gained  second  place  in  amount  of  deposits  among  great 
American  financial  centers.  Prosperity  was  growing.  In  all  quar- 
ters public  confidence  was  fully  restored.  In  1883  a  Chicago  bank 
took  fourth  place  among  the  banks  of  the  entire  United  States. 
That  year  witnessed  a  steadily  prosperous  business.  In  1880  the 
Chicago  Clearing  House  association,  established  as  a  private  insti- 
tution in  1870  and  not  incorporated  till  1882,  included  in  its  mem- 
bership twelve  national,  two  State,  three  savings  and  two  branch 
banks. 

The  report  of  the  Comptroller  of  the  Currency  of  October  1, 
1883,  mentioned  the  following  active  national  banks:  The  Chicago 
National  bank,  the  Continental  National  bank,  the  First  National 
bank,  the  Hide  and  Leather  National  bank,  the  Home  National 
bank,  the  Merchants  National  bank,  the  Metropolitan  National 
bank,  the  National  Bank  of  America,  the  National  Bank  of  Illinois, 
the  Northwestern  National  bank,  the  Union  National  bank,  the 
Union  Stock  Yards  National  bank.  Increase  in  twelve  months: 
Loans — $6,143,189;  cash  and  exchange— $6,943,509;  deposits — 
$2,999,928;  capital  and  surplus— $871,600. 

The  charter  of  the  old  First  National  bank  expired  in  1882.  It 
paid  each  of  its  stockholders  $294  for  every  $100  received,  in  addi- 
tion to  an  average  of  10  per  cent  per  annum  in  dividends  on  capital 
which  had  been  paid  from  time  to  time.  The  new  First  National 


622  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

bank  was  organized  and  succeeded  to  the  business  of  the  original 
bank. 

The  National  Safe  Deposit  company  was  organized  in  1880,  the 
National  Bank  of  America  was  organized  January  1,  1883;  the 
Continental  National  bank  March  5,  1883 ;  the  Drovers'  National 
bank,  1883;  the  Metropolitan  National  bank,  1884;  the  Western 
Investment  bank,  1884;  the  Chicago  Trust  and  Savings  bank,  May, 
1885;  the  Atlas  National  bank,  May  17,  1886;  the  American  Ex- 
change National  bank,  in  May,  1886;  the  Lincoln  National  bank, 
March,  1887;  the  Fort  Dearborn  National  bank,  May  1,  1887;  the 
Illinois  Trust  and  Savings  bank,  August,  1887;  the  Union  Stock 
Yards  bank,  established  in  1867,  its  charter  expiring  in  1887,  be- 
came the  National  Live  Stock  bank;  the  Prairie  State  National 
bank  was  organized  May  15,  1888;  the  Northern  Trust  company 
was  organized  in  1889;  the  American  Trust  and  Savings  bank, 
1889. 

The  following  named  national  banks  were  doing  business  in  Chi- 
cago about  the  beginning  of  the  decade  1890-1900:  The  American 
Exchange  National  bank,  the  Atlas  National  bank,  the  Calumet  Na- 
tional bank  (South  Chicago),  the  Chicago  National  bank,  the  Co- 
lumbia National  bank,  the  Commercial  National  bank,  the  Conti- 
nental National  bank,  the  Drovers'  National  bank,  the  Englewood 
National  bank,  the  First  National  bank,  the  Fort  Dearborn  Na- 
tional bank,  the  Hide  and  Leather  National  bank,  the  Home  Na- 
tional bank,  the  Lincoln  National  bank,  the  Merchants'  National 
bank,  the  Metropolitan  National  bank,  the  National  bank  of  Ameri- 
ca, the  National  Bank  of  Illinois,  the  National  Live  Stock  bank,  the 
Northwestern  National  bank,  the  Oakland  National  bank,  the  Union 
National  bank,  the  United  States  National  bank. 

The  capital  of  the  national  banks  of  Chicago  at  the  end  of  1890 
was  $16,100,000;  surplus  and  profits  were  $10,343,119;  deposits 
were  $94,471,271,  a  substantial  increase  in  twelve  months.  The 
total  capital  of  the  State  banks  was  considerably  more  than  eight 
million  dollars,  making  the  combined  capital  of  State  and  national 
banks  more  than  twenty-five  and  a  half  million  dollars.  As  indi- 
cated by  the  report  of  the  Controller  of  the  Currency  for  1890, 
Chicago  was  making  rapid  headway  on  her  sister  cities  of  the  East 
as  a  great  money  center.  In  the  decade  just  closed  the  percentage 
of  drafts  and  checks  handled  by  Chicago  banks  had  rapidly  in- 
creased, while  the  percentages  of  New  York  and  Boston  had  de- 
clined. Chicago  was  now  doing  7  per  cent  of  the  whole  banking  of 
the  country  in  the  matter  of  checks  and  drafts.  New  York  still  led, 
but  Chicago  was  gaining  fast  and  Illinois  ranked  second  among  the 
States  in  the  amount  of  drafts  drawn.  Massachusetts  was  first, 
New  York  fourth.  Illinois  had  passed  the  billion  mark,  New  York 
had  not. 

The  New  York  Financier,  referring  to  Chicago's  financial  busi- 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  623 

ness  at  the  end  of  1900,  said :  "The  bankers  of  the  country  think 
New  York's  banking  business  is  large,  and  that  the  percentage  of 
increase  of  deposits  during  the  past  six  years  is,  or  ought  to  be, 
larger  than  elsewhere,  but  this  is  a  mistake  so  far  as  the  percentage 
of  increase  is  concerned,  for  Chicago  beats  New  York  by  over 
125  per  cent  on  New  York's  increase.  This  is  a  remarkable  differ- 
ence, and  means  that  Chicago's  commerce,  so  far  as  bank  deposits 
show  it,  is  growing  twice  and  one-fourth  as  fast  as  New  York's. 
Everybody  knows  that  Chicago  is  one  of  the  phenomena  of  the 
country,  so  far  as  its  development  is  concerned,  but  few  are  aware 
of  the  remarkable  speed  shown  by  the  figures  of  our  tellers.  Even 
Boston's  growth  of  banking  during  the  six  years  mentioned  is  far 
outstripped  by  Chicago's,  and  it  does  look  as  if  the  "Hub"  is  going 
west.  Chicago's  percentage  of  increase  exceeds  Boston's  by  30  per 
cent  upon  Boston's  figures,  in  spite  of  the  big  manufactories  in  New 
England.  Philadelphia,  too,  whose  population  is  now  slightly  ex- 
ceeded by  Chicago's,  is  away  in  the  rear  in  percentage  of  increase, 
as  Chicago's  figures  exceed  Philadelphia's  by  44  per  cent."  The 
paper  went  on  to  show  that  on  the  deposits  of  its  national  banks  for 
1890  Chicago  had  increased  its  business  during  the  past  six  years 
46  per  cent;  Boston,  36^2  per  cent;  Philadelphia,  about  32  per  cent; 
New  York,  about  20  per  cent. 

The  American  Exchange  National  bank,  caught  with  three  hun- 
dred thousand  dollars  of  the  exchange  of  the  Fidelity  National 
bank  of  Cincinnati,  upon  the  latter's  failure,  called  on  its  stock- 
holders to  make  good  the  amount.  Their  prompt  response  left  the 
bank  free  to  fight  first  in  the  lower,  later  in  the  Supreme  court.  In 
every  case  set  up  by  the  receiver  of  the  Fidelity  bank  that  the  ex- 
change was  issued  without  consideration,  the  American  Exchange 
National  won,  establishing  a  precedent  of  interest  to  bankers 
throughout  the  country. 

The  Park  National  bank  was  closed  by  the  controller  in  1890. 
There  were  several  failures  among  private  banks.  The  Thirty-first 
Street  bank,  a  dependency  of  the  Park  National,  went  down  with 
it ;  the  Oakland,  Prettyman  and  Kean  banks  failed  that  year.  The 
Globe  National  bank  began  business  December  22,  making  the  num- 
ber of  national  banks  twenty-four.  The  Globe  Savings  bank  and 
the  Chemical  Trust  and  Savings  banks  were  organized.  In  1890, 
also,  the  United  States  National  bank  became  the  Columbia  Na- 
tional bank.  The  State  and  private  banks  of  1890  were  Adolph 
Loeb  &  Brother,  the  American  Trust  and  Savings  bank,  the  Bank  of 
Montreal,  Cohn  &  Strauss,  bankers;  Charles  Henrotin,  banker  and 
broker;  the  Chemical  Trust  and  Savings  bank,  the  Chicago  Trust 
and  Savings  bank,  the  Corn  Exchange  bank  (organized  in  1872, 
reorganized  in  1879,  now  the  Corn  Exchange  National  bank),  the 
Dime  Savings  bank,  E.  S.  Dreyer  &  Co.,  bankers;  the  Farmers' 
Trust  company,  Foreman  Brothers,  bankers;  the  Globe  Savings 


624  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

bank,  Greenebaum  Sons,  bankers;  the  Guarantee  Company  of  North 
America,  the  Hibernian  Banking  association,  the  Illinois  Trust  and 
Savings  bank,  the  International  bank,  Meadowcroft  Brothers,  bank- 
ers ;  the  Merchants'  Loan  and  Trust  company,  the  Northern  Trust 
company,  Paul  O.  Stensland  &  Co.,  bankers ;  Peterson  &  Bay,  bank- 
ers; Prairie  State  Savings  and  Trust  company,  Schaffner  &  Co., 
bankers,  the  Security  Loan  and  Savings  bank,  the  State  Bank  of 
Illinois,  the  Union  Trust  company,  the  Western  Trust  and  Savings 
bank.  The  latter  was  organized  January,  1890,  succeeding  the 
Western  Investment  bank.  The  Milwaukee  Avenue  State  bank  was 
organized  September  15,  1891.  The  Security  Loan  and  Savings 
bank  began  business  in  1891,  succeeding  the  private  banking  house 
of  Filsenthal,  Gross  &  Miller.  The  Chicago  National  bank  was 
organized  January  2,  1892. 

The  bank  panic  of  1893  shook  down  the  financial  structures  of  a 
few  weak  banks  as  an  earthquake  might  have  toppled  over  the  build- 
ings in  which  they  were  housed,  but  the  havoc  was  by  no  means 
general.  The  coolness  of  the  Chicago  clearing  house  management 
was  effective  in  preventing  panic.  Banks  were  mutually  helpful 
throughout  the  ordeal.  Some  weak  banks  had  inevitably  to  go,  but 
private  banking  and  its  attendant  ills  were  buried,  at  least  for  a 
season.  Such  institutions  went  into  liquidation  or  reorganized  un- 
der State  charters  and  became  subject  to  State  supervision. 

In  the  .decade  1889-99,  inclusive,  Chicago  banks  passed  through 
trying  times  that  led  to  a  period  of  great  prosperity.  In  that  ten 
years  Chicago  gradually  discarded  the  provincial  system  of  banking 
and  took  on  the  metropolitan  system.  In  that  period,  too,  it  became 
a  depository  of  funds  for  large  flotation  enterprises.  The  first  in- 
stance in  which  Chicago  banks  became  active  in  such  a  capacity  was 
in  the  floating  of  the  Glucose  Sugar  Refining  company,  capitalized 
at  forty  millions.  In  the  promotion  of  that  interest  the  Illinois 
Trust  and  Savings  bank  received  jointly  with  a  New  York  concern 
the  underwriting  deposits.  Next  followed  the  National  Biscuit 
company,  capitalized  at  fifty-five  millions,  which  was  for  the  most 
part  floated  in  Chicago.  In  1898,  a  year  historic  for  promotion, 
Chicago  banks  acted  either  wholly  or  in  part  as  trustee  for  enter- 
prises capitalized  in  total  at  more  than  300  million  dollars.  Among 
them  were  the  American  Steel  and  Wire  company,  the  American 
Tin  Plate  company,  the  National  Steel  company,  the  National  Car- 
bon company,  the  American  Linseed  company  and  the  Chicago 
Union  Traction  company.  In  the  same  period  Chicago  banks  were 
large  lenders  of  money  in  New  York,  in  Berlin  and  in  London.  In 
1898,  when  money  was  stringent  in  Germany  and  the  bank  rate  was 
advanced  to  6  per  cent  Chicago  banks  carried  credits  of  about  ten 
million  dollars  in  the  German  capital.  In  1899,  because  of  fluctua- 
tions of  the  New  York  stock  market  and  unusually  heavy  transac- 
tions on  that  exchange,  money  was  rapidly  advanced.  At  that  time 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  627 

Chicago  loaned  daily  on  call  from  two  million  to  five  million  dol- 
lars, a  kind  of  transaction  that  was  practically  unknown  five  years 
before.  It  is  significant  that  during  the  period  of  the  Spanish- 
American  war  (April  to  August,  1898),  when  New  York's  bank 
deposits  went  down  from  $738,683,800  to  $658,503,300,  Chicago's 
bank  deposits  increased  $6,452,996.  Country  bankers  had  not  for- 
gotten that  in  1893,  when  industrial  depression  had  set  in,  New 
York  banks  had  issued  clearing  house  certificates.  From  Decem- 
ber, 1890,  to  June,  1899,  the  deposits  of  Chicago  national  banks 
went  up  from  $94,470,300  to  $216,751,193,  a  growth  of  129.43 
per  cent.  Deposits  in  her  State  banks  increased  in  the  same  time 
from  $35,753,854  to  $101,104,303,  an  advance  of  282.77  per  cent. 
The  total  increase  in  deposits  of  banks  of  both  classes  was  $223,- 
384,6%,  a  growth  of  171.53  per  cent.  Of  the  total  percentage  of 
increase  the  relative  gain  was  31.40  per  cent  for  the  local  national 
banks;  68.60  per  cent  for  the  local  State  banks.  To  some  extent, 
but  not  wholly,  this  showing  was  due  to  the  latitude  which  the 
State  laws  offer  with  reference  to  reserves,  not  available  under  the 
national  banking  act.  Its  cause  is  found,  also,  in  the  fact  that  a 
coterie  of  capitalists  had  founded  and  successfully  managed  several 
State  banks.  The  decrease  in  banking  capital  by  suspension  or  vol- 
untary liquidation  in  the  ten  years  under  consideration  was  $4,450,- 
000  on  the  part  of  national  banks,  $2,000,000  on  the  part  of  State 
banks.  At  the  same  time  old  capitalization  had  been  increased  and 
new  capital  had  come  into  action,  amounting  altogether  to  $2,195,- 
000. 

These  national  banks  were  doing  business  in  Chicago  in  1900: 
The  Bankers  National  bank,  the  Chicago  National  bank,  the  Com- 
mercial National  bank,  the  Continental  National  bank,  the  Corn 
Exchange  National  bank,  the  Drovers'  National  bank,  the  First  Na- 
tional bank,  the  Fort  Dearborn  National  bank,  the  Live  Stock 
National  bank,  the  Merchants'  National  bank,  the  Metropolitan  Na- 
tional bank,  the  Republic  National  bank,  the  First  National  Bank 
of  Englewood,  the  Oakland  National  bank.  State  banks:  The 
American  Trust  and  Savings  bank,  the  Chicago  City  bank,  Fore- 
man Brothers  Banking  company,  the  Garden  City  Banking  and 
Trust  company,  the  Hibernian  Banking  association,  the  Home  Sav- 
ings bank,  the  Illinois  Trust  and  Savings  bank,  the  Merchants  Loan 
and  Trust  company,  the  Milwaukee  Avenue  State  bank,  the  North- 
ern Trust  company,  Pearsons-Taft  Land  Credit  company,  the 
Prairie  State  bank,  the  Pullman  Loan  and  Savings  bank,  the  Royal 
Trust  company,  the  State  Bank  of  Chicago,  the  Union  Trust  com- 
pany, the  Western  State  bank.  Following  is  an  exhibit  of  the  con- 
dition of  the  combined  national  and  State  banks  of  Chicago  during 
the  five  years  ending  and  including  1900: 

1896.     Loans  and  discounts,  $146,717,701;  total  deposits,  $186,- 
276,751. 

Vol.   I — 36. 


628 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 


1897.  Loans  and  discounts,  $151,570,775;  total  deposits,  $245,- 

463,612. 

1898.  Loans  and  discounts,  $168,345,896;  total  deposits,  $276,- 

159,823. 

1899.  Loans  and  discounts,  $217,474,204;  total  deposits,  $345,- 

077,893. 

1900.  Loans  and  discounts,  $234,576,463;  total  deposits,  $394,- 

545,617. 

Now  Chicago  again  led  Boston  in  amount  of  clearings. 

In  July,  1900,  the  Lincoln  National  bank  was  consolidated  with 
the  Bankers  National  bank.  In  the  following  September  the  North- 
western National  bank  and  the  America  National  bank  were  ab- 
sorbed by  the  Corn  Exchange  National  bank  and  the- First  National 
bank  and  the  Union  National  bank  were  consolidated,  leaving  four- 
teen national  banks  doing  business  in  Chicago,  counting  the  First 
National  bank  of  Englewood  and  the  Oakland  National  bank,  which 
were  outside  the  central  reserve  district,  and  of  course  including  the 
two  banks  at  the  National  Stock  Yards.  In  the  downtown  district 
there  were  left  only  ten  national  banks.  In  the  opening  of  this 
decade  there  were  twenty-three  in  all,  sixteen  of  them  down  town. 
These  changes  effected  a  slight  falling-off  in  capital  stock,  but  the 
surplus  of  the  banks  was  largely  increased  in  the  decade  and  the 
institutions  were  much  strengthened.  In  that  period  there  was 
a  gain  of  190  per  cent  in  deposits.  Such  changes  illustrate  a  process 
of  natural  selection  which  is  as  clearly  active  in  economic  affairs  as 
in  physics.  "National  banks  that  had  a  place  in  the  list  of  1890  but 
have  already  disappeared  or  will  disappear  in  the  course  of  the  ne- 
gotiations now  in  progress,"  said  The  Economist  for  July  21,  1900, 
"are  the  America,  American  Exchange,  Atlas,  Hide  and  Leather, 
Home,  Illinois,  Lincoln,  Northwestern,  Park,  Union,  United  States ; 
State  institutions  in  the  same  category  are  the  Chicago  Trust  and 
Savings  bank,  International,  Northwestern  Bond  and  Trust  com- 
pany, Western  Investment  bank.  On  the  other  hand,  the  Chicago 
City,  Foreman  Brothers,  Garden  City,  Milwaukee  Avenue,  Pear- 
sons-Taft  Land  Credit  company,  Royal  Trust,  State  and  Western 
State,  now  in  the  State  bank  list,  were  not  there  ten  years  ago,  while 
the  Bankers,  Corn  Exchange  and  Republic  are  new  in  the  national 
table.  Of  banks  that  have  come  and  gone  in  the  interval  may  be 
mentioned  the  Globe  National,  Columbia  National,  Bank  of  Com- 
merce, Commercial  Loan  and  Trust,  Chemical  Trust  and  Savings 
(afterward  the  Chemical  National),  Globe  Savings,  Central  Trust, 
Industrial,  and  Market  National.  The  market  was  fully  organized, 
but  the  only  business  it  ever  did  was  to  wind  up.  Several  private 
banks  have  failed — Meadowcroft,  Schaffner,  Dreyer,  and  Silver- 
man.  It  is  well  known,  of  course,  that  by  no  means  all  banks  that 
have  passed  out  of  existence  were  insolvent.  There  were  some 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  629 

notable  consolidations  before  those  of  this  year."  The  banking  sit- 
uation in  Chicago  was  strengthened  by  this  process.  An  era  was 
ushered  in  in  which  there  was  no  anxiety  as  to  the  stability  of  Chi- 
cago's banking  system.  But  there  was  a  cessation  of  consolidation. 
The  Chemical  National  bank  and  the  National  Bank  of  Illinois 
passed  out  of  the  reckoning.  The  Chicago  Savings  bank  began 
business  May  1,  1902;  the  National  Bank  of  North  America  was 
organized  that  month.  The  First  Trust  and  Savings  bank  was  or- 
ganized December,  1903.  These  were  notable  occurrences  in  Chi- 
cago banking  history  in  the  early  part  of  the  ten  years  now  com- 
manding attraction.  In  1906  and  later  there  was  considerable  ac- 
tivity in  the  organization  of  State  banks.  In  this  decade  ripened 
some  bank  history  of  the  kind  that  reputable  Chicago  bankers  have 
sternly  discouraged,  even  from  the  day  of  D.  D.  Spencer  down  to 
the  day  of  Paul  O.  Stensland.  Stensland's  bank,  the  Milwaukee 
Avenue  State  bank,  went  by  the  board  and  as  a  consequence  of  its 
way  of  going  Stensland  was  sentenced  to  the  penitentiary.  The 
short-lived  Bank  of  America  fell  a  victim  to  official  borrowing  of 
the  style  of  Spencer,  and  Abner  Smith,  its  president,  and  F.  E. 
Creelman  and  J.  V.  Pierce,  two  of  his  associates  in  its  management, 
were  convicted  of  misappropriation  of  its  funds  and  dealt  with  in 
accordance  with  law.  It  is  worthy  of  note  that  Smith  had  had 
long  experience  as  a  justice  of  the  Circuit  court.  The  Chicago  Na- 
tional bank  was  brought  low  by  John  R.  Walsh,  its  president,  and 
was  in  turn  the  means  of  his  undoing.  He,  too,  was  convicted  of 
wrongfully  handling  bank  funds. 

The  recovery  from  the  panic  of  1907  was  rapid  during  the  early 
part  of  1908.  As  the  disorder  was  mainly  in  New  York,  the  rest 
of  the  country  returned  to  comparative  prosperity  as  affairs  in  that 
city  improved.  In  Chicago  clearing  house  certificates  were  issued 
to  the  amount  of  $39,240,000,  and  the  largest  amount  outstanding 
at  any  one  time  was  $38,285,000.  This  was  the  principal  point 
where  clearing  house  checks  were  issued  as  circulating  money,  and 
the  device  was  very  satisfactory.  Such  checks  were  circulated  to 
the  amount  of  $7,600,000.  The  bulk  of  them  were  converted  into 
pulp  early  in  April. 

Important  among  the  events  in  the  local  financial  field  in  1908 
was  the  transformation,  in  February,  of  the  National  Live  Stock 
bank  into  the  Live  Stock  Exchange  National  bank. 

The  following  named  banks  were  in  operation  February,  1909 : 
The  Bankers  National  bank,  the  Commercial  National  bank,  the 
Continental  National  bank,  the  Corn  Exchange  National  bank,  the 
Drovers'  Deposit  National  bank,  the  First  National  bank,  the  Fort 
Dearborn  National  bank,  the  Hamilton  National  bank,  the  Live 
Stock  Exchange  National  bank,  the  Monroe  National  bank,  the  Na- 
tional City  National  bank,  the  National  Produce  National  bank, 
the  Prairie  National  bank,  the  Republic  National  bank,  the  Calu- 


630  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

met  National  bank,  the  First  National  bank  of  Englewood,  the  Oak- 
land National  bank.  State  banks :  The  American  Trust  and  Sav- 
ings bank,  the  Austin  State  bank,  the  Central  Trust  bank,  the  Chi- 
cago City  bank,  the  Chicago  Savings  bank  and  Trust  company,  the 
Citizens  Trust  and  Savings  bank,  the  Colonial  Trust  and  Savings 
bank,  the  Cook  County  State  Savings  bank,  the  Drexel  State  Sav- 
ings bank,  the  Drovers'  Trust  and  Savings  bank,  the  Englewood 
State  bank,  the  Farwell  Trust  company,  the  First  Trust  and  Sav- 
ings bank,  Foreman  Brothers'  Banking  company,  the  Guarantee 
Trust  and  Savings  bank,  the  Harris  Trust  and  Savings  bank,  the 
Hibernian  Banking  association,  the  Illinois  Trust  and  Savings  bank, 
the  Kasper  State  bank,  the  Kenwood  Trust  and  Savings  bank,  the 
Lake  View  Trust  and  Savings  bank,  the  Merchants  Loan  and  Trust 
company,  the  Metropolitan  Trust  and  Savings  bank,  the  Northern 
Trust  company,  the  North  Avenue  State  bank,  the  North  Side  State 
Savings  bank,  the  Northwest  State  bank,  the  Pearsons-Taft  Land 
Credit  company,  the  Prairie  State  bank,  the  People's  Trust  and 
Savings  company,  the  Pullman  Trust  and  Savings  bank,  the  Rail- 
way Exchange  bank,  the  Royal  Trust  company,  the  Security  bank, 
the  South  Chicago  Savings  bank,  the  State  Bank  of  Chicago,  the 
State  Bank  of  West  Pullman,  the  Stockmen's  Trust  and  Savings 
bank,  the  Stock  Yards  Savings  bank,  the  Union  Bank  of  Chicago, 
the  Union  Stock  Yards  State  bank,  the  Union  Trust  company,  the 
Western  Trust  and  Savings  bank,  the  West  Side  Trust  and  Savings 
bank,  the  Woodlawn  Trust  and  Savings  bank. 

Following  is  a  statement  of  the  deposits  of  the  two  classes  of  in- 
stitutions November  27,  1908,  and  February  5,  1909: 

Nov.  27, 1908.       Feb.  5, 1909. 

National  Banks  $378,882,223        $398,955,330 

State  Banks  367,105,534          391,179,195 


Total    $745,987,757        $790,134,525 

In  the  brief  time  indicated  an  increase  of  forty-four  million  dol- 
lars was  made.  The  total  in  September,  1908,  was  about  $734,- 
000,000.  From  that  time  to  February  5,  1909,  there  was  an  in- 
crease of  fifty-six  million  dollars.  These  deposits  are  much  the 
highest  in  the  history  of  Chicago  banking.  They  promise  soon  to 
come  up  to  the  1 ,000-million  mark. 

In  1909  the  deposits  of  Chicago  banks  were  about  forty  million 
dollars  greater  than  the  aggregate  of  those  of  St.  Louis,  St.  Paul, 
Minneapolis,  Kansas  City,  Milwaukee  and  Omaha,  but  the  capital 
and  surplus  of  Chicago  banks  was  about  thirteen  million  dollars 
less  than  the  combined  capital  and  surplus  of  the  six  cities  men- 
tioned. Bank  deposits  are  included.  Of  individual  deposits  the 
Chicago  total  was  only  $177,414,672.  The  St.  Louis  total  was  105 
million.  In  the  five  smaller  cities  the  proportion  of  individual  de- 
posits to  the  whole  was  higher,  as  bank  deposits  naturally  tend 
toward  large  cities. 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  631 

Marquette  Club. — On  March  18,  1886,  George  V.  Lauman,  Sam- 
uel E.  Magill,  Charles  U.  Gordon,  Will  S.  Gilbert,  William  S.  Hus- 
sander  and  Charles  C.  Colby  filed  in  the  office  of  the  Secretary  of 
State  at  Springfield,  Illinois,  a  declaration  of  their  intention  to  form 
a  corporation  to  be  known  as  The  Marquette  Club  of  Chicago,  for 
the  advancement  of  the  science  of  political  economy  and  the  promo- 
tion of  social  and  friendly  relations  among  its  members;  to  exert 
such  influence  and  render  such  service  as  might  be  possible  in  behalf 
of  good  government ;  and  to  promote  the  growth  and  spread  of  Re- 
publican principles.  Following  is  a  copy  of  the  certificate  of  its  in- 
corporation : 

"STATE  OF  ILLINOIS,  DEPARTMENT  OF  STATE. 
"Henry  D.  Dement,  Secretary  of  State: 

"To  All  to  Whom  These  Presents  Shall  Come — Greeting:  Where- 
as, a  certificate,  duly  signed  and  acknowledged,  having  been  filed  in 
the  office  of  the  Secretary  of  State,  on  the  18th  day  of  March,  A.  D. 
1886,  for  the  organization  of  The  Marquette  Club  of  Chicago, 
under  and  in  accordance  with  the  provisions  of  'An  Act  Concerning 
Corporations;  approved  April  18,  1872,  and  in  force  July  1,  1872, 
a  copy  of  which  certificate  is  hereto  attached ; 

"Now,  therefore,  I,  Henry  D.  Dement,  Secretary  of  State  of  the 
State  of  Illinois,  by  virtue  of  the  powers  and  duties  vested  in  me  by 
law,  do  hereby  certify  that  the  said  Marquette  club  of  Chicago  is  a 
legally  organized  corporation  under  the  laws  of  this  state. 

"In  testimony  whereof,  I  hereto  set  my  hand  and  cause  to  be 
affixed  the  Great  Seal  of  State.  Done  at  the  city  of  Springfield,  this 
18th  day  of  March,  A.  D.  1886,  and  of  the  Independence  of  the 
United  States  the  110th. 

(Seal)  "HENRY  D.  DEMENT, 

"Secretary  of  State." 

The  following  named  were  selected  as  directors  to  control  and 
manage  the  club  during  the  first  year  of  its  corporate  existence: 
George  V.  Lauman,  president ;  F.  W.  C.  Hayes,  first  vice-president ; 
S.  E.  Magill,  second  vice-president ;  Charles  U.  Gordon,  secretary ; 
Will  S.  Gilbert,  treasurer.  Upon  the  organization  of  the  club  these 
committees  were  appointed :  Political  Action  Committee — F.  W.  C. 
Hayes,  Charles  C.  Colby,  William  A.  Paulsen,  James  S.  Moore, 
Richard  H.  Towne;  Finance  Committee — William  L.  Blood,  Wal- 
ter S.  Judson,  Frank  B.  Whipple;  House  Committee — Edward  O. 
Fiske,  Joseph  C.  Pollock,  Henry  T.  Smith;  Membership  Commit- 
tee— Will  S.  Hussander,  George  W.  Keehn,  Leroy  T.  Steward.  In 
1887  an  entertainment  committee  was  added;  in  1889  a  library  com- 
mittee; in  1892  an  art  committee.  As  exigencies  have  risen,  still 
others  have  been  created.  In  addition  to  the  regular  committees 
provided  by  the  constitution,  special  committees  for  certain  specific 
purposes  are  appointed  whenever  their  services  are  required.  The 


632  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

number  of  members  of  the  political  action  committee  has  been 
changed  from  time  to  time.  From  five  in  1886,  it  rose  to  sixteen  in 
1895  and  its  chairman  was  added  to  the  board  of  directors.  This 
committee  now  includes  ten  members  and  is  thus  constituted : 

THOS.  G.  CORLETT,  Chairman.      EDWIN  H.  CASSELS. 
WILLIAM  H.  EMRICH,  Secretary.  HENRY  C.  ADAMS. 
FLETCHER  DOBYNS.  GUSTAV  E.  BEERLY. 

GEORGE  E.  WISSLER.  CHARLES  A.  LAWES. 

MITCHELL  D.  FOLLANSBEE.         WILLIAM  McC.  BLAIR. 

The  following  named  members  constitute  the  campaign  finance 
committee : 

JOHN  W.  KENNEDY,  Chairman.  FRANCIS  W.  TAYLOR. 

EDWARD  G.  PAULING.  SIDNEY  W.  WORTHY. 

JOSEPH  B.  LEAKE.  ALEXANDER  H.  REVELL. 

LEONARD  GOODWIN.  WILLIAM  B.  AUSTIN. 

JAMES  McNALLY.  GEORGE  S.  WOOD. 

There  is  a  campaign  committee  of  100.  The  officers  of  the  club 
are: 

CHARLES  L.  FUREY,  President.      CHARLES  M.  FoELL,  2nd  Vice- 
W.  J.  CALHOUN,  1st  Vice-Presi-       President. 

dent.  E.  A.  BIGELOW,  Secretary. 

HOWARD  N.  WAGG,  Treasurer. 

It  is  the  duty  of  the  political  action  committee  to  take  cognizance 
of  all  national,  state,  county,  and  municipal  elections  and  recommend 
to  the  club  such  action  on  such  elections  and  on  all  political  matters 
as  will  most  surely  advance  the  interests  of  good  government.  It 
is  evident  that  such  responsibilities  are  strictly  in  line  with  the  ob- 
jects of  the  club  as  stated  in  its  application  for  charter  and  in  a  pre- 
amble to  its  constitution.  How  well  the  Marquette  club  has  done  its 
self-assigned  work  for  "good  government — local,  state  and  national" 
— fair-minded  Chicagoans,  forgetting  partisanship,  know  full  well. 

No  better  evidence  of  the  integrity,  patriotism,  sincerity  and  effi- 
ciency of  the  Marquette  club  could  be  presented  than  the  follow- 
ing list  of  names  of  the  members  of  its  present  campaign  committee. 
It  is  as  fine  a  body  of  representative  Chicagoans  as  could  be  organ- 
ized for  any  purpose — a  convincing  human  document,  guaranteeing 
all  that  the  club  stands  for : 

Alfred  H.  Mulliken,  L.  A.  Neis,  Otto  L.  Tossetti,  John  W.  Tur- 
ner, F.  T.  Vaux,  Herman  Waldeck,  Dr.  Carl  Wagner,  Seymour 
Walton,  W.  G.  Weil.  Arthur  D.  Wheeler,  Geo.  S.  Wood,  Wm.  L. 
Bush,  Justus  Chancellor,  Chas.  A.  Churan,  Geo.  E.  Crane,  E.  C. 
DeWitt.  Fletcher  Dobyns,  Chas.  J.  Dorrance,  W.  P.  Dunn,  A.  O. 
Erickson,  John  M.  Ewen,  Mitchell  D.  Follansbee,  Chas.  Y.  Free- 
man, Charles  C.  Gilbert,  Leonard  Goodwin,  William  H.  Emrich, 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  633 

Edwin  H.  Cassels,  Henry  C.  Adams,  Charles  G.  Dawes,  Fred  W. 
Upham,  E.  G.  Halle,  Wm.  Penn  Nixon,  La  Verne  W.  Noyes,  E.  G. 
Pauling,  John  M.  Roach,  Frederick  A.  Smith,  Herbert  S.  Dun- 
combe,  Charles  F.  Spalding,  Oscar  Hebel,  H.  S.  Boutell,  Geo.  E. 
Adams,  W.  B.  Austin,  Sidney  W.  Worthy,  T.  G.  Corlett,  W.  D. 
Bartholomew,  John  F.  Bass,  Fred  A.  Britten,  W.  J.  Burke,  Sidney 
W.  Gorham,  Frank  Hamlin,  C.  M.  Hewitt,  Dr.  Henry  Hooper, 
Kemper  K.  Knapp,  W.  L.  Kroeschell,  A.  H.  Revell,  F.  O.  Lowden, 
R.  R.  McCormick,  O.  H.  Horton,  Geo.  R.  Peck,  Geo.  E.  Rickcords, 
John  S.  Runnells,  A.  Chytraus,  Judson  A.  Going,  W.  W.  Gurley, 
Francis  W.  Taylor,  S.  W.  Allerton,  J.  W.  Kennedy,  B.  E.  Arntzen, 
James  McNally,  J.  H.  Ahern,  Dr.  W.  L.  Baum,  Jacob  Bauer,  R.  S. 
Blome,  Chas.  U.  Gordon,  Col.  Lewis  Douglass  Greene,  H.  W.  Hen- 
shaw,  Alonzo  H.  Hill,  Arthur  Josetti,  Robt.  T.  Kochs,  Jas.  A.  Ste- 
ven, H.  G.  Patterson,  A.  A.  Putnam,  C.  W.  Sanford,  A.  H.  Scher- 
zer,  F.  P.  Schmitt,  Edward  Schultz,  F.  J.  Lange,  Col.  George  V. 
Lauman,  Gen.  Joseph  B.  Leake,  Chester  A.  Legg,  Henry  W.  Le- 
man,  Fames  MacVeagh,  Joseph  Mann,  Fred  Miller,  Mathew  Mills, 
Geo.  E.  Wissler,  and  Leslie  Witherspoon. 

The  entertainment  committee,  under  the  direction  of  the  board  of 
directors,  provides  for  the  entertainment  of  members  of  the  club  and 
its  visitors  and  prepares  for  all  meetings  of  the  club  suitable  pro- 
grams, which  are  constitutionally  restricted  principally  to  addresses 
on  economic  and  political  topics.  It  is  probable  that  during  the 
period  1886-1908  no  other  club  in  America  has  entertained  more 
really  great  men  than  has  the  Marquette.  The  ablest  orators,  Amer- 
ican and  foreign,  have  brought  to  it  their  best  offerings.  Its  mem- 
bers are  proud  of  the  fact  that  no  other  club  in  the  West  is  able  to 
secure  more  desirable  speakers  than  can  be  induced  to  appear  before 
the  Marquette.  The  club  is  always  ready  to  champion  any  move- 
ment which  promises  the  enhancement  of  the  public  good.  It  is  its 
settled  policy  to  afford  opportunity  to  each  member  who  wants 
actively  to  participate  in  the  administration  of  its  affairs  or  in  its 
work  in  any  specific  field. 

The  Marquette's  clubhouse,  at  365  Dearborn  avenue,  is  large, 
well  appointed  and  well  adapted  to  its  purpose  and  has  come  to  be 
popularly  regarded  one  of  the  most  conspicuous  of  the  landmarks  of 
the  North  Side  division  of  Chicago. 


The  history  of  Chicago's  seal  has  been  traced  back  to  1833,  when 
the  present  city  was  still  a  town.  The  design  of  the  seal  was  a  prim- 
itive yet  faithful  copy  of  the  obverse  side  of  the  half-eagle  gold  coin 
of  the  United  States.  Col.  T.  J.  V.  Owen  has  been  credited  with 
being  the  author  of  this,  the  first  authentic  signature  of  the  town's 
existence.  Upon  the  incorporation  of  Chicago  as  a  city  in  1837, 
among  the  first  questions  to  come  before  the  Common  Council  was 


634  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

that  of  a  municipal  seal,  some  of  the  city  fathers  seemingly  favoring 
the  retention  of  the  old  town  seal,  while  others,  among  whom  were 
Mayor  Ogden  and  Alderman  Goodhue,  argued  in  behalf  of  the  adop- 
tion of  an  entirely  new  seal,  symbolic  of  the  newly  created  city's 
present  and  future.  A  committee  composed  of  the  mayor  and  Alder- 
men Goodhue  and  Pearsons  were  appointed  to  draft  a  new  seal. 
The  committee  reported  as  follows:  "The  shield  of  Chicago  shall 
be  represented  by  a  shield  (American)  with  a  sheaf  of  wheat  on  its 
center;  a  ship  in  full  sail  on  the  right;  a  sleeping  infant  on  top;  an 
Indian  with  bow  and  arrow  on  the  left ;  and  with  the  motto  'Urbs  In 
Horto,'  at  the  bottom  of  shield,  with  the  inscription,  'City  of  Chicago 
— Incorporated  4th  of  March,  1837,'  around  the  outside  edge  of 
said  seal."  Amendments  to  the  above  ordinance  were  made  in  June, 
1854,  and  February,  1893,  the  first  amendment  specifying  that  "over 
the  shield  an  infant  reposes  on  a  seashell,"  and  the  latter  amplifying 
this  description  by  decreeing  a  "sleeping  infant  on  top,  lying  on  its 
back  on  a  shell." 

As  a  result  of  the  fact  that  no  faithful  reproduction  of  the  seal 
authorized  by  ordinance  was  in  use  in  the  city's  departments,  a  new 
and  corrected  design  and  description  of  the  municipal  seal  was  pro- 
vided for  by  ordinance  of  March  20,  1905,  having  for  its  chief  rec- 
ommendation heraldic  and  historic  accuracy.  This  is  the  seal  of  the 
present  Chicago  and  is  described  in  the  ordinance  as  follows :  "The 
seal  provided  and  authorized  for  the  city  of  Chicago  shall  be  an 
obverse  side  with  a  diameter  of  two  and  three-eighths  inches,  the 
impression  of  which  is  a  representation  of  a  shield  (American) 
gules,  argent,  and  azure  (in  red,  white  and  blue)  ;  with  a  sheaf  of 
wheat  in  fess  point  (center),  or  in  gold;  a  ship  in  full  sail  on  dexter 
(right  side  supporter)  proper;  on  top  a  sleeping  infant  proper,  re- 
posed as  in  a  shell  argent  (in  silver)  ;  an  Indian  chief  with  a  bow  and 
arrow,  proper,  on  sinister  (as  left  side  supporter)  standing  on  a 
promontory,  vert  (in  green)  ;  with  the  motto  'Urbs  in  Horto,'  or, 
on  scroll,  gules  (in  gold  on  a  red  flowing  ribbon)  at  bottom  of  the 
shield ;  with  the  inscription,  'City  of  Chicago ;  Incorporated  4th 
March,  1837,'  or  in  gold,  within  an  azure  (blue)  ring  around  the 
outer  edge  of  said  seal,  which  seal  represented  as  aforesaid  and  used 
with  or  without  colors,  shall  be  and  is  hereby  corrected,  established, 
declared  to  have  been,  and  now  to  be,  the  seal  of  the  city  of  Chicago. 
For  general  use,  the  plain  impression  in  white  containing  the  figures 
as  given  above  shall  be  sufficient."  The  svmbolic  meaning  of  the 
new  and  corrected  seal  is  rendered  thus :  The  shield  represents  the 
national  spirit  of  Chicago.  The  Indian,  representing  the  discoverer 
of  the  site  of  Chicago,  is  also  indicative  of  the  aboriginal  contribu- 
tion which  enters  into  its  history.  The  ship  in  full  sail  is  em- 
blematic of  the  approach  of  the  white  man's  civilization  and  com- 
merce. The  sheaf  of  wheat  is  typical  of  activity  and  plenty,  holding 
the  same  meaning  as  the  cornucopia.  The  nude  babe  in  the  shell  is 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  635 

the  ancient  and  classical  symbolism  of  the  pearl,  and  Chicago  sit- 
uated at  the  neck  of  the  lake  signifies  that  it  shall  be  "the  gem  of  the 
lakes."  The  infant,  represented  in  repose,  has  the  additional  mean- 
ing of  contentment,  peace  and  purity.  The  motto  "Urbs  in  Horto" 
means  "City  in  a  Garden."  The  date,  "March  4th,  1837,"  names 
the  date  of  the  incorporation  of  the  city.  (This  is  a  modification 
of  the  description  prepared  by  Dr.  B.  J.  Cigrand.) 


Hamilton  Club. — This  club  was  organized  April  9,  1890,  the 
twenty-fifth  anniversary  of  Lee's  surrender  to  Grant.  Its  purpose 
is  the  advancement  of  political  science,  the  promotion  of  good  gov- 
ernment and  the  development  of  patriotism.  Its  membership  is 
composed  exclusively  of  pronounced  Republicans  who  believe  in  and 
are  willing  to  work  for  Civil  Service  reform.  The  officers  for  1890 
were  Robert  McMurdy,  president;  M.  Lester  Coffeen,  first  vice-pres- 
ident ;  Frank  I.  Moulton,  second  vice-president ;  Herbert  C.  Metcalf 
(resigned),  third  vice-president;  Robert  Mather,  secretary;  Ralph 
Metcalf,  treasurer;  John  C.  Everett,  chairman  of  political  action 
committee.  Directors :  Frank  H.  Barry,  Frank  Compton,  Joseph 
Defrees,  John  C.  Everett,  John  E.  Goold,  Frank  A.  Helmer,  George 
W.  Underwood,  Frank  H.  Valette,  Henry  H.  Windsor  and  John  L. 
Woods. 

"The  Hamilton"  has  had  a  steady  growth  and  has  led  many  citi- 
zens of  Chicago,  including  quite  a  number  of  young  men,  to  take  the 
Republican  view  of  public  affairs  and  in  measures  designed  to  pro- 
mote good  government.  It  has  watched  men  charged  with  the  con- 
duct of  local  government  and  has  sought  to  raise  the  administration 
of  municipal  politics  above  the  level  of  mere  partisanship. 

While  distinctively  Republican  in  its  aims  and  organization,  the 
club  inculcates  high  ideals  of  citizenship,  featuring  addresses  not 
limited  to  partisan  views  and  seeking,  through  discussion,  to  en- 
courage independence  of  thought.  Its  influence  has  been  felt  most 
forcibly  in  presidential  campaigns.  It  organized  a  corps  of  speakers 
who  addressed  more  than  a  hundred  working  men's  meetings  on 
the  financial  issues  of  the  campaign  of  1896.  In  1900  its  bureau  of 
250  speakers  held  six  noon  meetings  every  weekday  during  the  cam- 
paign— three  in  the  down  town  districts  and  three  in  the  factory  dis- 
tricts. 

Thus  the  gospel  of  Republicanism  was  carried  to  thousands  of 
working  men  during  their  midday  hour.  Systematic  attention  was 
given  by  the  club  to  first  voters.  The  stereopticon  was  also  brought 
into  use  for  the  dissemination  of  Republican  ideas  among  men  on  the 
street  in  the  evenings.  During  such  campaigns  the  club  conducted 
large  men  meetings.  A  notable  one  was  that  of  October  20,  1894, 
when  Hon.  Thomas  B.  Reed  addressed  17,000  people  at  the  First 


636  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

Regiment  armory  and  at  an  overflow  meeting  held  near  by.  Among 
the  large  mass  meetings  promoted  by  the  club  in  the  campaign  of 
1900  were  the  great  Roosevelt  meeting  at  the  Coliseum,  with  an 
overflow  meeting  at  the  armory  just  mentioned;  the  Auditorium 
meeting  addressed  by  Luther  Laflin  Mills,  and  another  Auditorium 
meeting  at  which  John  Maynard  Harlan  was  the  speaker. 

This  club  was  largely  instrumental  in  securing  the  passage  of  the 
local  Civil  Service  law,  and  its  members  advocated  its  adoption  by 
the  voters  of  Chicago,  which  was  accomplished  through  the  munici- 
pal election  held  in  April,  1895.  A  standing  committee  of  the  club 
reports  infractions  of  this  law  and  recommendations  as  to  its  en- 
forcement. The  club  is  entitled  to  the  credit  for  the  passage  of  the 
law  of  1895  changing  the  compensation  of  members  of  that  General 
Assembly  of  Illinois  from  $5  a  day  to  $1,000  for  the  session.  It  was 
believed  this  change  would  tend  to  shorten  the  sessions  of  the  Legis- 
lature and  improve  the  personnel  of  its  membership. 

A  noteworthy  feature  of  the  history  of  the  Hamilton  club  has  been 
its  banquets,  the  first  of  which  was  held  in  1891.  They  have  been 
among  the  great  political  banquets  of  the  country,  and  the  addresses 
delivered  to  the  assembled  guests  have  been  substantial  contributions 
to  current  political  literature.  Many  speakers  from  the  South  have 
been  chosen,  it  having  been  the  aim  to  have  that  section  repre- 
sented at  each  banquet.  The  growing  feeling  of  brotherhood  between 
North  and  South  was  the  theme  at  the  banquet  on  the  occasion  of  the 
club  anniversary  in  1899.  The  Hamilton  club  has  repeatedly  enter- 
tained leading  men  of  the  nation.  President  Roosevelt  has  been  the 
guest  of  honor  on  several  occasions.  President-Elect  Taft  was  en- 
tertained on  his  return  from  the  Philippines  in  April,  1904,  and  has 
been  present  at  several  subsequent  events,  notably  in  1908,  when  he 
and  Mr.  Bryan  addressed  the  same  audience  on  the  politics  of  the 
time.  It  entertained  Admiral  Schley,  January  25,  1902.  Right 
Honorable  James  Bryce,  ambassador  of  Great  Britain  to  the  United 
States,  was  its  guest  in  June,  1908.  The  vice-president,  several  cab- 
inet officers  and  governors,  numerous  senators  and  many  congress- 
men, as  well  as  men  prominent  in  other  departments,  have  frequently 
spoken  before  it. 

The  dub  is  endeavoring  to  make  a  complete  collection  of  Hamil- 
toniana.  It  possesses  the  famous  limited  edition  of  Hamilton's  works, 
edited  by  Senator  Lodge,  numerous  biographies,  the  prize  orations 
delivered  for  a  generation  at  Hamilton  college,  Hamilton's  auto- 
graph and  all  notable  portraits  of  him,  including  a  print  of  the  fa- 
mous portrait  now  in  the  New  York  Chamber  of  Commerce,  pre- 
sented to  the  club  by  the  late  John  Jay  Knox. 

This  club  took  possession  of  premises  at  21  Groveland  park,  Sep- 
tember 16,  1890;  removed  to  3014  Lake  Park  avenue  May  1,  1895 ; 
to  114  Madison  street  March  14,  1898;  and  to  its  present  quarters 
May  19,  1902.  It  occupies  the  building  at  the  northwest  corner  of 


&13TORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  637 

Clark  and  Monroe  streets,  which  is  practically  the  center  of  the  loop 
district.  It  leases  the  ground  but  owns  the  building  and  all  that  it 
contains,  a  property  valued  at  $80,000.  The  building  is  five  stories 
in  height ;  it  has  all  modern  facilities  and  the  requisite  equipment  for 
club  purposes.  The  club  has  absolutely  no  bonded  indebtedness.  It 
maintains  a  sinking  fund  and  expects  within  a  comparatively  short 
time  to  accumulate  an  amount  sufficient  to  justify  the  erection  of  a 
new  clubhouse.  During  the  first  eight  years  of  its  existence  it  was 
confined  in  its  active  membership  to  the  South  Side  and  its  field  of 
operations  was  restricted  as  indicated,  but  in  1898,  in  deference  to 
the  prevailing  sentiment  of  its  members,  it  secured  a  location  in  the 
heart  of  the  city,  with  all  the  facilities  of  a  modern  metropolitan  club. 
Its  territorial  scope  being  thus  widened,  its  membership  at  once 
trebled.  The  following  named  were  its  officers  and  directors  Jan- 
uary, 1909:  President,  Marquis  Eaton;  first  vice-president,  George 
W.  Dixon ;  second  vice-president,  John  H.  Batten ;  secretary,  Henry 
C.  Morris;  treasurer,  W.  S.  Bruckner;  directors,  Harlan  W.  Cooley, 
Augustus  D.  Curtis,  Henry  R.  Corbett,  Fred  A.  Fielder,  W.  A. 
Leonard,  Foster  S.  Nims,  M.  B.  Orde,  F.  L.  Rossbach,  M.  O.  Slo- 
cum  and  William  E.  Wright. 

The  club  publishes  monthly  The  Hamiltonian,  a  journal  devoted 
to  Republican  principles  and  the  news  of  the  organization.  In  its 
editorial  policy  it  is  fully  in  accord  with  the  aspirations  of  all  true 
Hamiltonians.  By  non-resident  members  and  resident  members 
temporarily  absent  from  Chicago  it  is  welcomed  as  a  means  of  keep- 
ing in  touch  with  the  inner  life  of  the  club. 


MUNICIPAL,  JUVENILE  AND  OTHER  COURTS 

APPOINTED  under  a  resolution  of  the  General  Assembly  to 
revise  the  Law  Practice  code,  the  State  Practice  commission 
recommended  in  October,  1900,  the  following  changes :  To 
provide  power  in  the  County  court  to  order  a  special  docket 
of  cases  from  justice  courts;  to  make  the  laws  concerning  publica- 
tion harmonize ;  to  empower  the  County  court  to  assess  costs  against 
objectors  in  tax  cases  as  in  other  cases;  to  provide  that,  upon  motion, 
usually  supported  by  affidavit,  the  court  might  order  oral  testimony 
to  be  produced ;  to  provide  for  medical  examination  of  the  plaintiff 
in  personal  injury  cases;  to  require  a  bond  to  pay  damages  upon  the 
appointment  of  a  temporary  receiver;  to  repeal  the  provision  that 
the  jury  should  be  the  judge  of  law  in  criminal  cases;  to  substitute 
an  affidavit  of  merits  concerning  the  nature  of  the  defense;  to  pro- 
vide how  judgments  should  be  reversed;  to  institute  certain  reforms 
in  regard  to  the  habeas  corpus;  to  extend  the  jurisdiction  of  the 
Probate  and  County  courts ;  to  provide  how  judgments  against  part- 
nerships might  be  entered ;  to  define  the  nature  and  responsibility 
of  joint  obligations;  to  define  the  duties  of  appraisers  of  personal 
estates;  to  specify  how  inquests  in  lunacy  should  be  conducted;  to 
define  the  privileges  and  liabilities  of  debtors  under  certain  condi- 
tions ;  to  provide  that  large  cities  should  be  given  the  power  of  as- 
signing justices  of  the  peace  to  the  duties  of  police  magistrates;  to 
punish  the  practicing  of  law  without  a  license;  to  fix  the  costs  in 
justice  courts,  etc. 

In  the  Legislature  of  1899-1900  the  Civic  Federation  caused  to 
be  introduced  a  bill  providing  for  the  division  of  Chicago  into  dis- 
tricts having  one  or  more  judges  with  practically  the  same  powers 
as  justices  of  the  peace.  It  was  proposed  that  such  judges,  instead 
of  being  named  by  the  Circuit  and  Superior  court  judges  under  ap- 
pointment by  the  governor  and  confirmed  by  the  Senate,  be  elected 
by  the  people  and  be  paid  an  annual  salary  of  $4,000  each. 

It  was  Judge  Gary's  opinion  in  1898,  while  he  admitted  that  many 
faults  existed  in  the  justice  system  of  Chicago,  that  the  imperfec- 
tions were  not  due  to  the  fact  that  the  justices  were  named  by  the 
judges,  but  because  fees  and  not  salaries  were  paid  them.  So  long 
as  they  drew  fees  they  would  do  nothing  to  curtail  court  cases  and 
operations.  If  in  any  suit  the  odds  were  even,  they  would  decide 
for  the  plaintiff,  their  customer.  Every  justice  directly  or  indi- 
rectly solicited  business  in  order  to  increase  his  compensation.  One 
of  the  faults  of  the  system  in  Chicago  was  that  the  judges  who  made 
the  justice  appointments  could  not  know  in  all  cases  the  qualifica- 

638 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  639 

tions  and  character  of  the  men  they  appointed.  It  was  thought 
that  a  salary  to  each  justice  instead  of  fees  might  in  a  large  measure 
remove  the  objections. 

The  Legislature  in  1899  passed  a  joint  resolution  creating  the 
Practice  commission.  The  design  was  to  effect  needed  changes  in 
the  practice  and  procedure  of  the  courts.  During  the  year  about 
400  such  changes  were  suggested,  of  which  over  100  concerned  the 
practice  in  justice  courts.  This  seemed  to  indicate  that  there  was 
something  inherently  wrong  in  the  latter.  There  were  at  this  time 
in  the  city  twenty-four  acting  justices  and  in  the  county  outside  of 
the  city  116  additional  justices.  In  the  North,  South  and  West 
towns  57,979  cases  were  commenced  in  1898.  During  the  same 
period  18,697  cases  were  commenced  in  the  Superior  and  Circuit 
courts.  Thus,  four  times  as  many  cases  were  commenced  in  the 
Justice  courts  as  in  the  Superior  and  Circuit  courts.  The  intention 
of  previous  Legislatures  had  undoubtedly  been  good.  By  enact- 
ment they  had  provided  that  all  justices  of  the  city  of  Chicago 
should  be  appointed  by  the  governor,  with  the  consent  of  the  Sen- 
ate and  upon  recommendations  only  of  the  judges  of  the  Circuit, 
Superior  and  County  courts.  This  seemed  to  make  ample  provision 
for  the  best  men  possible,  but  such  law  had  been  passed  about  thirty 
years  before.  The  city  had  outgrown  such  regulations,  and  a  new 
order  of  procedure  was  needed.  The  fee  system,  it  was  asserted, 
should  be  substituted  for  the  salary  system.  The  degree  to  which  the 
fee  system  had  carried  unjustifiable  actions  was  pointed  out  as  one 
of  the  consequences  of  the  system.  No  justice,  it  was  claimed, 
should  be  allowed  to  originate  his  own  business.  The  fee  system 
put  a  premium  upon  the  number  of  actions  commenced,  and  hence 
all  justices  sought  vigorously  to  secure  as  many  cases  as  possible. 
It  was  demanded  that  justices  appointed  as  police  magistrates  should 
be  required  to  devote  their  whole  attention  to  criminal  cases  and 
that  all  persons  except  licensed  attorneys  should  be  prohibited  from 
practicing  in  the  courts.  The  abused  right  of  an  officer  to  arrest 
a  violator  of  the  law,  it  was  claimed,  made  alteration  and  improve- 
ment of  the  system  necessary.  Under  the  existing  practice  a  suitor 
who  received  an  intimation  of  an  adverse  decision  was  in  the  habit 
of  dismissing  his  case  before  trial.  It  was  declared  that  the  law 
should  be  so  amended  that  he  should  not  have  a  right  to  dismiss  his 
case  after  a  hearing  had  been  commenced.  Where  a  litigant  thus 
received  intimation  of  an  adverse  decision  he  dropped  his  case  before 
that  justice  and  commenced  action  before  some  other  justice,  and 
so  continued  until  he  received  intimation  that  his  case  would  be  de- 
cided in  his  favor.  Another  serious  objection  to  the  practice  was 
the  right  of  a  litigant  to  bring  suit  before  any  justice  in  the  county. 
It  meant  great  hardship  upon  men  who  were  cited  to  appear  through 
revengeful  motives  in  distant  parts  of  the  county. 


640  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

The  extraordinary  number  of  suits  against  the  city  for  personal 
injuries  declared  to  have  been  occasioned  by  defective  wooden  side- 
walks was  cause  for  serious  consideration  during  the  summer  and 
fall  of  1900.  By  about  the  middle  of  September  there  were  pend- 
ing against  the  city  such  suits  to  the  amount  of  about  $30,000,000. 
At  the  same  time  there  were  outstanding  against  the  city  judgments 
to  the  amount  of  about  $2,000,000.  During  the  previous  year  400 
of  such  cases  were  disposed  of  at  a  cost  to  the  city  of  over  $350,000. 
On  January  1,  1900,  about  1,400  of  such  cases  were  pending  as 
against  about  650  on  January  1,  1897.  About  85  per  cent  of  the 
suits  were  of  the  personal  injury  class.  Here  then  was  a  field  for 
vast  reform  and  improvement.  It  was  an  extraordinary  state  of 
affairs.  It  showed  an  utter  lack  of  suitable  precaution  made  sys- 
tematically and  concertedly  to  protect  the  city's  interest.  The  enor- 
mous expense  of  the  legal  machinery  was  largely  thrown  away. 
Upon  investigation  it  appeared  that  during  the  past  dozen  years 
cases  of  this  character  by  the  hundreds  had  been  commenced  because 
shyster  lawyers  knew  that  judgments  could  be  obtained  owing  to  the 
weakness  of  the  defense  put  up  by  the  city.  In  numerous  instances 
judgments  by  default  had  been  taken  against  the  city  without  a 
fight  on  legal  and  systematic  grounds  having  been  made.  The  pub- 
lic and  the  press  demanded  the  establishment  at  once  of  an  efficient 
city  legal  department  that  could  meet  and  fight  successfully  all  un- 
just claims  of  this  character  against  the  municipality. 

In  the  fall  of  1900  the  extortion  practiced  by  constables  through- 
out Cook  county  was  cause  for  urgent  demand  for  reform.  It  was 
another  fault  of  the  justice  courts.  As  much  of  the  litigation  in 
justice  courts  was  begun  solely  for  the  purpose  of  securing  fees,  it 
followed  as  a  natural  consequence  that  constables  themselves  and 
other  tipstaves  would  push  their  interests  as  far  in  the  same  direc- 
tion as  possible.  Accordingly  there  had  grown  up  a  shameful  sys- 
tem of  extortion  and  blackmail  that  was  largely  unknown  to  the 
masses  of  the  people.  The  press  at  this  date  somewhat  in  detail 
called  attention  to  these  various  abuses  and  argued  that  the  system 
should  either  be  corrected  or  abandoned.  The  best  critics,  among 
whom  was  Judge  Carter,  expressed  the  opinion  that  the  proper 
remedy  was  the  abolition  of  the  fee  system.  As  a  matter  of  fact 
the  justice  courts  had  become  the  most  objectionable  and  corrupt 
feature  of  the  city  government.  Judge  Carter  himself  called  the 
whole  justice  court  system  a  legalized  band  of  hold-up  men. 

The  looseness  of  judicial  procedure  in  other  courts  of  Chicago 
and  Cook  county  was  revealed  in  September,  1900,  when  Judge 
Hanecy  released  a  convicted  murderer  upon  habeas  corpus  because 
of  the  omission  of  certain  words  in  the  mittimus.  It  was  shown  at 
the  same  time  that  during  the  last  preceding  four  years  no  less  than 
thirty  criminals  had  thus  been  released  on  similar  technical  grounds. 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  641 

There  was  no  doubt  of  the  guilt  of  these  men.  The  objections  arose 
owing  to  their  release  upon  some  purely  trifling  matter.  Reform  in 
this  particular  was  demanded  by  the  public  press. 

Late  in  November,  1900,  an  important  ordinance  was  passed  by 
the  City  Council.  It  provided  for  a  bill  abolishing  Justice  courts 
and  substituting  District  courts  of  record  and  for  its  reference  to  the 
appropriate  State  Legislative  committee.  This  was  the  first  definite 
action  taken  which  culminated  in  the  establishment  of  the  present 
Municipal  courts  of  Chicago.  The  bill  was  introduced  in  the  City 
Council  by  F.  K.  Blake.  It  divided  the  city  into  districts  wherein 
should  be  established  Courts  of  Record  to  take  the  place  of  and 
supplant  the  Justice  courts.  But  the  Justice  courts  were  not  so  eas- 
ily abandoned.  Numerous  methods  to  improve  them  or  supplant 
them  with  something  better  were  made  previous  to  1905. 

In  the  meantime  several  important  changes  in  the  practice  of  the 
Circuit  and  Superior  courts  were  suggested.  However,  all  felt 
that  contemplated  changes  in  the  Justice  courts  would  work  impor- 
tant improvements  in  all  the  other  courts,  and  in  the  end  they  did. 
The  introduction  of  the  Juvenile  courts  to  try  offenders  of  tender 
years  produced  results  so  satisfactory  that  other  improvements  were 
demanded  from  tim'e  to  time. 

The  first  effective  impulse  given  to  the  organization  of  the  Munic- 
ipal court  of  Chicago  was  at  a  date  just  previous  to  the  adoption 
by  the  people  of  the  constitutional  amendment  of  1904  which  now 
constitutes  Section  34  of  Article  6.  The  Chicago  New  Charter 
convention  had  considered  many  proposed  amendments  affecting 
the  interests  of  Chicago  and  Cook  county.  Through  its  executive 
committee  the  convention  determined  to  draft  a  bill  to  be  introduced 
in  the  General  Assembly  for  the  creation  of  Municipal  courts  in 
this  city.  This  executive  committee  consisted  of  John  P.  Wilson, 
John  S.  Miller,  Murray  F.  Tuley,  Carter  H.  Harrison,  Bernard  E. 
Sunny  and  Bernard  A.  Eckhart,  with  John  P.  Wilson  as  chairman. 
This  committee  employed  Hiram  T.  Gilbert  as  an  assistant  and  be- 
gan active  work  about  December  10,  1904,  all  members  of  the  com- 
mittee participating.  On  or  about  January  20,  1905,  after  many 
conferences  and  after  mature  deliberation,  the  committee  agreed 
upon  a  bill  to  be  entitled,  "An  Act  in  relation  to  Municipal  courts 
in  the  city  of  Chicago." 

This  bill  provided  for  one  Municipal  court  designated  the  Com- 
mon Pleas  court  and  five  additional  Municipal  courts  designated 
City  courts.  The  former  was  given  jurisdiction  in  all  civil  and 
criminal  cases  and  proceedings  except  those  generally  in  equity,  but 
also  of  special  equity  cases,  and  the  latter  were  given  jurisdiction 
of  cases  over  which  justices  of  the  peace  had  jurisdiction  where 
the  amounts  did  not  exceed  $500,  and  also  of  all  other  suits  at  law 
for  the  recovery  of  money  only  when  the  amount  claimed  did  not 


642  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

exceed  $500.  On  January  24,  1905,  this  bill  was  introduced  in  the 
Senate  and  became  known  as  Senate  Bill  No.  45  and  was  introduced 
in  the  House  as  House  Bill  No.  98.  Immediately  the  character  and 
purport  of  the  bill  evoked  great  interest  among  the  members  of  the 
Legislature.  Its  provisions  were  studied  and  discussed  in  detail 
and  there  was  developed  strong  opposition  to  its  passage.  This  led 
to  the  selection  by  the  Chicago  bar  of  sixty-eight  members,  together 
with  four  Cook  county  judges  specially  chosen,  whose  duty  was  to 
study,  amend,  elaborate,  prepare  and  introduce  a  new  bill  that  should 
meet  all  requirements  thus  far  developed.  The  result  was  an  amend- 
ed bill  entitled,  "A  Bill  for  an  Act  in  relation  to  a  Municipal  court 
in  the  city  of  Chicago."  This  was  known  as  House  Bill  No.  27. 
It  dropped  from  consideration  the  contemplated  Common  Pleas 
court  and  limited  the  jurisdiction  of  the  Municipal  court  to  all  those 
suits  and  proceedings,  whether  civil  or  criminal,  of  which  justices 
of  the  peace  were  given  jurisdiction  by  law  when  the  amount  in- 
volved did  not  exceed  $500,  and  of  all  criminal  actions  where  the 
fine  did  not  exceed  $200  or  where  the  imprisonment  did  not  exceed 
one  year,  or  both  such  fine  and  imprisonment.  The  courts  under 
this  bill  were  to  be  called  City  courts.  Its  provisions  were  radi- 
cally different  from  those  of  the  original  bill,  as  they  prescribed 
that  appeals  should  lie  from  its  decisions  to  the  Circuit,  Superior, 
Criminal  and  County  courts.  The  appeal  cases  were  to  be  tried 
de  novo  as  required  under  appeals  from  justices  of  the  peace. 

On  February  21  there  was  introduced  in  the  Senate  what  became 
known  as  Senate  Bill  No.  207,  entitled  "A  Bill  for  an  Act  in  relation 
to  Municipal  courts  in  the  city  of  Chicago."  This  bill  likewise 
omitted  the  Common  Pleas  court  and  provided  only  for  Municipal 
courts  with  the  same  jurisdiction  as  was  to  be  conferred  upon  the 
City  courts  as  in  Bills  45  and  98.  At  first  the  salary  of  the  chief 
justice  was  fixed  at  $4,500  a  year  and  of  the  associate  judges  at 
$4,000.  The  term  of  office  was  set  at  four  years  and  the  election  of 
judges  was  fixed  for  the  first  Tuesday  of  April,  1904,  and  every 
four  years  thereafter.  The  bill  also  made  the  office  of  clerk  and 
bailiff  elective  and  named  their  salary  $4,000  per  annum.  The 
House  committee  to  whom  was  referred  House  Bill  No.  98,  after 
long  deliberation,  reported  a  committee  bill  entitled,  "A  Bill  for 
an  Act  in  relation  to  Municipal  courts  in  the  city  of  Chicago."  This 
bill  limited  the  original  criminal  jurisdiction  of  the  Common  Pleas 
court  to  misdemeanors.  It  omitted  the  article  for  a  grand  jury  and 
made  radical  changes  in  the  practice  provisions.  It  provided  that 
the  judges  should  be  elected  on  the  first  Tuesday  of  April,  1906, 
the  chief  justice  for  six  years  and  the  associate  judges,  one-third 
for  two  years,  one-third  for  four  years'  and  one-third  for  six  years, 
and  further  provided  that  an  election  for  eight  associate  judges 
should  be  held  every  two  years  and  for  a  chief  justice  every  six 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  645 

years.  This  bill  was  known  as  House  Bill  No.  422.  In  the  Senate 
the  provision  for  a  Common  Pleas  court  met  with  opposition  and 
for  a  time  progress  was  deadlocked.  To  reconcile  the  differences 
Hiram  T.  Gilbert  was  engaged  to  prepare  the  draft  of  a  new  bill 
that  should  do  away  wholly  with  the  Common  Pleas  court.  The 
draft  thus  prepared  was  in  the  main  the  bill  finally  adopted.  The 
design  of  the  Senate  committee  was  to  frame  a  bill  that  should  pre- 
serve the  practice  provisions  of  House  Bill  No.  422,  though  dif- 
ferent in  phraseology  and  form.  To  prevent  overcrowding  of  the 
court,  actions  for  ejectment,  injuries  to  persons  and  qui  tarn  pro- 
ceedings involving  over  $1,000  were  omitted  from  the  bill.  The 
classes  of  cases  which  were  to  be  tried  without  pleadings  were  en- 
larged so  as  to  include  all  actions  at  law  that  did  not  exceed  $1,000. 
House  Bill  No.  422  was  amended  in  the  Senate  to  correspond  with 
the  Gilbert  bill.  The  House  refused  to  concur  in  the  Senate  amend- 
ments, whereupon  a  joint  conference  committee,  after  making  some 
changes  in  the  Senate  amendments,  reported  a  bill  that  was  adopted. 
During  the  entire  period  of  these  proceedings  the  members  of  the 
General  Assembly  gave  protracted,  intense  and  elaborate  considera- 
tion of  the  new  measure.  It  was  supported  in  the  House  by  Repre- 
sentatives Pendarvis,  Church,  Daugherty,  Lindley,  McGoorty,  Mc- 
Kinley,  McSurely,  and  Williams,  and  in  the  Senate  by  Senators 
Hass,  Berry,  Campbell,  Galpin,  Gardner,  Humphrey  and  Maher. 
The  final  passage  of  the  bill  was  credited  to  the  energy,  ability  and 
determination  of  these  gentlemen.  .This  law  was  approved  May  18, 
1905,  and  went  into  effect  as  soon  as  assented  to  by  a  majority  of 
the  legal  voters  of  Chicago  at  an  election  held  on  the  first  Tuesday 
after  the  first  Monday  of  November,  1905. 

The  amendment  of  the  Constitution  known  as  Section  34,  Arti- 
cle 6,  adopted  in  1904,  provided  for  the  creation  of  Municipal  courts 
to  take  the  place  of  those  held  by  justices  of  the  peace  and  police 
magistrates,  and  empowered  to  perform  other  judicial  work  speci- 
fied and  necessary.  Instead  of  creating  independent  Municipal 
courts,  the  General  Assembly,  at  its  discretion,  created  branch  Munic- 
ipal courts  all  under  one  head  entitled,  "The  Municipal  Court,"  just 
as  each  branch  of  the  Circuit  or  Superior  court  is  a  distinct  unit. 

The  jurisdiction  of  the  Municipal  court,  briefly  stated,  was  clas- 
sified under  five  varieties  of  action :  First,  when  the  amount  claimed 
exceeded  $1,000,  and  when  actions  for  the  recovery  of  personal 
property  or  for  the  recovery  of  certain  damages  exceeded  $1,000; 
second,  all  suits,  whether  civil  or  criminal,  at  law  or  in  equity,  tried 
under  change  of  venue  from  other  courts  of  the  county;  third,  all 
criminal  cases  in  which  the  punishment  is  by  fine,  or  by  imprison- 
ment otherwise  than  in  the  penitentiary;  fourth,  all  suits  and  pro- 
ceedings of  which  justices  of  the  peace  had  jurisdiction  by  law 
when  the  amount  involved  did  not  exceed  $1,000,  with  some  ex- 

Vol.  1—37. 


646  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

ceptions  and  limitations ;  fifth,  all  other  suits  at  law  and  for  the  re- 
covery of  money  only  when  the  amount  claimed  did  not  exceed 
$1,000. 

At  first  the  city  was  divided  into  five  Municipal  court  districts, 
in  each  of  which  was  located  a  civil  and  a  criminal  branch.  This 
division  proved  unsatisfactory,  and  on  June  10,  1907,  under  the 
Municipal  court  act,  the  judges  entered  an  order  abolishing  the 
Third,  Fourth  and  Fifth  districts  and  rearranging  the  boundary 
lines  of  the  First  and  Second  districts  so  as  to  include  the  whole 
city.  This  order  was  approved  by  the  council  June  17,  1907,  and 
became  effective  July  15,  1907.  The  First  district  comprised  prac- 
tically all  that  part  of  the  city  north  of  Seventy-first  street  and  west 
of  Lake  Michigan  and  south  of  Seventy-first  street  and  west  of  Cot- 
tage Grove  avenue.  The  Second  district  comprised  South  Chicago. 
Thus  the  First  district  was  made  to  embrace  almost  the  whole  of 
the  present  Chicago. 

Full  provisions  for  pleadings,  for  the  dispatch  of  business  and 
for  the  accommodation  of  poor  suitors  were  made  and  were  changed 
and  improved  from  time  to  time  as  needed  under  the  order  of  the 
court.  The  Municipal  court  was  made  to  consist  of  twenty-eight 
judges,  one  of  whom  should  be  chief  justice  and  the  other  twenty- 
seven  associate  judges.  Each  branch  court  was  presided  over  by 
a  single  judge  of  the  Municipal  court.  . 

The  duties  of  the  chief  justice  were  as  follows:  To  provide  for 
holding  as  many  branch  courts  in  each  district  as  was  necessary  for 
the  proper  dispatch  of  business;  to  exercise  general  superintendence 
over  the  business  of  the  court;  to  preside  at  the  meetings  of  the 
judges;  to  assign  the  associate  judges  to  duties  at  branch  courts;  to 
receive  their  monthly  reports  and  to  determine  the  times  of  their 
vacations ;  to  superintend  the  preparation  of  the  calendars  and  deter- 
mine the  order  in  which  cases  should  be  tried;  to  determine  the 
number  of  petit  jurors  to  be  summoned  and  to  cause  them  to  be 
questioned  as  to  their  qualifications ;  to  prescribe  forms  of  praecipes, 
summonses,  entries  of  appearances,  affidavits,  bonds,  attachment 
writs,  replevin  writs,  petitions  for  change  of  venue,  bills  of  partic- 
ulars and  all  other  papers  necessa/y  for  the  use  of  parties  to  suits. 

The  Municipal  courts  were  required  to  be  kept  open  for  business 
every  day  of  the  year  except  Sundays  and  legal  holidays;  all  suits 
were  to  be  treated  as  emergency  cases ;  vacations  of  judges  were  to 
be  so  arranged  as  not  to  interfere  with  the  dispatch  of  business. 

The  associate  judges  possessed  the  following  powers:  To  re- 
ceive and  investigate  all  complaints  concerning  the  court  and  the 
officers;  to  determine  the  number  of  deputy  clerks  and  deputy 
bailiffs  and  to  fix  their  salaries ;  to  remove  deputy  clerks  and  deputy 
bailiffs;  to  institute  such  special  rules  and  regulations  as  should 
seem  expedient.  These  powers  were  more  elaborate  and  extensive 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  647 

than  those  possessed  by  judges  of  the  Circuit  and  Superior  courts. 
It  was  provided  that  no  person  should  be  eligible  to  the  office  of  chief 
justice  or  associate  judge  unless  he  was  thirty  years  of  age,  a  citi- 
zen of  the  United  States,  and  should  have  resided  in  Cook  county 
in  the  practice  of  law  for  five  years  next  preceding  his  election. 
Provision  for  an  increase  in  the  number  of  judges  was  made.  The 
judges  of  the  Municipal  courts  could  interchange  duties  with  judges 
of  other  city  courts.  The  clerk  of  the  Municipal  court  was  made  an 
important  official  personage.  His  duties  were  wide,  important,  and 
authoritative  restrictions  over  him  were  made  sufficient.  Full  pro- 
vision for  all  deputies,  assistants,  etc.,  was  made.  Aside  from  his 
salary  no  officer  of  the  court  was  permitted  to  receive  any  compen- 
sation whatever. 

The  substitution  of  Municipal  courts  for  Justice  courts  was  such 
a  radical  change  that  the  General  Assembly  and  its  advisers  pre- 
pared a  flexible  code  of  practice  so  that  faults  which  could  not  be 
foreseen  could  be  corrected  as  fast  as  disclosed.  To  prevent  serious 
blunder  in  the  procedure,  the  rules  generally  prevailing  in  the  Cir- 
cuit court  were  adopted,  as  it  was  believed  dangerous  to  attempt 
at  the  outset  to  put  in  operation  a  new  set.  Ample  power  to  make 
changes  in  the  rules  was  given  to  the  court  officials.  Full  provision 
was  made  for  every  step  necessary  in  the  management  of  suits  from 
the  first  paper  until  the  settlement  of  the  cases  under  judgment  or 
otherwise.  Scores  of  rules,  regulations,  practices,  orders,  etc., 
which  need  not  be  detailed  here  were  adopted. 

At  the  time  the  Municipal  court  act  went  into  effect  the  Circuit 
court  of  Cook  county  consisted  of  fourteen  judges  and  the  Superior 
court  of  twelve  judges.  Each  of  these  courts  had  a  chief  justice 
selected  for  one  year  by  the  judges  themselves  from  their  own  num- 
ber. Each  judge  was  entirely  independent  of  every  other  judge 
and  had  power  to  adopt  and  enforce  in  the  branch  over  which  he 
presided  such  rules  of  practice  not  inconsistent  with  law  as  he  might 
deem  proper,  regardless  of  the  rules  which  might  be  adopted  and 
enforced  in  other  branches  of  the  court.  Though  one  judge  might 
declare  a  statute  or  municipal  ordinance  constitutional  or  valid,  an- 
other judge  might  declare  it  unconstitutional  or  invalid.  One 
judge  might  pronounce  a  judgment  of  conviction  in  a  criminal  case, 
which  another  judge,  upon  application  for  a  writ  of  habeas  corpus, 
might  declare  invalid  and  might  discharge  the  party  convicted. 
Many  other  practices  apparently  inconsistent  and  cumbersome  were 
carried  out  by  the  Circuit  and  Superior  courts.  As  a  whole  the 
system  was  grievously  unsatisfactory  in  its  results.  The  cost  to 
the  taxpayer  was  out  of  proportion  to  the  benefits.  The  Municipal 
court  act  sought  to  eliminate  from  the  system  such  defects  and  in- 
congruities in  the  Circuit,  Superior  and  Criminal  court  systems  by 
providing  a  chief  justice  with  extensive  powers  of  superintendence 


648  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

and  by  conferring  upon  the  judges  as  a  whole  large  discretionary 
authority. 

Many  changes  have  been  made  in  the  rules,  management,  pro- 
cedure and  province  of  the  court  since  it  began  operations.  During 
its  first  year  there  were  instituted  in  the  First  district  seventeen 
branch  civil  courts  located  at  148  Michigan  avenue.  In  these  sev- 
enteen civil  branches  nine  judges  heard  jury  cases  and  eight  judges 
heard  cases  without  juries.  There  were  thirteen  criminal  branches 
throughout  the  district.  In  the  Second  district  there  was  one  branch 
court  located  at  8855  Exchange  avenue,  South  Chicago,  for  civil 
and  criminal  business.  In  the  new  city  hall,  quarters  for  the  civil 
branches  of  the  court  were  designed.  It  was  planned  to  give  the 
court  twenty-four  court  rooms  in  this  building,  besides  special  offices 
for  the  chief  justice,  clerk,  bailiff  and  jurors.  Provision  for  addi- 
tional rooms  for  the  Criminal  courts  was  made.  During  the  first 
year  there  was  a  noticeable  decrease  not  only  in  the  number  of  cases 
filed  for  suit,  but  in  the  commission  of  crime.  The  new  court  from 
the  start  established  a  reputation  for  efficiency  and  certainty  of 
punishment  which  economized  court  expenses  and  deterred  offend- 
ers from  the  commission  of  vice  and  crime.  Not  only  was  there  an 
immense  decrease  in  the  number  of  arrests  for  felonies,  misdemean- 
ors and  violation  of  city  ordinances,  but  there  was  a  substantial  in- 
crease in  the  number  of  persons  sent  to  jail  and  to  the  House  of  Cor- 
rection. This  improvement  in  court  and  criminal  statistics  during 
the  year  was  attributed  to  the  following  accomplishments :  Speedy 
trials;  strict  bail  regulations;  House  of  Correction  rather  than  jail 
sentence;  care  not  to  interfere  with  the  administration  of  justice  in 
the  courts  and  the  consequent  encouragement  of  the  police  officer 
to  do  his  duty;  imposing  a  heavy  penalty  for  carrying  concealed 
weapons. 

The  Municipal  court  was  really  a  reform  movement  forced  upon 
the  people  by  the  faults  and  imperfections  of  the  Justice  system  and 
by  the  necessity  for  honest  procedure  and  expedition.  Great  lati- 
tude to  improve  itself  was  given  the  court.  Accordingly  many 
amendments,  changes,  improvements  and  advances  have  been  made 
as  time  has  revealed  their  character,  importance  and  necessity. 

In  1907  the  probation  system  was  given  special  consideration. 
Prior  to  1900  the  practice  of  placing  offenders  against  the  criminal 
laws  upon  probation  had  received  no  recognition  throughout  the 
country  except  in  one  or  two  states.  By  October,  1907,  the  statutes 
of  twenty- four  states  authorized  probation  for  juvenile  offenders,  the 
statutes  of  nine  states  authorized  probation  for  adult  offenders,  and 
the  statutes  of  seven  states  authorized  probation  for  adult  delinquen- 
cy. About  this  time  Judge  Tuthill  of  the  Juvenile  court  of  Chicago 
said,  "The  probation  officer  is  the  keystone  which  supports  the  arch 
of  the  law."  At  first,  probation  was  inaugurated  in  Chicago  under 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  649 

volunteer  officers  exclusively,  but  a  little  later  paid  probation  offi- 
cers were  employed. 

At  the  end  of  the  second  year  of  the  Municipal  court,  December 
6,  1908,  the  following  results  of  the  year's  work  were  shown:  A 
steady  increase  in  litigation;  an  increase  of  32  per  cent  in  civil 
litigation;  an  increase  of  over  10  per  cent  in  criminal  and  quasi- 
criminal  litigation;  an  increase  of  117  per  cent  in  the  amount  of 
money  judgments;  a  marked  increase  in  efficiency  in  disposing  of 
litigation,  both  criminal  and  civil;  a  continued  decrease  in  crime 
since  the  institution  of  the  court;  a  decrease  in  the  number  of  ar- 
rests over  those  of  1906;  a  decrease  in  the  number  of  alleged  offend- 
ers over  those  of  1906;  a  decrease  in  the  fines  assessed  against  offend- 
ers ;  a  large  release  in  the  amount  of  fines  by  the  pardon  of  offenders ; 
an  increase  of  23  per  cent  in  the  number  of  offenders  punished  by 
House  of  Correction  and  jail  sentences;  the  discharge  of  over  55 
per  cent  of  criminal  and  quasi-criminal  cases  and  preliminary  hear- 
ings; relieved  the  Circuit,  Superior  and  County  courts  of  over  35 
per  cent  of  their  civil  litigation  since  the  institution  of  the  Munic- 
ipal court;  the  commencement  by  poor  persons,  who  were  unable 
to  pay  the  costs,  of  432  cases,  of  which  number  121  subsequently 
paid  the  costs;  nearly  82  per  cent  of  writs  placed  in  the  hands  of 
the  bailiffs  were  served ;  31  per  cent  of  the  cases  appealed  to  the  Ap- 
pellate court  in  1907  were  reversed;  of  the  total  number  of  cases 
disposed  of  in  1907  the  percentage  of  reversals  was  about  one- 
tenth  of  1  per  cent;  the  receipts  of  the  court  increased  8  per  cent 
and  the  expenditures  increased  14  per  cent. 

During  1908  there  were  in  operation  in  the  First  district  eighteen 
branch  civil  courts,  all  located  at  148  Michigan  avenue,  known  as 
the  Central  Civil  Court  building.  In  these  eleven  judges  heard  jury 
cases  and  seven  judges  heard  cases  without  juries.  There  were 
thirteen  criminal  branches  in  the  First  district  presided  over  by  ten 
judges.  The  thirteen  criminal  branches  were  located  as  follows: 
Criminal  Court  building,  two  branches;  Harrison  and  La  Salle 
streets,  two  branches ;  20  South  Desplaines  street ;  Morgan  and  Max- 
well streets;  5233  Lake  avenue;  235  West  Chicago  avenue;  Shake- 
speare and  California  avenue;  242  East  Chicago  avenue;  Sheffield 
avenue  and  Diversey  boulevard;  6347  Wentworth  avenue;  834 
Thirty-fifth  street.  The  Second  district  branch  court  disposed  of 
both  civil  and  criminal  business  and  remained  located  at  8855  Ex- 
change avenue,  South  Chicago.  During  the  year  several  important 
changes  and  improvements  were  instituted  and  numerous  amend- 
ments were  suggested. 

An  important  piece  of  legislation  reported  during  1908  was  the 
Limited  Adult  Probation  bill.  This  was  favored  by  the  Illinois  State 
Conference  of  Charities,  the  Civic  Federation  of  Chicago,  the  City 
Association,  the  Legislative  Voters'  League  and  the  press  generally 


650  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

of  the  city.  A  bill  to  legalize  probation  proceedings  already  insti- 
tuted in  Chicago  and  to  provide  for  future  action  passed  the  Legis- 
lature early  in  1909. 

In  March,  1909,  representatives  of  the  Chicago  Municipal  court 
introduced  or  had  introduced  in  the  Legislature  a  bill  confirming 
and  controlling  the  parole  system  practiced  under  the  Chicago  Mu- 
nicipal court.  This  bill  was  introduced  to  prevent  alleged  abuses 
of  the  system  by  members  of  the  court  who  should  take  liberties 
similar  tp  those  lately  practiced  by  Judge  Cleland. 

During  the  few  years  just  previous  to  1909  there  was  a  growing 
and  prevalent  belief  that  the  jury  system  should  either  be  vastly 
improved  or  should  be  abolished  entirely.  The  increasing  difficulty 
of  obtaining  good  jurors  was  acknowledged.  The  jury  commis- 
sioners of  Cook  county  stated  that  obtaining  good  jurors  was  like 
fishing  in  Lake  Michigan — very  uncertain,  as  the  more  there  were 
taken  out  made  it  so  much  more  difficult  to  catch  those  that  were 
left  and  smaller  ones  would  have  to  be  taken.  The  commissioners 
themselves  believed  that  the  average  of  jury  excellence  was  decreas- 
ing. They  noted  that  the  laws  and  regulations  concerning  the  selec- 
tion of  jurors  hampered  and  prevented  in  a  large  measure  the  pro- 
curement of  satisfactory  panels. 

Late  in  1908  the  Appellate  court  in  a  number  of  reverses  nulli- 
fied in  a  large  degree  the  usefulness  of  the  Municipal  court  as  an 
agency  of  quick  justice;  but  the  Supreme  court  handed  down  a  de- 
cision soon  afterward  giving  it  all  the  power  and  jurisdiction  that 
were  intended  by  the  framers  of  the  law.  A  particular  question 
involved  was  the  right  of  city  judges  to  try  cases  on  information 
when  the  punishment  was  to  be  anything  but  a  penitentiary  sen- 
tence. The  Supreme  court  decision  restored  to  the  Municipal  court 
its  original  jurisdiction  and  power.  During  the  last  two  years  nu- 
merous attempts  to  render  the  Municipal  court  non-partisan  have 
been  made,  but  without  effective  results.  The  old  parties  continue 
to  name  partisan  tickets  and  to  place  the  selection  of  these  important 
officials  under  the  control,  dictation  and  corruption  of  bosses  and 
machines. 


MISCELLANEOUS  EARLY   EVENTS,  ETC. 

ARCHIBALD  Clybourn  built  a  slaughter  house  on  the  North 
Branch  in  1827  for  the  purpose  of  supplying  meat  to  the 
troops  then  stationed  at  Fort  Dearborn  and  also  the  Indians 
and  the  few  white  inhabitants.  But  little  packing  was  done 
until  the  fall  of  1833,  there  being  no  export  demand,  and  little  was 
wanted  in  the  western  country.  During  the  summer  of  1833  there 
was  a  large  emigration  to  Chicago  and  the  country  adjacent,  which 
created  a  large  demand  for  pickled  beef  and  pork.  Mr.  Clybourn 
packed  from  500  to  600  beeves  and  about  3,000  hogs,  and  in  1834 
packed  a  still  larger  number.  During  the  whole  period  of  seven  or 
eight  years  mentioned  (1827  to  1834),  the  price  paid  for  cattle  and 
hogs  was  about  three  cents  net  weight.  But  the  quality  of  neither 
cattle  nor  hogs  at  that  time  was  very  good.  The  hogs  were  gen- 
erally of  the  "rover  breed"  and  had  to  be  driven  from  150  to  200 
miles  across  the  prairies,  for  which  task  they  were  perfectly  capable 
— "being  able  to  make  their  mile  in  about  2  :40."  The  pork  packed 
from  these  hogs  was  generally  light  mess  or  prime  pork,  with  about 
three  hogs  in  a  barrel.  Mr.  Clybourn  recollected  some  barrel  pork 
being  sold  to  one  of  the  first  settlers  of  Kenosha  (see  elsewhere), 
which  turned  out  sixteen  tail  pieces  to  the  barrel.  This  was  sold  as 
"prime  pork." 

The  first  beef  packed  in  the  city  was  by  George  W.  Dole  in  1832. 
In  October  of  that  year  he  slaughtered  and  packed  150  head  of  cat- 
tle for  Oliver  Newberry  of  Detroit.  The  cattle  were  purchased  by 
Mr.  Dole  from  Charles  Reed,  of  Hickory  Creek,  at  $2.75  per  100 
pounds — the  hides  and  tallow  being  thrown  in  for  slaughter- 
ing. The  cattle  were  driven  to  this  city  from  the  Wabash  river 
country  and  were  slaughtered  by  John  and  Mark  Noble  on  the 
prairie  near  the  lake  opposite  where  the  Bishop's  Palace  was  (1858) 
situated,  at  the  corner  of  Michigan  avenue  and  Madison  street.  The 
packing  was  done  in  Mr.  Dole's  warehouse,  a  wooden  building  situ- 
ated at  the  corner  of  Dearborn  and  South  Water  streets.  The  bar- 
rels in  which  the  beef  was  packed  were  brought  from  Detroit  and  the 
beef  was  shipped  that  fall  to  Detroit.  In  December,  1832,  Mr.  Dole 
slaughtered  and  packed  338  hogs.  They  were  purchased  from  John 
Blackstone  at  $3  per  100  pounds  net  and  were  driven  from  the  Wa- 
bash valley.  These  hogs  were  slaughtered  in  the  back  yard  of  Mr. 
Dole's  warehouse  and  packed  in  the  store.  There  were  no  barrels 
in  which  to  put  the  meat;  it  was  packed  in  bulk  and  stored  away 
until  barrels  were  made  during  the  winter.  This  was  the  first  lot  of 
hogs  ever  packed  in  this  city.  There  are  no  means  of  ascertaining 

651 


652  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

what  prices  this  pork  or  beef  brought,  as  they  were  sent  to  the  New 
York  market  from  Detroit;  but  in  an  old  book  belonging  to  Mr. 
Dole  was  found  an  entry  of  a  sale  of  a  barrel  of  mess  pork  at  $16 
and  a  barrel  of  "one  hog  pork"  at  $14.  In  the  fall  of  1833  Mr. 
Dole  packed  both  beef  and  pork  at  Mr.  Clybourn's  packing  house  on 
the  North  Branch.  The  number  of  cattle  packed  was  250  head  and 
the  number  of  hogs  1,000.  The  cattle  cost  $2.80  per  100  pounds 
net  and  the  hogs  $3  net,  both  cattle  and  hogs  having  been  driven 
from  the  Wabash. — (Statement  of  Messrs.  Clybourn  and  Dole  to 
the  editor  of  Annual  Review  of  Chicago,  1858.) 

Under  contract  dated  May  14,  1833,  Clybourn  agreed  to  deliver 
to  Newberry  &  Dole  between  September  1  and  November  1,  1833, 
in  the  town  of  Chicago,  at  Clybourn's  house,  100  head  of  "good  fat, 
merchantable  beef  cattle,  to  weigh  upon  an  average  500  pounds  after 
being  dressed,  and  none  of  them  to  weigh  less  than  400  pounds 
after  being  dressed,"  and  also,  by  December  15,  200  head  of  "good 
fat  hogs — well  corn-fed  and  merchantable  for  pork,  to  weigh  upon 
an  average  200  pounds  each  after  being  dressed,  and  none  of  them 
to  weigh  less  than  190  pounds  after  being  dressed."  Clybourn  was 
to  be  paid  by  Newberry  &  Dole  $2.80  per  cwt.  for  the  beef  and  $3 
per  cwt.  for  the  pork,  zvhen  slaughtered  and  dressed.  Newberry  & 
Dole  were  to  have  the  hides,  tallow  and  one-half  of  the  tongues.  In 
another  agreement  dated  September  5,  1833,  John  Blackstone,  of 
Cook  county,  Illinois,  agreed  to  deliver  to  Newberry  &  Dole  500 
head  "of  good  merchantable  corn-fed  hogs"  weighing  not  less  than 
180  pounds  on  or  before  December  1,  1833,  at  $3  per  cwt.  after 
being  dressed.  In  the  fall  of  1834  Mr.  Dole  packed  from  300  to  500 
cattle  and  about  1,400  hogs.  They  were  killed  and  cut  in  a  packing 
house  erected  by  Newberry  &  Dole  on  the  South  Branch  near  where 
StowelFs  slip  was  in  1858.  Mr.  Dole  continued  packing  every  sea- 
son up  to  1840.  During  this  period  Newberry  &  Dole  bought  hogs 
of  Duncan  &  Morrison,  of  McLean  county,  Illinois,  paying  as  high 
as  $5.50  net.  They  also  bought,  in  1838,  of  Elbert  Dickinson,  of 
McLean  county,  350  cattle,  to  average  not  less  than  500  pounds 
net.  Numbers  of  these  cattle  were  for  the  Indian  payment — the 
balance  for  packing.  The  first  bill  of  lading  for  beef  ever  made 
out  in  Chicago  was  as  follows: 

"Shipped  in  good  order  and  well  conditioned  by  Newberry  & 
Dole  on  board  the  schooner  called  Napoleon,  whereof  is  master  for 
the  present  voyage  John  Stewart,  now  lying  in  the  port  of  Chicago, 
and  bound  for  Detroit,  to  say:  O.  Newberry,  Detroit. — 287  bbls. 
beef;  14  bbls.  tallow;  2  bbls.  beeswax;  152  dry  hides,  weighing 
4,695  Ibs.  "Being  marked  and  numbered  as  in  the  margin  and  to 
be  delivered  at  the  port  of  Detroit  in  like  good  order  (the  dangers 
of  the  lakes  and  rivers  excepted)  unto  consignees,  or  to  their  as- 
signees— he  or  they  paying  freight  at per  bbl.  bulk.  In  wit- 
ness whereof  the  master  of  said  vessel  hath  affirmed  to  two  bills  of 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  653 

lading,  all  of  this  tener  and  date,  one  of  which  to  be  accomplished, 
the  other  to  stand  void.  Chicago,  April  17,  1833.  John  Stewart." 

In  1834-5  Gurdon  S.  Hubbard  commenced  packing  in  the  old 
bank  building,  corner  LaSalle  and  Lake  streets.  He  packed  5,000 
hogs  and  obtained  them  from  St.  Clair  and  Vermillion  counties  and 
the  Wabash  valley.  He  slaughtered  on  the  South  Branch.  The 
hogs  cost  $2  and  $2.50  net.  He  could  not  get  barrels,  and  so  packed 
in  bulk  until  spring  and  then  obtained  barrels  from  Cleveland.  In 
1837-8  Hubbard  began  to  pack  pork  at  his  own  house  on  Kinzie 
street  near  Rush  Street  bridge.  That  season  he  packed  about  12,000 
hogs — put  up  mostly  as  mess  pork.  In  1838-9  he  packed  10,000 
hogs  and  in  1839-40  about  the  same  number  of  hogs  and  4,000  cat- 
tle, all  packed  in  Kinzie  street.  In  1840  he  built  on  South  Water 
between  Clark  and  LaSalle,  and  the  winter  of  1840-41  packed  7,000 
cattle  and  about  12,000  hogs.  They  were  slaughtered  on  the  North 
Branch.  Supplies  came  mostly  from  the  Illinois  river.  In  1848  he 
moved  all  up  to  the  North  Branch  where  he  was  located  in  1858. 

July,  1836-7,  Sylvester  Marsh,  who  was  associated  with  Hub- 
bard in  1833-4,  began  to  pack  for'  himself  on  North  Kinzie  street, 
near  Rush  street  bridge.  He  continued  until  1853,  part  of  the  time 
with  B.  Carpenter.  In  1837-8  D.  H.  Underbill  came  here  and  began 
packing  pork — killing  near  Funk's  house;  he  did  not  continue  long. 
In  1843-4  Thomas  Dyer  and  John  P.  Chapin  began  packing  in 
Reynold's  house — cutting  that  season  6,000  hogs  and  2,000  cattle. 

In  1844-5  (Elisha  S.)  Wadsworth,  Dyer  &  Chapin  built  a  house 
on  the  South  Branch  near  North  street  and  packed  that  season  3,000 
cattle  and  12,000  hogs.  Wadsworth  &  Dyer  succeeded  in  1845-6 
and  continued  five  years,  packing  from  3,000  to  7,000  cattle  and 
8,000  to  12,000  hogs  annually.  The  first  cattle  packed  by  Dyer  & 
Chapin  were  from  Isaac  &  Jesse  Funk,  McLean  Co.,  at  $2.25  per 
head.  Their,  first  lot  of  hogs  was  1,300.  Their  first  mess  pork  went 
to  John  Young  &  Co.,  Montreal,  for  $8.50  per  barrel.  Young  sent 
vessels  here  in  the  spring  of  1844  for  the  pork.  Their  beef  was 
sent  to  New  York.  They  lost  money  in  1843-4,  but  did  well  in 
1844-5.  In  1844-5  Dyer  &  Chapin  packed  the  first  beef  ever  put 
up  here  for  the  English  market.  They  learned  the  requirements 
from  an  Englishman.  Hugh  Mayer  here  furnished  their  barrels. 
In  1841-2  Sherman  &  Pitkin  packed  several  hundred  hogs  and  sent 
mess  pork  to  New  York.  In  1843  George  Steele  began  to  pack  on 
South  Water  near  Franklin — continued  to  1844-5.  In  1845-6  he 
packed  on  the  South  Branch  and  in  1846  built  on  West  Randolph. 
He  packed  from  6,000  to  12,000  annually.  In  1850  Hugh  &  Co., 
built  a  packing  house  on  the  South  Branch  with  capacity  of  175 
cattle  and  300  hogs  daily.  They  remained  there  till  the  spring  of 
1853  and  then  built  a  stone  packing  house  on  the  South  Branch  at  a 
cost  of  $20,000.  It  was  burned  during  the  fall  of  1856.  In  1857 
they  built  again  at  a  cost  of  $25,000— capacity  225  cattle  and  1,000 


654  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

hogs  daily.    Their  plant  covered  three  acres  and  had  nine  hundred 
feet  of  river  front 

In  1852  Tobey,  Booth  &  Co.,  conducted  a  packing  house  on  the 
South  Branch  and  continued  to  1857.  In  1857  they  built  a  pack- 
ing house  on  the  South  Branch  and  had  an  ice-house  so  as  to  pack 
in  summer.  During  the  summer  of  1858  they  packed  11,475  hogs 
averaging  227^  pounds,  and  during  the  winter  of  1858-9  packed 
about  11,000,  the  average  weight  being  260%  pounds. 

OTHER  PACKERS,  SEASON  OF  1853-4. 

No.  Hogs. 

G.  S.  Hubbard 14,010 

R.  M.  Hough  &  Co 8,187 

Reynolds  &  Hayward 7,388 

Thomas  Dyer 4,931 

S.  S.  Carpenter 4,920 

Hugh  Maher  2,800 

George  Steele  2,650 

Hale  &  Clybourn .' 2,900 

Atherton  &  Brown 1,500 

P.  Curtis 1,300 

Flint  &  Wheeler 600 

Nickerson  &  Wier 600 

J.  Creswell  540 

Bailey  &  Durant 370 

Abner  Sutton 153 


Total 52,849 

In  1854  Cragin  &  Co.,  built  at  a  cost  of  $45,000  a  large  packing 
house  on  the  South  Branch,  with  217  feet  river  front.  They  packed 
as  follows: 

Year.  Cattle.  Hogs. 

1854-5  5,000  15,000 

1855-6  7,000  20,000 

1856-7  8,000  20,000 

1857-8  15,000  22,000 

1858-9  15,000  23,000 

In  1853-4  Andrew  Brown  &  Co.  began  packing  in  the  old  Hough 
&  Co.  house  on  the  South  Branch — capacity  200  cattle  and  1,000 
hogs  daily.  They  made  important  improvements  on  their  five  acres. 
In  the  fall  of  1854  Moore,  Seavems  &  Co.,  began  packing  on  the 
South  Branch  on  two  acres  with  216  feet  river  frontage — capacity 
200  cattle  and  600  hogs  daily.  In  1856  Henry  Milward  built  a 
packing  house  on  the  South  Branch — could  hang  2,000  hogs.  He 
killed  in  one  day  1,450,  had  two  sets  of  hands  and  conducted  the 
best  slaughter  house  in  the  United  States.  In  1857  it  was  rented 
and  worked  by  Thomas  Nash  of  Baltimore,  who  packed  20,000 
hogs.  Van  Brunt  &  Watrous  of  New  York,  later  bought  and  fitted 
it  for  summer  curing  and  during  subsequent  summers  packed  an 
average  of  300  hogs  daily.  Jones  &  Cuthbert  packed  at  State  and 
Ringgold  streets  in  1858,  and  later  built  a  slaughter  house  on  the 
South  Branch  with  a  capacity  of  1,000  to  1,500  hogs  daily. 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  655 

HOGS  PACKED  1857-8. 

Cragin  &  Co 21,021           Geo.  Steele  &  Co 6,000 

Thos.  Nash  &  Co 20,782            Chas.  Siler  3,500 

O.  S.  Hough  &  Co 9,129           J.  &  J.  Stewart 2,000 

A  Brown  &  Co 12,000           S.  Holden 1,520 

G.  S.  Hubbard&Co....  8,000           Leland  &  Co 775 

Tobey,  Booth  &  Co 6,000           P.Curtis  535 

Moore  &  Seaverns 6,000  

Total   99,262 

Large  quantities  of  dressed  hogs  were  received  here — 73,980  in 
1853-4  and  214,213  in  '57-8.  "No  city  in  the  west,  or  indeed,  any- 
where in  the  United  States  out  of  New  York  pretends  to  compete 
with  Chicago  as  a  live  stock  market.  The  stock  growing  country 
by  which  we  are  surrounded  and  the  facilities  which  Chicago  pos- 
sesses for  receiving,  pasturing  and  shipping  to  New  York.  Boston 
and  Philadelphia  attract  hither  a  large  amount  of  capital  for  in- 
vestment in  cattle  and  hogs.  No  city  in  the  United  States  but  Chi- 
cago has  a  daily  cattle  market." — (Annual  Review,  1858.) 

ELEVATING  WAREHOUSES,  1857. 

Storage  Capacity,  Bushels. 

Illinois  Central  Railway,      )  vnnnnn 

Sturgis,  Buckingham  &  Co.  J 700>00( 

Same  (new  warehouse) 700,000 

Rock  Island  Railway,    )  innnnn 

Flint,   Wheeler   &  Co.  1 700>00( 

Chicago  &  Great  U.  Railway 500,000 

Gibbs,  Griffin  &  Co 500,000 

Munger  &  Armour 300,000 

Munn,  Gill  &  Co 200,000 

Flint,  Wheeler  &  Co 160,000 

Burlingame  100,000 

S.  A.  Ford  &  Co 100,000 

Jas.  Peck  &  Co 60,000 

Walker,  Bronson  &  Co 75,000 

Total  4,095,000 

SHIPMENTS  OF  WHEAT  BY  LAKE. 

1842....  586,907  bu.  1848. ..  .2,160,800  bu.  1854 ....  1,650,489  bu. 

1843....  688,967  bu.  1849.. .  .1,936,264  bu.  1655. ..  .5,719,168  bu. 

1844....  891,894  bu.  I860....  883,644  bu.  1856.. .  .8,114,353  bu. 

1845 ....  926,660  bu.  1851 ....  437,660  bu.  1857 ....  9,284,705  bu. 

1846 ....  1,459,594  bu.  1852 ....  635,496  bu.  1858 ....  8,597,148  bu. 

1847. . . .  1,974,804  bu.  1853. . .  .1,206,163  bu. 

RECEIPTS. 

Year.                         Lumber,  Feet.  Shingles.  Laths. 

1847 32,118,225  12,148,500  5,655,700 

1848 60,009,250  20,050,000  10,025,109 

1849 73,259,553  39,057,750  19,281,733 

1850 100,364,779  55,423,750  19,809,700 

1851 125,056,437  60,338,250  27,583,475 

1852 147,816,232  77,080,500  19,759,670 

1853 202,101,096  93,483,784  39,133,116 


656 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 


Corn,   Bu. 

Oats,  Bu. 

67,315 

38,892 

550,460 

65,280 

Barley,  Bu. 

644,848 

26,849 

31,453 

262,013 

186,054 

22,872 

3,221,317 

605,827 

19,997 

2,991,011 

2,030,317 

127,028 

2,780,253 

1,748,493 

120,273 

6,837,899 

3,239,987 

148,421 

7,517,678 

1,888,533 

92,032 

11,129,668 

1,014,547 

19,051 

6,814,615 

416,778 

17,993 

GRAIN  RECEIPTS. 

Year.  Wheat,  Bu. 

1838 76 

1839 3,678 

1840 10,000 

1841 40,000 

1842 586,907 

1843 688,907 

1844 923,494 

1845 1,024,620 

1846 1,599,819 

1847 2,136,994 

1848 2,386,000 

1849 2,192,809 

1850 1,387,989 

1851 799,390 

1852 941,470 

1853 1,687,465 

1854 3,038,955 

1855 7,535,097 

1856 9,419,365 

1857 10,783,292 

"When  the  Illinois  Central  and  the  Chicago  and  Mississippi  rail- 
roads are  completed  and  open  to  the  trade  of  the  central  and  south- 
ern portions  of  the  state,  Cincinnati  must  'look  to  her  laurels'  or  Chi- 
cago will  excel  her  in  the  packing  of  pork  as  much  as  she  does  now 
in  the  quality  and  amount  of  beef  which  our  city  exports  to  eastern 
markets." — (Annual  Review  of  Chicago,  January,  1854.) 

"So  completely  had  our  merchants  been  absorbed  in  business,  and 
so  thoroughly  had  their  time  and  capital  been  occupied  in  the  trade 
that  'came  to  their  doors'  without  asking,  that  they  never,  so  far  as 
we  know,  bestowed  a  thought  upon  the  Lake  Superior  mines  till  the 
last  season  (1853)." — (Annual  Review,  1854.) 

"The  superiority  of  Chicago  as  a  point  for  beef  packing  has  long 
since  been  conceded.  .  .  .  The  reputation  which  Chicago  beef 
has  acquired  in  eastern  and  foreign  markets  enables  it  to  command 
offered.  It  is  always  quoted  in  market  reports  distinct  from  other 
higher  prices  and  much  more  ready  sales  than  any  other  which  is 
brands  and  a  difference  is  made  in  its  favor." — (Annual  Review, 
January,  1854.) 

"The  life  and  activity  consequent  upon  such  a  movement  forms 
by  no  means  the  least  marked  characteristic  of  our  city.  To  a 
stranger  familiar  only  with  those  cities  which  have  not  yet  put  them- 
selves in  railroad  communication  with  the  country  and  with  other 
centers  of  business  the  contrast  which  our  city  presents  in  this  re- 
spect is  of  the  most  striking  character  and  a  day's  observation  never 
fails  to  impress  such  a  visitor  with  a  profound  sense  of  the  extent 
of  our  business  and  the  ultimate  greatness  which  our  city  is  des- 
tined to  reach." — (Annual  Review  of  Chicago,  January,  1855.) 

The  average  price  of  wheat  and  corn  here  for  a  series  of  years 
was  as  follows  (fractional  parts  of  a  cent  omitted). — (Chicago 
Press,  July  23,  1857,  from  statements  of  Dole  and  others)  : 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  657 

Year.                               Winter  Wheat.          Spring  Wheat.  Corn. 

1838 $0.50  $0.:',S  $0.25 

1839 55  .40  .30 

1840 62  .50  .40 

1841 65  .50  .40 

1842 45  .38  .20 

1843 45  .38  .24 

1844 65  .55  .42 

1845 69  .52  .40 

1846 56  .40  .22 

1847 67  .50  .26 

1848 80  .70  .32 

1849 82  .66  .43 

1850 89  .78  .45 

1851 62  .55  .36 

1852 68  .40  .40 

1853 85  .60  .47 

1854 1.30  1.09  .48 

1855 1.55  1.31  .62 

1856 1.27  1.05  .36 

HOGS  PACKED  IN  CHICAGO. 

1852-3 48,156  1859-60..  .  176,918 

1853-4 52,849  1860-1  231,335 

1854-5 73,694  1861-2  514,118 

1855-6 80,380  1862-3  970,264 

1856-7 74,000  1863-4  904,658  • 

1857-8 99,262  1864-5  750,147 

1858-9 185,000 

RECEIPTS  AND  SHIPMENTS  OF  HOGS. 

Received.  Shipments. 

1852-3  65,158  10,000 

1853-4  73,980  10,628 

1854-5  138,565  52,881 

1855-6  308,539  187,763 

1856-7  220,702  103,074 

1857-8  213,216  88,546 

1858-9  251,102  46,434 

1859-60 255,384  71,266 

1860-1  354,684  119,886 

1861-2  746,667  228,682 

CATTLE  PACKED  IN  CHICAGO. 

1851-2  .                          .  21,866  1858-9  .                        .  45,504 

1852-3  24,663  1859-60 51,809 

1853-4  25,431  1860-1  25,209 

1854-5  22,691  1861-2  55,212 

1855-6  28,972  1862-3  42,163 

1856-7  14,987  1863-4  70,086 

1857-8  34,675 

"The  quantity  of  beef  packed  the  last  fall  (1856)  is  less  than  for 
any  previous  season  since  1850.  In  1855  the  number  of  cattle 
slaughtered  reached  28,972,  a  larger  number  than  ever  before.  They 
were  purchased  at  high  prices,  and  owing  to  the  decline  in  the  mar- 
ket which  subsequently  ensued,  the  result  of  the  season's  business 
proved  very  unsatisfactory  to  packers.  At  the  commencement  of 
the  packing  season  of  1856  the  views  of  cattle  raisers  and  stock 
dealers  being  still  held  at  the  high  rates  of  the  previous  season, 


658  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

packers  found  it  inpracticable  to  meet  their  demands.  Buyers  and 
sellers  thus  failing  to  come  to  an  agreement,  the  latter  resorted  to 
shipments  in  hopes  of  being  more  successful  in  other  markets." 
This  was  given  by  the  Press  as  the  reason  why  but  14,977  cattle  had 
been  packed  in  1856  to  28,972  in  1855. 

The  "Osceola"  and  "Gen.  Harrison"  schooners  took  away  the 
first  cargoes  of  grains  in  1839  and  1840. 

It  should  be  borne  in  mind  that  the  railroads  were  forced  to  make 
this  a  central  point  and  that  their  presence  later  forced  trade  to  come 
here. 

"Chicago  is  but  in  its  infancy,  and  situated  as  it  is — the  key  and 
natural  outlet  to  the  great  Northwest — it  cannot  fail  to  become  the 
mightiest  interior  commercial  port  on  the  continent.  Our  railroads 
tap  all  great  channels  of  the  West  and  intersect  a  country  which  for 
richness  and  fertility  has  no  equal  on  the  globe,  while  our  situation 
at  the  head  of  the  great  lakes,  which  lead  by  rivers  and  canals  to  the 
Atlantic,  gives  us  a  position  which  is  undeniably  superior  to  all 
others."  .  .  .  "As  the  Northwest  advances  so  will  the  grain 
trade  of  Chicago,  for  our  city  is  its  commercial  capital  and  if  that 
trade  now  ranks  as  the  largest  of  the  same  character  in  the  world, 
with  the  states  around  only  sparsely  settled,  what  will  it  be  when 
Illinois,  Iowa  and  Wisconsin  contain  a  population  equal  to  the  great 
states  of  the  Atlantic  seaboard?  The  mere  fact  that  the  Illinois 
Central  Railroad  Company  have  within  the  past  three  years  sold  to 
actual  settlers  nearly  a  million  and  a  quarter  of  acres,  might  lead 
even  a  stranger  to  Western  development  to  conceive  that  our  grain 
trade  is  still  in  its  infancy." — (Annual  Review,  1857.) 

In  1857  the  big  warehouses  could  each  discharge  twelve  cars  of 
grain  at  once  and  load  two  vessels  at  the  rate  of  24,000  bushels  per 
hour — steam  power.  Chicago  was  far  in  advance  of  St.  Louis  as 
to  handling  grain  at  this  time.  The  city  could  handle  500,000 
bushels  of  grain  in  ten  hours — had  that  capacity.  "Capacity  of 
shipment"  was  really  1,340,000  bushels  per  day  of  ten  hours. 

The  capital  invested  in  warehouses  by  1857  was  $3,087,000.  The 
flour  market  here  grew  slowly — had  to  advance  with  the  country. 
In  1857  Chicago  flour  was  inspected  in  the  Boston  market  as  "extra" 
instead  of  "fancy"  as  before.  A  big  part  of  the  wheat  and  flour 
went  to  Buffalo  and  Oswego.  Flour  receipts  here  in  1852  were 
53,337  barrels;  1853,  48,247;  1854,  158,375;  1855,  240,662;  1856, 
324,921 ;  1857,  393,934.  In  1857  the  character  of  the  wheat  (qual- 
ity) was  twenty  per  cent,  better  than  in  1854.  Better  seed  was 
used  and  better  inspection  of  the  Chicago  Board  of  Trade  caused 
this  improvement.  It  began  to  be  the  custom  now  as  never  before 
to  send  corn  to  market  in  the  shape  of  pork.  The  threat  to  pass 
the  Maine  law  (prohibition)  in  Illinois  stopped  largely  the  produc- 
tion of  rye  in  this  state.  The  great  increase  in  the  production  of 
lager  beer  created  the  demand  for  barley. 


HI8TORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  659 

In  1850  the  Chicago  courthouse  was  built  of  Lockport  (New 
York)  stone.  At  Athens,  near  Chicago,  on  the  Illinois  and  Mich- 
igan canal,  twenty-four  miles  southwest  of  the  city,  was  stone  as 
good  or  better.  The  Illinois  Stone  Company,  under  Mr.  Sherman, 
opened  stone  works  there  in  1851.  The  first  Athens  stone  used  was 
the  facade  of  the  Merchants  and  Mechanics  bank  in  1852.  After 
that  its  use  here  was  rapid  and  immense.  By  1857  there  were  in 
existence  the  Illinois  Stone  Co.,  at  Athens;  Great  Western  Stone 
Co.,  at  Desplaines ;  D.  C.  Skelly,  at  Athens,  and  Singer  &  Talcott, 
at  Athens,  all  having  335  acres.  The  quarries  were  from  ten  to 
twenty  feet  in  thickness.  By  the  Illinois  and  Michigan  canal  the 
receipts  of  stone  in  1849  were  7,995  cubic  feet;  1852,  40,752  cubic 
feet;  1857,  122,842  cubic  feet.  A  part  of  this  stone  came  from  the 
Joliet  quarries.  In  1857  about  6,000  tons  of  stone  were  shipped 
from  Chicago. 

Chicago  at  first  imported  her  coal  from  Cleveland  and  Erie,  but 
before  1857  she  was  shipping  Illinois  coal  to  all  quarters.  In  1847 
the  coal  trade  of  Illinois  was  a  few  thousand  tons  annually,  but  by 
1852,  LaSalle,  Kingston,  Sheffield,  Rock  Island,  Danville  and  Du- 
quoin  began  to  ship  large  quantities.  Locomotives  demanded  coal 
and  city  homes  demanded  gas. 

By  1857  hardwood  lumber  began  to  be  demanded — walnut, 
cherry,  ash,  oak,  whitewood,  maple,  sycamore,  birch,  elm,  hickory, 
etc.  In  1857  Chicago  received  459,639,198  feet  of  lumber,  131,- 
832,250  shingles,  and  80,130,000  lath,  and  at  this  date  supplied  much 
of  the  West  with  these  products. 

Chicago  had  also  become  a  great  salt  market.  The  receipts  were : 
1852,  92,907  barrels;  1857,  209,946  barrels. 

The  "Dean  Richmond"  was  sent  as  an  experiment  with  a  load  of 
grain  from  Chicago  to  Liverpool  in  1856.  In  1857  the  "Mederia 
Pet,"  a  small  burden  boat,  came  from  Liverpool  to  Chicago  with  a 
load  of  merchandise.  She  brought  iron,  crackers,  hardware,  cutlery, 
etc.,  and  took  back  hides  and  staves.  In  July,  1857,  Capt.  Pierce, 
who  had  commanded  the  "Dean  Richmond,"  built  with  others  for 
the  Chicago  trade  a  splendid  barge  named  "C.  J.  Kershaw,"  which 
sailed  for  Liverpool  with  staves.  On  her  way  back  with  merchan- 
dise she  encountered  fierce  storms,  and  reached  the  St.  Lawrence 
river  mouth  so  late  in  season  that  her  cargo  had  to  be  sent  on  by  rail. 
Other  vessels  were  built  here  for  ocean  trade. 

Until  Sept.  12,  1857,  for  four  years  previous,  exchange  on  New 
York  was  from  ^2  to  £4  per  cent,  premium.  As  high  as  10  per 
cent,  was  charged  by  some  bankers  here  during  the  panic  of  1857, 
but  usually  there  was  none  to  sell  at  any  price.  In  some  cases  from 
12  to  15  per  cent,  was  paid  to  avoid  protest. 

The  reciprocity  treaty  of  1854  opened  up  Canadian  trade.  It 
took  effect  in  1855.  In  1854  the  Canadian  vessel  arrivals  were  only 
five;  in  1855  they  were  77,  and  in  1856  were  110.  In  1854  Chicago 


660  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

exports  in  Canadian  vessels  were  worth  $82,145  ;  in  1856,  $975,297. 
Canadian  imports  in  1854  were  worth  $24,855  ;  in  1856,  $2,060,546. 
Propellers  were  designed  to  haul  from  Collingwood,  Canada,  and 
return.  There  came  from  Canada,  cutlery,  oil,  fish,  lumber,  iron, 
merchandise,  liquors,  salt,  shingles,  lath,  wood,  etc. 

The  vessel  arrivals  in  1856  were  7,328.  In  1854  Chicago  sur- 
passed any  other  city  in  the  world  as  a  grain  market — the  amount 
shipped  in  1854  being  13,132,501  bushels  which  surpassed  Odessa, 
before  that  the  greatest. 

"In  pork  Chicago  is  led  by  Cincinnati  and  Louisville,  but  the 
progress  which  the  packers  of  our  city  have  made  in  this  branch  of 
the  provision  trade  is  almost  without  a  parallel.  The  future  will 
doubtless  develop  results  in  this  trade  equal  to  the  past.  Our  city 
possesses  every  desirable  facility  for  receiving  hogs  from  surround- 
ing states,  while  her  advantages  for  shipping  are  superior  to  those 
enjoyed  by  the  cities  named  above." — (Annual  Review,  1857.) 

RECEIPTS  OF  WHEAT. 

St.  Louis.  Chicago. 

1852 1,663,422  941,470 

1653 2,068,893  1,687,465 

1854 2,340,217  3,038,955 

1855 3,921,197  7,535,097 

1856 3,967,621  9,419,365 

1657 3,369,618  10,783,292 

"While  on  all  sides  old  and  wealthy  cities  have  presented  a 
gloomy  and  foreboding  aspect  of  dull  streets  and  empty  stores,  Chi- 
cago, young  and  buoyant,  has  never  fagged  in  energy,  but  has  all 
along  presented  the  same  busy,  bustling,  appearance  which  is  her 
characteristic.  It  has  been  the  marvel  of  almost  every  stranger  who 
has  visited  our  city  since  the  'crisis'  set  in,  that  our  streets  were  so 
crowded,  our  stores  so  full,  and  our  railroads,  canal  and  lake  craft 
doing  such  an  immense  business." — (Annual  Review,  1857.) 

WAREHOUSES,  1864.  Capacity.Bu. 

Sturgis,  Buckingham  &  Co.,  A 700,000 

Sturgis,  Buckingham  &  Co.,  B 700,000 

Armour,  Dole  &  Co 850,000 

Armour,  Dole  &  Co 800,000 


Munger  &  Armour 
Hiram  Wheeler 
Chas.  Wheeler 


W.  L.  Newberry 
George   Sturgis 


600,000 
500,000 
Munger,  Wheeler  &  Co •{      500,000 


300,000 
75,000 

A.  Lunt  &  Bros 80,000 

Howe  &  Robbins 80,000 

Munn  &  Scott,  N.  W 600,000 

Munn  &  Scott,  Old  house 200,000 

Munn  &  Scott,  Minn. 900,000 

Munn  &  Scott,  Steel 1,200,000 

Flint  &  Thompson 1,250,000 

Flint  &  Thompson 750,000 


Total    10,085,000 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  663 

"Wherever  the  fame  of  Chicago's  greatness  has  gone,  the  wonder- 
ful stories  of  her  elevators  have  traveled  with  it.  No  European 
traveler  who  visits  the  West  thinks  his  tour  ended  unless  he  has 
witnessed  the  modus  operandi  of  their  performances.  Anthony 
Trollope  in  his  'Travels  in  America,'  pays  a  handsome  tribute  to 
this  triumph  of  American  skill,  and  contrasts  much  to  the  disad- 
vantage of  'ye  Britons/  the  slow  and  tedious  systems  of  discharging 
grain  cargoes  by  manual  labor  at  the  docks  of  Liverpool  and  Lon- 
don."— (Annual  Review,  1864.) 

The  extraordinary  building  operations  of  1864  surprised  even  the 
most  sanguine  of  Chicago.  Buildings  of  all  sorts,  estimated,  8,000; 
their  value,  $4,700,000. 

STATISTICS. 

Total  grain  receipts,  1854,  bushels 15,804,423 

Total  grain  receipts,  1855,  bushels 20,487,953 

Total  shipments  of  grain,  1855,  bushels 16,633,813 

Number  of  hogs  handled,  1854-5 138,515 

Value  of  beef  packed,  1855 $1,152,421 

Receipts  lumber,  1855,  feet 326,553,467 

Total  vessel  arrivals,  1855 5,410 

"Had  we  time  and  space  we  might  be  tempted  to  dwell  at  length 
upon  the  glowing  picture  suggested  by  the  facts  in  the  above  general 
summary.  The  figures  are  themselves  much  more  eloquent  and  ab- 
sorbing than  any  language  at  our  command.  ...  It  may  be 
said  with  justice  that  all  the  states  north  of  Tennessee  and  the  Caro- 
linas  have  sent  their  most  energetic,  intelligent  citizens,  with  a 
mighty  host  of  untiring  energetic  men  from  Europe  to  settle  and 
subdue  the  vast  and  magnificent  country  lying  between  Lake  Mich- 
gan  and  the  Rocky  Mountains.  .  .  .  Twenty  years  ago  Chicago 
was  not  a  city.  She  was  only  an  insignificant  town  at  the  southern 
end  of  Lake  Michigan  and  within  that  period  the  wolves  during  the 
night  roamed  all  over  where  the  city  now  stands.  Only  twenty-two 
years  ago  the  Indians  were  removed.  Twenty  years  ago  an  occa- 
sional schooner  visited  Chicago;  two  hundred  and  thirty-three  ves- 
sels are  now  wintering  in  her  harbor;  in  1855,  5,410  vessels  arrived 
at  Chicago.  She  is  now  acknowledged  to  be  the  greatest  primary 
grain  port  in  the  world." — (Annual  Review,  1856.) 

RECEIPTS  OF  BEEF  CATTLE  AND  SOURCES  OF  SUPPLY. 

1857.  1858.  1859.  1860. 

Lake  9  21  44 

Galena  Ry 3,906  11,388  18,146  17,646 

Illinois  Central  18,028  19,134  17,197  22,551 

C.  B.  &  Quincy 14,400  40,531  24,596  73,918 

Rock  Island  2,108  16,124  16,807  19,601 

Chicago  &  Milwaukee....  83  554  508 

C.  A.  &  St.  Louis 8,970  29,736  7,086  12,839 

C.  &  Northwestern 534  1,130  2,823  8,155 

Michigan  Central  578  16  226  84 

Michigan  Southern  2,045  216 

C.  P.  &  Ft.  W 253  191 

Totals  48,524         118,151  89,754          155,753 

Vol.  I — 38. 


664 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 


HOGS. 

Received.  Shipped. 

1861 657,002  280,094 

1862 1,348,890  491,135 

1863 1,900,519  810,453 

1864 1,582,047  701,854 

1665 876,572  599,049 

RECEIPTS. 

Year.                          Cattle.  Hogs. 

1866 392,604  933,233 

1867 327,650  1,696,748 

1868 324,524  1,706,782 

1669.... 403,102  1,661,896 

1870 532,964  1,693,158 


CATTLE. 

Received.      Shipped. 
204,579         124,146 
209,655 
298,381 
336,627 


333,362 


Sheep. 
209,737 
179,427 
270,875 
340,072 
349,885 


112,745 
293,217 
179,520 
242,766 


RECEIPTS  OF  WHEAT  AND  CORN,  BUSHELS. 

Year.  Wheat. 

1861.... 17,539,909 

1862 13,978,116 

1863 11,180,344 

1864 11,257,196 

1865 9,465,618 


Horses. 
1,283 

Record  missing 
1,636 
1,524 
3,537 


Corn. 

26,543,283 
29,449,328 
26,450,568 
13,623,087 
25,125,638 


The  indifference  of  Chicago  merchants  and  capitalists  to  the  trade 
beyond  the  Mississippi  was  the  wonderment  of  reviewers.  St.  Louis 
tried  to  have  the  railway  bridge  at  Rock  Island  removed.  In  1860 
77,219,217  pounds  of  freight  were  sent  west  of  the  Mississippi  and 
122,200,564  pounds  were  sent  east.  To  all  this  Chicago  was  indif- 
ferent. St.  Louis  tried  desperately  to  divert  that  trade  to  herself. 

The  Chicago  Board  of  Trade,  by  special  action  in  the  summer  of 
1860,  resolved :  "That  this  Board  do  most  cordially  approve  of  the 
aforesaid  treaty  (with  Canada)  and  the  reciprocal  relations  which 
have  grown  up  with  our  Canadian  neighbors  under  its  operation  and 
do  most  earnestly  but  respectfully  remonstrate  against  any  action  of 
our  government  for  its  termination."  Trade  was  then  carried  on 
with  Canada  under  the  reciprocity  treaty  of  1854.  But  Mr.  Hatch 
in  his  report  to  Congress  on  the  operation  of  the  revenue  laws  and 
the  reciprocity  treaty  recommended  "the  speedy  abrogation  of  the 
treaty  as  the  proper  radical  and  sufficient  remedy  to  relieve  the 
United  States  from  the  commercial  bondage  beneath  which  the 
operation  of  the  treaty  itself  and  'the  unfriendly  legislation  of  Pro- 
vincial Parliaments  have  placed  the  United  States  in  exchange  for 
the  commercial  freedom  granted  to  the  Canadas.'  " — (Annual  Re- 
view, January,  1861.) 

For  1857-8-9  freight  rates  on  the  lakes  were  ruinously  low,  so 
that  nearly  all  owners  of  shipping  lost  money. 

"Chicago  never  before  offered  so  many  inducements  to  merchants 
and  especially  to  manufacturers  of  all  kinds.  Stimulated  by  the  high 
rentals  previous  to  1858,  property  owners  built  extensively  and  since 
then  the  very  low  price  of  labor  and  materials  has  induced  hundreds 
of  owners  to  make  substantial  improvements  upon  their  property. 
For  years  there  ha.ve  not  been  so  many  empty  stores  and  dwellings 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  665 

here  as  there  are  now,  because  so  large  an  addition  has  been  made  to 
the  permanent  improvements  of  the  city." — (Annual  Review  of  Chi- 
cago, January,  1861.) 

The  fact  that  a  good  market  for  everything  he  raised  could  be 
found  at  Chicago,  was  sufficient  inducement  for  the  Western  farmer 
to  plant  and  raise  extensively. 

"Notwithstanding  we  are  in  the  fourth  year  of  the  slaveholder's 
rebellion  and  in  the  midst  of  the  greatest  Civil  war  ever  known,  the 
vast  resources  of  the  great  North  continue  to  be  developed  even  more 
rapidly  than  ever  before.  Not  only  have  our  agriculturists,  but  also 
our  manufacturers,  merchants  and  mechanics,  enjoyed  during  the 
year  now  about  closed,  an  ^almost  unexampled  prosperity." — 
(Tribune,  Saturday,  December  31,  1864.) 

In  1865  the  Chicago  merchants  adopted  the  credit  system — sell- 
ing on  time.  In  1865  the  Chicago  Clearing  House  was  established. 
The  Chicago  Stock  Exchange  was  organized  January  5,  1865. 

The  following  is  a  condensed  statement  of  the  seven  National 
banks  for  the  quarter  ending  December  31,  1864: 

Discounts   $3,244,181.71 

Currency  and  specie  on  hand 3,095,693.87 

Individual  deposits  3,081,693.38 

Government  deposits  1,460,969.43 

Circulation    1,678,800.00 

In  1870  there  were  sixteen  National  banks  doing  business  as  fol- 
lows: 

Capital ..$6,650,000 

Surplus,  etc  3,041,359 

Deposits  ., 16,774,514 

Circulation  4,906,424 

There  were  also  nine  or  ten  private  banks,  capital  $3,000,000. 

CLEARING  HOUSE  RETURNS. 

Clearings.  Balances. 

1870 $810,676,036  $80,910,416 

1869 731,446,111  73,831,000 

Pork  packing  in  the  West  had  fallen  off  for  several  years  past. 
The  greatest  season  of  this  city  was  that  of  1862-3,  when  Chicago 
packers  cut  up  970,264  hogs.  It  fell  to  507,355  head  in  1865-6;  in- 
creased to  792,942  in  1867-8;  again  fell  off  and  amounted  to  only 
688,140  in  1869-70. 

HOG  KILLING. 

1870-1.  1669-70. 

Chicago  918,087  688,140 

Cincinnati  500,066  337,330 

Louisville   250,000  182,000 

St.  Louis  305,600  241,316 

Milwaukee  240,000  172,626 

Indianapolis  105,000  43,232 


666  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

It  has  often  been  a  cause  of  conjecture  to  superficial  students  of 
history  why  Chicago  and  not  Calumet  should  have  sprung  into  popu- 
lation, prominence  and  power,  but  when  the  facts  are  laid  bare,  it  is 
at  once  seen  that  results  could  not  have  been  otherwise.  The  Treaty 
of  Greenville  (1795)  gave  to  the  Government  a  tract  six  miles 
square  at  the  mouth  of  the  Chicago  river.  This  tract  was  the  only 
land  of  the  present  Cook  county  owned  by  the  Government  until 
many  years  later.  As  the  Government  did  not  invade  Indian  lands 
until  authorized  to  do  so  by  treaty,  Fort  Dearborn  necessarily  was 
located  on  the  six-mile  tract  at  the  mouth  of  Chicago  river  in  1803. 
The  presence  of  the  fort  brought  to  its  immediate  vicinity  traders, 
settlers,  agents,  etc.,  because  there  they  received  protection  from  the 
Indians.  These  facts  gave  the  mouth  of  Chicago  river  an  immense 
advantage,  and  accordingly,  when  Cook  county  was  created  in  1831 
with  Indians  still  here,  Chicago  with  about  90  population  was  made 
the  county  seat  mainly  because  the  fort  was  still  garrisoned.  The 
presence  of  the  fort  still  aided  its  growth  until  it  had  gained  an 
immense  lead  by  the  time  the  last  of  the  Indians  were  removed  in 
1835-6.  Later  its  wonderful  growth  continued,  thus  completely 
blighting  the  ambition  of  the  Calumet  region  to  become  the  Western 
metropolis. 

POPULATION  OF  CHICAGO. 

(Nearly  all  except  decennial  years  are  estimates.) 

1812  20  1851..  34,437 

1820 25             1852 38,734 

1825 40             1853 60,662 

1830 55             1854 65,872 

1831  (Fall)*   90             1855 80,023 

1632  (Fall)    110             1856 84,113 

1833  (Spring)    150             1857 86,000 

1833  (December  1)  ....  850              1858 92,000 

1834  (May)  1,100             1859 96,000 

1834  (July)    1,400              1860 109,263 

1834  (September)    1,700  1861 120,000 

1835  (November)   3,265  1862 138,186 

1836 3,820  1863 150,000 

1837 4,170  1864 161,288 

1838 4,200  1865 187,446 

1839 4,310  1866 200,418 

1840 4,479  1867 220,000 

1841 5,752  1868 252,054 

1842 6,248  1869 273,043 

1843 7,560  1870 298,977 

1844 8,000  1880 503,185 

1845 12,088  1886 703,817 

1846 14,169  1890 1,099,850 

1847 16,859  1896 1,516,635 

1848 20,023  1900 1,698,575 

1849 23,047  1904 1,932,315 

1850 29,963  1908 2,166,055 

(*See  "Early  Cook  County  and  Chicago,"  1779-1840,  Vol.  I.) 

In  1909  there  were  in  Chicago  116  fire  companies,  33  hook  and 
ladder  companies  and  8  fire  insurance  patrols. 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  66? 

Previous  to  1908  and  including  the  gifts  of  that  year,  John  D. 
Rockefeller  gave  to  the  University  of  Chicago  a  total  of  $23,515,322. 

In  1891  Chicago  erected  11,805  buildings  estimated  to  be  worth 
$54,201,800;  the  next  year  it  erected  13,194  estimated  to  be  worth 
$64,740,800.  This  was  high  water  mark  due  to  the  boom  incident 
to  the  World's  Fair.  In  1893  the  number  of  buildings  erected  drop- 
ped to  8,559  and  by  1900  had  decreased  to  3,554,  estimated  to  be 
worth  $19,100,050.  Since  then  the  number  has  continued  to  in- 
crease generally,  being  in  1906,  10,629,  estimated  to  be  worth  $64,- 
822,030. 

The  official  population  of  Cook  county  by  decades  is  as  follows : 
1840,  10,201;  1850,  43,385;  1860,  144,954;  1870,  349,966;  1880, 
607,719;  1890,  1,191,922;  1900,  1,838,735;  1910, 

The  total  bonded  debt  of  Cook  county  in  1909  was  $9,360,000. 
In  1907  there  were  1,937  delinquent  boys  and  539  delinquent  girls 
in  the  Juvenile  court.  The  same  year  there  were  896  dependent 
boys  and  791  dependent  girls  in  the  same  court.  Of  these  1,400 
delinquents  and  675  dependents  were  put  on  probation. 

The  total  appropriations  of  Cook  county  for  the  fiscal  year  1907-8 
were  $8,460,601.62.  This  was  to  the  full  extent  of  the  estimated 
resources.  In  1905  the  Chicago  manufactures  amounted  to  $955,- 
036,277  in  value.  In  1907  the  total  appropriations  of  Chicago  for 
all  purposes  amounted  to  $49,671,209.29.  The  assessed  valuation 
of  Chicago  property  was  $476,770,399.  The  bank  clearings  for 
1907  amounted  to  $12,087,647,870.08.  On  the  city  pay  rolls  were 
22,774  names.  Estimated  passenger  trains  arriving  and  departing 
in  one  day,  1,594.  Total  police  force  4,345.  Postal  receipts  fiscal 
year  1907-8,  $14,598,991.  Pupils  enrolled  in  the  public  schools, 
292,581.  Railroads  entering  the  city,  26.  Total  number  of  saloons, 
7,120.  Number  of  public  schools  not  including  branches,  274.  Hos- 
pitals, 73  ;  libraries,  21 ;  medical  schools,  34;  newspapers  and  period- 
icals, 750;  acres  in  parks,  3,196;  sewer  mileage,  1,726;  sidewalk 
mileage,  5,000;  street  railway  mileage,  1,350;  mileage  of  streets  and 
alleys,  4,251 ;  teachers  in  public  schools,  6,106;  theatres,  38;  5-cent 
theatres,  340;  water  used  in  1907,  165,934,823,150  gallons;  actual 
value  of  real  and  personal  property  of  Chicago,  $2,383,851,995; 
asylums,  88;  banks,  state  and  National,  68;  area  of  the  city,  190.64 
square  miles;  population,  1908,  estimated  2,166,055. 

In  1837  Chicago  had  6  wards  and  10  aldermen ;  1847,  9  wards 
and  18  aldermen;  1857,  10  wards  and  20  aldermen;  1863,  16  wards 
and  32  aldermen ;  1869,  20  wards  and  40  aldermen ;  1876,  18  wards 
and  36  aldermen ;  1888,  24  wards  and  48  aldermen  ;  1889,  34  wards 
and  68  aldermen;  1901,  35  wards  and  70  aldermen. 

The  total  deaths  in  Chicago  from  all  causes  for  1906  were  29,048, 
and  for  1907  were  32,143.  The  grade  of  down-town  streets  has 
been  raised  three  times:  1855,  1857  and  1872,  in  all  from  six  to 
eleven  feet,  or  a  -total  of  fourteen  feet  above  city  datum  which  was 
low  water  mark  in  1847. 


668  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

SCHOOL  STATISTICS. 

Year.  Enrollment.  Number  of  Teachers. 

1841 410  5 

1850 1,919  21 

1860 14,199  123 

1870 38,939  5S7 

1880 69,562  898 

1890 135,541  2,711 

1900 255,861  5,806 

In  1908,  not  counting  law  and  medical  schools,  there  were  en- 
rolled in  all  educational  institutions  in  the  city  exclusive  of  the  pub- 
lic schools,  a  total  of  3,333  teachers  and  104,795  pupils.  In  the  law 
schools  there  were  114  teachers  and  1,300  pupils;  in  the  medical 
schools  were  281  teachers  and  2,633  pupils. 

The  total  appropriations  for  corporate  purposes  in  Chicago  in 
1908  were  $23,643,382;  from  water  fund,  $6,535,109.63;  board  of 
education,  $17,721,575;  public  library,  $475,000;  grand  total,  $48,- 
375,066.63. 

The  fixed  assets  of  Chicago  in  1907  were  as  follows :  Corporate 
property,  $14,780,920.30;  waterworks,  $45,114,470.81;  schools, 
$47,903,491.69;  public  library,  $2,526,104.48;  grand  total,  $110,- 
324,987.28. 

The  valuation  of  taxable  property  of  Chicago  has  been  as  follows : 
1840,  $94,437;  1850,  $7,220,249;  1860,  $37,053,512;  1870,  $275,- 
986,550;  1880,  $117,133,726;  1890,  $219,354,368;  1900,  $276,- 
565,880;  1910, 

The  tax  levy  for  the  same  years  is  as  follows:  1840,  $4,721.85 ; 
1850,  $25,270.87;  1860,  $373,315.29;  1870,  $4,139,798.70;  1880, 
$3,899,126.98;  1890,  $9,558,335;  1900,  $18,384,195.36;  1910, 

In  1907  Cook  county  paid  out  $411,042.41  for  charity  service. 
There  were  admitted  to  the  detention  hospital  1 ,836  patients ;  to  the 
Cook  county  hospital,  26,118  patients;  poor  families  relieved,  6,151 ; 
daily  average  inmates  of  insane  hospital,  1,693;  daily  average  in- 
mates of  consumption  hospital,  233 ;  daily  average  inmates  of  poor- 
house,  1,175. 

The  following  shows  the  beef  and  pork  packed  in  Chicago  for  the 
years  ending  March  1  : 

Cattle.  Hogs.                               Cattle.           Hogs. 

1892-3....  2,469,373  4,352,095  1900-1....  1,814,921  7,364,859 

1895-6....  1,810,593  5,490,410  1903-4....  2,163,976  6,763,685 

1898-9....  1,603,380  8,016,675  1906-7....  1,988,504  6,079,641 

The  drainage  canal  was  first  inspected  and  designed  in  1885.  The 
bill  was  signed  May  29,  1889,  and  the  district  was  formally  organ- 
ized January  18,  1890.  Shovel  day  was  September  3,  1892.  Water 
was  first  turned  into  the  completed  canal  January  2,  1900,  and  Jan- 
uary 17,  1900,  the  canal  was  formally  opened.  The  main  channel  is 
28.05  miles  long.  Total  amount  of  excavation,  42,229,635  cubic 
yards.  Minimum  depth  of  water  in  main  channel,  22  feet ;  current 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  669 

velocity,  1.25  to  1.9  miles  per  hour;  width  at  bottom,  110  feet  to  202 
feet.  The  total  receipts  to  December  31,  1907,  were  $58,747,233.23, 
and  the  total  expenses,  $58,617,346.77. 

In  1892  the  real  estate  sales  of  Chicago  were  19,283,  and  the  con- 
sideration $153,169,047.  This  was  high  water  owing  to  the  Col- 
umbian Exposition.  In  1898  the  sales  numbered  13,358,  the  con- 
sideration being  $93,100,276.  Since  then  the  increase  has  been 
steady,  though  up  and  down,  amounting  to  26,380  in  1906,  the  con- 
sideration being  $131,982,811. 

CHICAGO  BANK  STATISTICS. 

Years.  Clearings.  Balances. 

1898 $  5,517,335,476.66  $558,107,047.54 

1900 6,799,535,598.36  623,931,299.40 

1902 8,394,872,351.59  653,199,396.54 

1904 8,989,983,764.40  739,806,074.15 

1906 11,047,311,894.50  735,239,699.40 

1907 12,087,647,870.08  727,408,863.87 

The  bank  clearings  in  1870  amounted  to  $810,676,036;  in  1880, 
to  $1,725,684,894;  in  1890  to  $4,093,145,904.  For  the  week  end- 
ing March  4,  1865,  the  clearings  were  $5,474,608.19;  week  ending 
March  11,  1865,  $6,507,117.96;  week  ending  March  18,  1865,  $7,- 
343,758.92 ;  week  ending  March  25,  1865,  $5,756,829.29;  week  end- 
ing April  1,  1865,  $5,670,434.12;  approximate  total  for  March, 
1865,  $29,000,000.  By  August,  1865,  this  approximate  total  aggre- 
gated $52,000,000.  In  March,  1907,  the  clearings  were  $1,065,- 
975,562.22,  or  nearly  40  times  more  than  in  March,  1865. 

In  1908  Chicago  had  13  municipal  playgrounds  and  three  munici- 
pal bathing  beaches.  The  total  attendance  of  the  playgrounds  in 
1907  was  1,585,960. 

In  1870  the  vessel  arrivals  were  12,739,  aggregating  a  tonnage 
of  3,049,265,  and  the  clearances  12,433,  with  a  tonnage  of  2,983,- 
942.  Since  then  there  has  been  a  general  change  until  in  1907  they 
were  as  follows:  Arrivals  6,745,  tonnage  8,057,062;  clearings 
6,736,  tonnage  7,995,211.  These  figures  include  South  Chicago, 
Michigan  City,  Waukegan  and  Chicago.  Merchandise  worth  $26,- 
528,028  was  imported  to  Chicago  in  1907. 

The  daily  capacity  of  the  Union  Stock  Yards  is  as  follows :  Cat- 
tle, 75,000;  hogs,  300,000;  sheep,  125,000;  horses,  6,000.  From 
1866  to  1907  inclusive  the  yards  received  87,804,114  cattle,  4,943,- 
305  calves,  254,859,208  hogs,  83,705,895  sheep  and  2,401,556 
horses.  Of  all  these  there  were  received  in  1907,  15,248,479  head  in 
287,981  cars  all  valued  at  $319,202,239.  On  February  10,  1908, 
there  were  received  87,716  hogs;  on  November  16,  1908,  49,123 
cattle;  on  May  1,  1906,  9,284  calves;  on  September  29,  1902,  59,362 
sheep;  on  March  6,  1905,  2,177  horses,  and  on  January  11,  1904, 
3.223  carloads  of  live  stock.  These  were  high-water  marks. 

In  1907  there  was  a  total  of  91  bridges  across  the  Chicago  river, 


6TO  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

of  which  69  were  kept  up  by  the  city  and  22  by  the  railroads.  There 
were  34  viaducts  in  1907. 

A  5-foot  water  tunnel  was  built  to  Chicago  avenue  in  1867;  an- 
other 7-foot  tunnel  was  built  to  the  same  place  in  1874;  another  of 
same  size  and  to  the  same  place  was  begun  in  1887.  In  1892  an 
8-foot  tunnel  to  14th  street  was  built  from  the  4-mile  crib;  a  10-foot 
tunnel  was  built  in  1898;  a  7-foot  tunnel  in  1896;  another  7- foot 
tunnel  in  1898  and  a  14-foot  tunnel  is  under  construction  in  Hyde 
Park  now.  The  above  are  water  tunnels.  In  addition  there  are 
eight  land  tunnels  conveying  water  to  all  distant  parts  of  the  city. 
There  were  18  water-pipe  tunnels  under  Chicago  river  in  1907.  The 
cribs  are  the  2-mile,  built  in  1867 ;  4-mile,  built  in  1891 ;  Lake  View, 
built  in  1896;  Hyde  Park,  built  in  1896;  C.  H.  Harrison,  built  in 
1900.  These  cribs  cost  over  $1,100,000.  The  appraised  value  of 
Chicago  waterworks  on  December  31,  1907,  was  $40,800,775. 

In  1907  there  were  11  taxing  boards  levying  taxes  in  Chicago  as 
follows :  State  tax,  county  tax,  city  tax,  school  tax,  library  tax, 
sanitary  district  tax,  South  Park  system  tax,  West  Park  system  tax, 
Lincoln  Park  tax,  Ridge  Park  tax,  and  North  Shore  Park  district 
tax.  The  average  rate  of  taxation  in  1907  throughout  the  county 
was  about  $7.35  on  each  $100. 

The  Art  Institute  of  Chicago  was  instituted  in  1879  and  is  located 
on  the  Lake  front.  It  now  ranks  among  the  best  three  or  four  in 
the  United  States.  It  is  open  to  membership  to  all  friends  of  art 
upon  the  payment  of  $10  annually.  Connected  with  it  is  a  school 
of  instruction  in  art;  the  pupils  now  average  about  3,000  a  year. 
The  Chicago  Academy  of  Sciences  is  in  Lincoln  Park;  its  museum 
is  excellent. 

The  Chicago  City  Railway  Company  is  operating  under  the  ordi- 
nance of  February  11,  1907,  which  was  approved  by  the  city  electors 
on  April  2,  1907.  The  net  profits  of  the  company  are  divided  be- 
tween city  and  company  as  follows:  55  per  cent,  to  the  city  and  45 
per  cent,  to  the  company.  Pay-as-you-enter  cars  are  a  recent  inno- 
vation and  are  popular. 

The  total  number  of  miles  of  railroad  track  elevated  from  May 
23,  1892,  to  December  31,  1907,  was  as  follows:  Main  track, 
122.83  miles;  all  tracks,  681.29  miles;  subways  constructed,  553; 
total  cost,  $46,520,250. 

The  following  is  from  the  fourth  of  a  series  of  "Do  You  Know" 
talks  delivered  in  July,  1908,  by  E.  S.  Conway,  chairman  of  the 
civic  industrial  committee  of  the  Chicago  Association  of  Commerce : 

"Do  you  know  that  there  are  more  wage  workers  in  Chicago  than 
there  are  inhabitants  in  either  of  the  cities  of  Louisville,  Jersey  City, 
Indianapolis,  St.  Paul,  Providence,  Rochester,  Kansas  City,  Mo.,  or 
Toledo?" — "That  there  is  no  important  seaport  between  Portland, 
Me.,  and  Portland,  Ore.,  that  has  not  one  or  more  through  railway 
passenger  trains  from  Chicago  daily?" — "That  Chicago  produces 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  671 

more  steel  rails  than  any  city  on  earth  ?" — "That  the  deposits  of  the 
Chicago  banks  on  May  14  were  $698,335,473,  which  is  almost  three 
times  the  cash  balance  in  the  United  States  treasury,  exclusive  of  re- 
serve and  trust  funds?" — "That  it  requires  980  suburban  trains  to 
carry  passengers  from  the  surrounding  villages  and  towns  to  and 
from  Chicago  daily?" — "That  Chicago  has  sixty-nine  hospitals,  a 
larger  number  in  proportion  to  population  than  any  large  city  in  the 
country,  notwithstanding  it  has  the  lowest  death  rate  of  any  of 
them  ?" — "That  Chicago  has  the  largest  car  works,  the  largest  tele- 
phone manufactory  and  the  largest  piano  and  organ  plant  on  the 
continent?" — "That  Chicago  has  one  of  the  largest  floral  conserva- 
tories in  the  United  States  if,  indeed,  it  is  not  the  largest  ?" — "That 
the  fourteen  public  libraries  of  Chicago  contain  1,482,931  volumes, 
not  including  pamphlets  and  maps  ?" — "That  Chicago  is  the  library 
center  of  the  United  States,  which  fact  is  demonstrated  by  the  action 
of  the  American  Library  association  in  making  this  city  its  per- 
manent headquarters?" — "That  the  universities  and  colleges  within 
the  corporate  limits  of  Chicago  have  10,000  students,  making  this 
city  the  educational  center  of  the  country?" — "That  the  professional 
and  business  schools  of  Chicago  have  nearly  12,000  pupils?" — "That 
Chicago  has  1,077  churches  and  five  theological  seminaries  with 
1,047  students?" — "That  the  Young  Men's  Christian  association  of 
Chicago,  the  second  largest  in  the  world,  has  a  membership  of  over 
13,000,  sustains  eighteen  branches,  and  owns  property  valued  at 
$2,022,000?" — "That  criminal  statistics  prove  that  there  is  less 
crime  in  Chicago,  in  proportion  to  population,  than  in  Baltimore, 
Boston,  Cleveland,  Indianapolis,  Kansas  City,  Mo.,  New  York, 
Omaha,  Philadelphia,  Pittsburg,  and  several  other  important  cities?" 
— "That  Chicago  in  its  religious,  social,  and  educational  life  ranks 
second  to  none?" — "That  the  highest  standard  of  honorable  dealing 
pervades  the  banking,  manufacturing  and  commercial  life  of  our 
city?" — "That  this  fact  is  recognized  in  every  commercial  and  finan- 
cial center  of  the  United  States?" 


BIOGRAPHY  AND  REMINISCENCE 


REV.  CASIMIR   AMBROZAITIS,    pastor    of   Our  Lady  of 
Vilno,    Lithuanian    Roman    Catholic    church,    2323    West 
Twenty-third    place,  was    born    in    Lithuania,  Russia,  vil- 
lage   of    Balandei.    He    was    educated    at    the    Gymna- 
zium    of    Sziaulei,    Lithuania,    and    in    theology    in    a    diocesan 
seminary    at    Vilno,    the     capital     of    Lithuania.     He     came     to 
the  United  States  in  December,  1895,  and  was  ordained  to  the  priest- 
hood in  1898  in  Milwaukee  by  the  late  Archbishop  Katzer  for  Rt. 
Rev.  J.  L.  Spalding,  Bishop  of  Peoria  diocese.    His  first  charge  was 
the  pastorship  of  the  SS.  Peter  and  Paul  Lithuanian  Parish  at  West- 
ville,  111.,  of  which  he  took  charge  July  3,  1898.    There  he  remained 
for  three  years  and  three  months,  finishing  in  the  meantime  the 
church  at  a  cost  of  $5,000. 

In  1901  he  was  transferred  to  Spring  Valley,  111.,  and  placed  in 
charge  of  St.  Anna's  parish  (Lithuanian)  of  that  place.  In  1902 
he  was  placed  in  charge  of  St.  Casimir  Polish  Roman  Catholic 
church,  for  Poles  and  Lithuanians,  at  Kenosha,  Wis.,  diocese  of 
Milwaukee.  There  in  seven  months  he  organized  a  separate 
Lithuanian  congregation  and  bought  lots  for  a  church  building. 
This  congregation  is  now  in  a  flourishing  condition.  He  also  organ- 
ized a  Lithuanian  congregation  at  Sheboygan  and  bought  a  frame 
church  from  one  non-Catholic  society,  Church  of  Christ,  which 
church  was  blessed  by  Very  Rev.  A.  F.  Schinner  V.  Ge.  of  Mil- 
waukee, now  Rt.  Rev.  Bishop  of  Superior,  September  13,  1903,  and 
another  at  Port  Washington,  Wis.  He  served  these  various  congrega- 
tions faithfully  until  they  were  in  permanent  working  condition,  his 
labors  being  those  of  a  missionary.  In  1904,  his  Grace.  Archbishop 
Quigley  placed  him  in  charge  of  the  St.  Bartholomew  Lithuanian 
parish  at  Waukegan,  111.,  where  he  remained  until  December,  1905, 
when  he  came  to  Chicago  and  on  January  17,  1906,  was  author- 
ized by  Archbishop  Quigley  to  establish  a  Lithuanian  parish  west 
of  Ashland  avenue,  north  of  the  canal  and  south  of  West  Madison 
street.  There  he  organized  the  parish  of  Our  Lady  of  Vilno, 
"Vilniaus  Austros  Vartu,  P.  S.  V."  He  soon  purchased  real  estate 
at  2323  W.  Twenty-third  place,  between  Oakley  and  Western 
avenues,  erected  thereon  a  combined  building,  church  and  school  and 
rectory.  The  corner  stone  of  the  church  was  laid  by  Rt.  Rev. 
Bishop  Muldoon  on  November  11,  1906,  and  the  building  and 
grounds  cost  a  total  of  $43,000.  The  bell  was  blessed  on  July  11, 

Vol.   1—39.  673 


674  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

1907  by  Rev.  G.  Steponavicius,  a  Lithuanian  pastor  of  Providence 
of  God  parish,  with  a  faculty  granted  him  by  the  archbishop.  The 
church  was  dedicated  by  His  Grace  Archbishop  Quigley,  himself, 
on  September  15,  1907.  The  present  membership  of  the  congrega- 
tion is  about  270  families.  There  is  a  total  membership  of  about 
2,000  souls.  The  parish  school  has  over  200  pupils.  The  church 
has  a  seating  capacity  of  950.  There  are  four  men's  and  one 
ladies'  societies  connected  with  the  church,  all  organized  for  religious 
beneficial  purposes. 

Albert  F.  Amling  is  the  son  of  Gottfried  Amling  who  came  to 
Cook  county  in  1850.  The  father  married  in  this  county  Laurette 
Guenther  and  to  them  were  born  the  following  children :  Adolphine, 
Albert  F.,  Emeline,  William,  Ernest  C.,  Herman,  Emma,  Amelia, 
Laura  and  Clara.  After  his  marriage  Mr.  Amling  settled  on  a 
farm  in  Proviso  Township  and  there  lived  and  labored  many  years. 
He  is  now  retired  and  lives  in  Forest  Park.  In  the  early  days  he 
often  hauled  his  produce  to  Chicago,  driving  his  oxen  to  the  court- 
house square,  unhitching  them,  and  turning  them  out  to  graze  on 
the  grass  growing  there. 

Albert  F.  was  born  in  Proviso  township,  December  7,  1863,  was 
reared  on  his  father's  farm,  and  received  a  common  school  educa- 
tion. When  a  young  man,  in  company  with  a  younger  brother,  he 
engaged  in  the  greenhouse  business  on  the  land  in  Leyden  Town- 
ship now  owned  by  him.  This  tract  of  twenty  acres  was  owned  then 
by  their  father.  At  first  the  brothers  operated  on  only  two  acres. 
In  1889  they  built  three  small  greenhouses  for  the  growing  of 
flowers.  Gradually  the  firm  increased  operations  until  they  occu- 
pied the  entire  tract  of  twenty  acres.  They  now  have  150,000 
square  feet  of  glass  in  their  greenhouses  and  five  dwelling  houses 
which  are  used  in  the  business.  The  business  is  now  extensive  and 
prosperous.  In  1899,  Albert  F.  bought  out  his  brother  Ernest  C., 
and  the  same  year  the  business  was  incorporated  under  the  name  of 
Albert  F.  Amling  Company,  of  which  Albert  F.  is  secretary  and 
the  largest  stockholder.  At  present  the  business  is  rapidly  in- 
creasing. 

He  married  Caroline  Reinke  who  was  born  in  Mecklenburg,  Ger- 
many, in  1866,  being  the  daughter  of  Joachim  and  Mary  (Weick) 
Reinke.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Amling  have  been  born  the  following 
children:  Ernest;  Carl,  Otto  Henry,  Paul  Frederick,  Walter  F., 
and  Clarence  Martin.  Mr.  Amling  is  a  Republican,  but  does  not 
take  an  active  part  in  politics.  He  and  wife  are  members  of  the 
Lutheran  church  at  Melrose  Park.  He  is  one  of  the  founders  of  the 
Maywood  State  bank  and  the  Melrose  Park  State  bank,  and  is  vice- 
president  and  stockholder  in  both. 

Possibly  no  name  is  more  closely  associated  with  the  early  build- 
ing interests  of  Chicago  than  that  of  John  Angus,  who  came  to 
this  country  in  1867  and  who,  until  his  death,  which  occurred  No- 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  675 

vember  2,  1907,  was  actively  identified  with  many  of  the  most 
important  contracting  deals  throughout  the  county.  A  native  of 
Scotland,  he  was  born  February  10,  1845,  the  son  of  John  and 
Eliza  (Ganson)  Angus.  He  received  his  education  in  the  public 
schools  of  that  country,  and  during  early  manhood  learned  the 
cut-stone  trade  under  the  direction  of  his  father,  who  was  a  prom- 
inent cut-stone  contractor  and  superintendent  of  a  large  stone 
quarry. 

In  1866  he  went  to  England,  but  a  year  later,  realizing  the  ad- 
vantages to  be  had  in  America,  emigrated  to  this  country  and  worked 
at  his  trade  alone,  continuing  thus  until  1872.  He  then  entered 
into  partnership  with  his  brother  in  the  same  business  under  the 
firm  name  of  William  &  John  Angus,  cut  stone  contractors,  and 
this  partnership  continued  from  1872  to  1875,  after  which,  until 
1880,  John  continued  alone.  Later,  in  1880-1,  he  became  a  member 
of  the  firm  of  Allen,  Angus  &  Gindele,  and  when  the  firm  name 
was  changed  to  Angus  &  Gindele,  he  was  made  president.  Since 
1902  the  firm  has  been  known  as  Angus  Bro.  &  Co.  They  have  done 
an  immense  business  and  have  made  it  profitable.  Mr.  Angus  was 
connected  with  the  construction  of  many  of  the  most  important 
buildings  of  the  West.  He  executed  the  masonry  work  on  the 
Palmer  House,  Victoria  and  Plaza  hotels,  on  the  Potter  Palmer  and 
Chas.  T.  Yerkes  buildings,  and  on  the  old  County  Building  in  1877. 

In  his  political  views  he  was  a  Republican.  He  was  identified  with 
the  Masonic  fraternity,  being  a  member  of  Lakeside  Lodge  A.  F.  & 
A.  M.,  New  York  Chapter  R.  A.  M.  and  Chevalier  Bayard  Com- 
mandery  K.  T.  He  also  belonged  to  the  Union  League  and  Build- 
ers clubs.  November  9,  1871,  Mr.  Angus  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Miss  Agnes  Jackson,  of  New  York  City,  and  to  them  were 
born  four  children,  David,  William  J.,  John,  and  Esther.  His 
offices  were  located  at  188  Madison  street  and  his  residence  at  3213 
Michigan  avenue. 

William  J.  Angus,  prominent  Chicago  contractor  and  builder, 
was  born  May  28,  1878,  in  this  city,  the  son  of  John  and  Agnes 
(Jackson)  Angus.  A  more  complete  sketch  of  the  father  is  to  be 
found  elsewhere  in  this  work. 

The  subject  of  this  review  received  his  early  education  in  the 
Chicago  public  schools,  later  taking  courses  in  the  Chicago  Manual 
Training  school  and  in  the  Massachusetts  Institute  of  Technology, 
being  graduated  from  the  latter  with  the  class  of  1900.  Soon  after 
his  graduation  he  began  learning  the  brick  masons'  trade  under  the 
guidance  of  his  father.  He  subsequently  became  foreman  and 
superintendent  of  work  contracted  by  his  father  m  Chicago  and 
different  parts  of  the  country,  and  when,  in  1902,  Angus  Bro. 
&  Co.  was  incorporated,  he  became  vice-president  of  the  concern. 
At  the  present  time  Mr.  Angus  has  the  sole  control  of  the  business. 
The  company  did  the  work  on  the  stations  and  platforms  of  the 


676  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

Ravenswood  Elevated  railway  and  also  on  the  Englewood  and  Ken- 
wood extensions.  They  constructed  the  round  houses  and  buildings 
in  the  yards  of  the  Chicago  and  Indiana  Southern  railway  at  Gibson, 
and  seven  buildings  of  the  Standard  Steel  Car  plant  at  Hammond. 
On  these  two  jobs  the  company  employed  as  high  as  1,100  men 
and  the  work  covered  the  greater  part  of  365  acres,  several  of  the 
buildings  being  1,200  to  1,800  feet  in  length.  In  1898  they  com- 
pleted the  lowering  of  the  Washington  street  tunnel.  Among  the 
buildings  upon  which  they  have  worked  are  the  Brand,  three  large 
structures  on  Harrison  street ;  the  shops  of  the  Indiana  &  Cincinnati 
Interurban  railway  at  Rushville,  Indiana;  the  shops  and  power 
house  of  the  Chicago  &  Milwaukee  Electric  railway ;  the  shops  of 
the  Union  Traction  company  on  Wrightwood  avenue ;  the  gas'  plant 
in  South  Chicago ;  the  James  Kirk  Soap  factory,  and  many  others. 
Mr.  Angus  is  a  member  of  the  Chicago  Athletic  club,  the  Delta  Tau 
Delta  fraternity,  the  Mason  and  Contractors'  association,  the  Car- 
penters and  Builders'  club,  and  the  Builders  and  Traders'  club. 

Charles  Andrew  Armbruster  was  born  in  this  city,  November 
20,  1867,  and  is  a  son  of  Martin  and  Godlobin  (Sauer)  Armbruster. 
The  father  was  a  hotel-keeper  by  occupation,  a  successful  business 
man  and  a  reputable  citizen. 

Charles  A.  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Wheeling  and 
finished  at  Bryant  &  Stratton's  Business  college  with  which  in- 
stitution he  remained  afterwards  for  four  years  in  the  capacity  of 
office  clerk.  In  1888  he  became  bookkeeper  for  Poole  Brothers,  rail- 
way printers,  and  advanced  steadily  until  he  occupied  his  present 
position  of  assistant  secretary.  He  is  a  member  of  the  National 
union,  LaSalle  Council  No.  368  and  is  a  Republican  in  politics.  He 
married  April  20,  1909,  Dorothy  Olson  and  resides  at  5956  Justine 
street,  with  office  at  116  Harrison  street. 

Harry  F.  Atwood  was  born  on  a  farm  near  Morgan  Park,  Cook 
county,  Illinois,  on  January  1,  1870,  and  is  the  son  of  C.  E.  and 
Martha  E.  (Townsend)  Atwood,  natives  of  Vermont.  For  several 
generations  back  the  family  have  been  residents  of  Vermont.  In 
1865  the  parents  came  to  Illinois  and  settled  near  Morgan  Park. 
Harry  F.  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  that  suburb  and 
graduated  from  the  Morgan  Park  academy.  Later,  in  1897,  he 
graduated  from  the  University  of  Chicago  and  in  1898  also  gradu- 
ated from  the  Chicago  College  of  Law. 

From  early  manhood  he  has  distinguished  himself  as  an  orator 
and  in  various  public  debates  has  taken  prizes  for  superiority  in 
thought  and  delivery.  He  was  president  of  the  oratorical  association 
and  Debaters'  league  and  president  of  the  Northern  Oratorical  league 
which  comprises  the  large  universities  of  the  Central  States.  After 
his  graduation  in  law  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar  and  began  the 
practice.  From  1901  to  1904,  he  was  assistant  State's  attorney  of 
Cook  county.  In  1908  he  was  appointed  assistant  United  State's 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  677 

district  attorney.  He  is  a  member  of  the  law  firm  of  Atwood, 
Hurlbert  &  Light  foot,  and  has  been  frequently  mentioned  in  con- 
nection with  the  nomination  for  Congress  for  the  Third  district. 
His  services  have  been  utilized  during  the  various  Republican  cam- 
paigns of  recent  years.  As  such  he  has  campaigned  in  many  States 
under  the  auspices  of  the  National  committee.  He  was  one  of  the 
speakers  who  helped  in  1904  to  swing  Missouri  to  the  Republican 
column.  In  1908  he  was  invited  by  the  National  Republican  com- 
mittee to  speak  in  New  York  City  and  was  assigned  to  address  the 
great  Madison  square  and  several  other  meetings  with  President- 
elect Taft  and  Governor  Hughes.  He  is  thus  one  of  the  most 
effective  and  gifted  orators  now  before  the  Chicago  bar.  His 
orations,  "Our  Three  Great  Wars,"  "Washington,  Lincoln  and 
McKinley"  and  "God  in  American  History,"  are  considered  as 
classics.  Since  arriving  at  early  manhood  he  has  taken  a  prominent 
part  in  city,  county,  State  and  national  campaigns. 

During  the  war  with  Spain  he  served  as  a  volunteer  in  the  First 
Illinois  Cavalry,  and  later  became  a  sergeant  of  Troop  M.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Ridge  Country  and  Hamilton  clubs  and  of  the  Chi- 
cago Bar  and  Illinois  Bar  associations.  As  a  member  of  the 
Hamilton  club  he  has  been  active  and  prominent  for  about  ten  years. 
He  belongs  to  Tracy  Lodge  No.  810,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.  and  also  to  the 
Modern  Woodmen  and  Royal  Arcanum.  He  is  also  a  member  of 
the  Central  Y.  M.  C.  A.  and  Morgan  Park  Baptist  church.  On 
August  23,  1905,  at  Fox  Lake,  Wis.,  he  married  Miss  Maude 
Smith,  a  niece  of  former  Governor  William  Smith,  of  Wisconsin, 
and  they  have  one  little  girl  nearly  three  years  old. 

John  I.  Bagdziunas,  foreign  exchange  banker,  real  estate  dealer, 
insurance,  loan  and  steamship  agent  and  printer,  located  at  2334  S. 
Oakley  avenue,  is  one  of  the  younger  generation  of  Chicago's  cos- 
mopolitan citizenship  who  is  a  credit  to  the  city.  He  was  born  in 
the  village  of  Budziniszki.  County  of  Szavli,  State  of  Kovno, 
Lithuania,  August  19,  1882,  a  son  of  Frank  and  Domicelia 
(Kazakauckas)  Bagdziunas.  The  father,  in  1886,  immigrated  to 
the  United  States  and  locating  in  Chicago  secured  employment  at 
the  Union  Stock  Yards.  Two  years  later  the  family  joined  him 
here  and  have  ever  since  made  this  place  their  home.  He  died  No- 
vember 2,  1903,  leaving  a  widow  and  the  following  named  children : 
Helen,  a  Sister  of  Nazareth,  John  I.,  Frank,  Cassimir  and  Joseph. 

John  I.  Bagdziunas,  from  the  time  he  was  six  years  old,  has  al- 
ways made  Chicago  his  home.  He  received  his  literary  education 
from  the  Polish  parochial  schools,  St.  Ignatius  college  and  Armour 
Institute.  At  the  age  of  twelve  years  he  was  apprenticed  to  the 
printers'  trade  as  a  journeyman,  and  from  1901  to  1903  was  cor- 
respondent for  various  firms  in  the  Polish  and  Lithuanian  languages, 
and  during  this  time  also  took  up  the  study  of  stenography  at  Gregg's 
Business  school.  In  1903  he  embarked  in  the  printing  business 


678  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

on  his  own  responsibility  at  358  Dearborn  street.  He  thus  con- 
tinued until  1906  when  he  located  on  South  Oakley  avenue  on  the 
West  Side.  By  hard  work  and  economy  he  prospered  to  such 
an  extent  that,  in  1908,  he  erected  his  present  commodious  three- 
story  modern  double  brick  building  at  2334-6  South  Oakley  avenue. 
He  here  continued  the  printing  business  and  has  also  established 
himself  in  other  lines  of  employment  as  previously  stated.  Mr. 
Bagdziunas  is  a  member  of  the  Our  Lady  of  Vilno  Lithuanian 
Roman  Catholic  church,  the  Lithuanian  National  Alliance  of 
America,  the  Brothers  of  Enlightenment  society  and  St.  Roko 
society.  In  politics  he  is  a  Republican.  October  11,  1903,  he 
married  Miss  Helen  B.,  the  daughter  of  Victor  and  Barbara 
Szymkiewicz,  of  Chicago,  but  formerly  from  Lithuania,  and  to  this 
union  two  daughters  have  been  born :  Genevieve  and  Cecelia. 

Edward  W.  Bailey  was  born  August  31,  1843,  and  is  a  son  of 
George  W.  and  Rebecca  (Warren)  Bailey,  of  Berlin,  Vt.  The 
father  was  a  farmer  by  occupation  and  very  prominent  in  local  public 
affairs.  He  was  president  of  the  Farmers'  State  Insurance  company, 
State  Senator  in  1851-2  and  judge  of  probate  from  1855  to  1863. 
He  was  an  active  Republican.  He  lived  two  years  at  Middlesex,  Vt., 
and  spent  the  last  sixteen  years  of  his  life  at  Montpelier.  He  died 
in  1868  and  his  widow  in  1885. 

His  son,  Edward  W.,  was  educated  in  the  public  and  grammar 
schools  of  Montpelier.  In  1869  he  engaged  in  the  grocery  business 
in  Montpelier,  but  the  following  year  bought  the  grain  mill  which  he 
still  owns  and  operates  with  local  partners.  He  finally  sold  his 
grocery  and  came  to  Chicago  in  1879  and  became  a  member  of  the 
firm  of  Bailey  &  Bullock  company  and  was  thus  associated  for  three 
years.  In  1882  he  established  the  Edward  W.  Bailey  company, 
located  in  the  old  Board  of  Trade  building,  but  removed  to  his 
present  location  in  the  Board  of  Trade  building  in  1885.  He  was 
a  director  of  the  Board  of  Trade  from  1883  to  1886,  and  vice-presi- 
dent of  the  same  from  1886  to  1888.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Union 
League,  Press,  South  Shore  Country  and  Beverly  Golf  clubs  and  of 
the  Commercial  Men's  association.  He  was  married  June  26,  1869, 
to  Jennie  Carter,  of  Montpelier,  and  they  have  George  C.  and  Mary 
B.  He  resides  at  23  Oakley  avenue. 

John  Ralph  Ballinger.  M.  D.,  was  born  April  9,  1875,  in  Atchi- 
son,  Kan.,  and  is  a  son  of  Thomas  E.  and  Julia  (Relph)  Ballinger. 
The  family  removed  from  New  Jersey  to  Kansas  in  1870  and  the 
father  was  engaged  in  farming  and  stock  raising.  He  was  promi- 
nent in  public  affairs,  was  a  strong  Republican  and  served  several 
terms  as  county  commissioner.  In  1900  he  retired  from  active  work 
and  is  yet  alive  and  active.  His  wife,  who  is  fifty-nine  years  old,  is 
still  in  the  enjoyment  of  good  health.  They  were  the  parents  of 
four  girls  and  two  boys. 

Doctor  John  R.  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  and  the  high 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  679 

schools  at  Atchison  and  in  1893  entered  Midland  college.  Later 
he  took  a  course  at  Lawrence  university,  the  State  University  of 
Kansas.  He  also  attended  the  medical  department  of  the  University 
of  Michigan.  In  1897  he  entered  Rush  Medical  college  and  was 
graduated  therefrom  in  1900  with  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Medicine. 
He  began  the  practice  at  2424  W.  Division  street  and  soon  attained 
prominence.  For  the  past  eight  years  he  has  been  attending 
physician  at  the  Norwegian  Deaconess  hospital.  He  is  assistant  pro- 
fessor of  Neurology  and  Psychiatry  at  the  College  of  Physicians 
and  Surgeons  University  of  Illinois,  professor  of  Neurology  and 
Psychiatry  at  the  Illinois  Post-Graduate  Medical  school.  He  is 
secretary  of  the  North- West  Branch  of  the  Chicago  Medical  Society, 
a  member  of  the  American  Medical  association,  the  Chicago  Medical 
Society  and  the  Physicians  club.  His  wife  was  formerly  Miss  Flora 
Grooms  of  Richmond,  Ind. 

Nathaniel  L  Barmore  was  born  March  7,  1845,  in  New  York 
City,  and  is  a  son  of  Garrett  and  Hester  (Lawrence)  Barmore.  The 
father  was  a  manufacturer  of  pianos  and  the  owner  of  a  large  fac- 
tory and  did  an  extensive  business  throughout  the  United  States. 
He  was  an  old  line  Whig  and  later  a  Republican.  He  died  in  1874 
and  his  wife  in  1901. 

Nathaniel  L.  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  New  York 
City  and  in  the  Free  Academy,  graduating  therefrom  at  an  early 
age.  While  yet  a  boy  he  was  employed  in  a  wholesale  cloth  house 
in  New  York  City.  In  1862  when  only  seventeen  years  old  he  en- 
listed in  the  Twenty-second  Regiment,  New  York  Volunteers,  as 
drummer  boy,  and  soon  afterward  took  the  field  with  his  companions. 
He  was  mustered  for  four  months  only  and  participated  in  the  en- 
gagements at  Harper's  Ferry  and  Winchester.  After  his  discharge 
he  went  West  to  Omaha  and  accepted  a  position  as  brakeman  on 
the  Union  Pacific  railroad  and  a  little  later  was  made  conductor. 
In  1870  he  removed  to  South  Bend.  Ind.,  and  engaged  in  the 
drug  business,  continuing  until  1876  when  he  sold  out  and  became  a 
traveling  salesman  for  the  Cleveland  Burial  Case  company,  con- 
tinuing that  line  of  business  until  1882.  He  then  came  to  Chicago 
in  the  capacity  of  manager  of  the  local  branch  of  the  same  company. 
In  1886,  when  this  company  consolidated  with  the  F.  H.  Hill  com- 
pany, Mr.  Barmore  became  secretary  of  the  new  organization  which 
was  duly  incorporated.  Upon  the  death  of  Mr.  Hill  in  December, 
1907,  Mr.  Barmore  was  elected  president  and  general  manager. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  order  and  is  a  Republican.  In  1871 
he  married  Anna  M.  Coonley,  of  South  Bend.  The  family  lives  at 
4837  Kimbark  avenue. 

Charles  Earl  Bartley,  attorney  at  law,  was  born  near  Coldwater, 
Mich.,  July  1.  1869.  He  received  his  primary  education  at  the 
public  schools  in  Toledo.  Ohio,  and  from  1882  to  1885  prepared  him- 
self at  Denison  universitv,  Granville.  Ohio,  and  entered  Harvard 


680  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

university  in  1885,  in-the  class  of  '89.  Later  he  engaged  in  the  real 
estate  business  at  Toledo,  Ohio,  and  was  thus  occupied  until  1891. 
He  then  came  to  Chicago,  began  the  study  of  law,  was  admitted  to 
the  bar  in  1894  and  has.  ever  since  been  actively  and  successfully 
engaged  in  the  practice  of  his  profession,  with  office  at  931-937 
Unity  building.  In  1895  he  was  granted  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of 
Laws  by  Lake  Forest  university.  He  makes  a  specialty  of  real  estate 
law.  For  some  time  he  has  been  president  of  the  Anglo-American 
Copper  Company,  is  treasurer  of  McDonough  &  Company,  and  is 
connected  with  other  industrial  organizations.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  following  clubs :  Chicago  Athletic,  Chicago  Automobile 
(director  in  1903),  Harvard,  Colonial,  Kenwood  Country,  Illinois 
Athletic,  Automobile  Club  of  America,  Toledo  Yacht,  and  South 
Shore  Country.  He  is  a  Republican,  a  Baptist,  a  Knight 
Templar  Mason,  a  member  of  the  Delta  Chi  Fraternity  and  several 
other  fraternal  organizations.  His  residence  is  at  5002  Drexel 
boulevard.  On  July  17,  1892,  he  married  Virginia  Forsythe  and 
they  have  two  children,  Virginia  and  Gladys. 

Nelson  M.  Bassett,  builder,  Austin,  111.,  was  born  in  Dutchess 
county,  New  York,  June  4,  1838,  a  son  of  George  and  (Humiston) 
Bassett,  of  New  England  ancestory  in  both  lines  of  descent.  In 
1842,  when  he  was  4  years  old,  he  was  brought  by  his  parents  to 
Kane  county,  Illinois,  where  his  father  was  a  contractor  and  bridge 
builder  and  later  superintendent  of  bridges  and  buildings  for  the 
Chicago  &  Northwestern  Railway  company.  In  1848  the  family 
moved  to  Chicago  and  thence,  in  1850,  to  Batavia,  111.  In  Chicago 
they  lived  near  the  site  of  the  Rookery  building  and  Nelson  attended 
a  school  near  the  site  of  McVicker's  theater  and  later  the  Jones 
school  on  Clark  street.  He  gained  a  practical  knowledge  of  bridge 
building  and  at  18  was  employed  by  the  Chicago  &  Northwestern 
Railroad  company,  on  its  old  Galena  &  Chicago  Union  line.  Then, 
after  a  course  in  Sloan's  Business  college,  he  became  bookkeeper  for 
John  S.  Reed.  Later,  till  1869,  he  was  employed  in  the  building 
department  of  the  Chicago  &  Northwestern  railroad.  From  that 
time  until  1884  he  was  general  storekeeper  for  that  road.  Then, 
with  John  M.  Rice  as  a  partner,  he  began  building  contracting.  In 
1885  he  built  the  postoffice  building  at  Des  Moines,  la.,  and  in  quick 
succession  thereafter  the  postoffice  buildings  at  St.  Joseph,  Mo.. 
Leavemvorth  and  Fort  Scott,  Kan.,  and  Lansing,  Mich.,  besides 
others.  He  also  largely  planned  and  did  the  contract  work  on  two 
large  factory  buildings  for  the  Appleton  Manufacturing  company 
at  Batavia,  111.,  four  buildings  for  the  United  States  Wind  Engine 
and  Pump  company,  two  large  buildings  for  the  Newton  Wagon 
company,  and  boiler  rooms  for  Key  &  Chapell,  and  constructed  at 
Batavia,  111.,  a  concrete  dam  230  feet  long.  Latterly  he  has  erected 
many  fine  residences  at  Glencoe  and  elsewhere. 

Under  the  Cicero  township  organization  Mr.   Bassett  held  the 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  681 

office  of  trustee  for  some  years  and  town  clerk  for  one  year ;  also  as 
school  director  and  trustee.  He  was  an  early  taxpayer  at  Austin 
and  was  active  in  organizing  the  village  government.  In  1866, 
when  he  settled  here,  Chicago  extended  westward  only  to  Western 
avenue.  At  what  is  now  the  intersection  of  Central  and  Ohio  streets, 
Austin  (then  called  Austinville),  he  built  in  the  summer  of  that  year 
the  first  residence  in  the  vicinity.  Then  about  the  only  notable  thing 
thereabout  was  the  factory  of  the  United  States  Clock  company,  of 
which  C.  C.  P.  Holden  was  president,  and  W.  A.  Giles  secretary. 
The  building  was  isolated  on  (now)  Park  avenue  near  Lake  street. 
The  nucleus  of  the  present  suburb  grew  up  on  twenty-five  acres  of 
land  west  of  Central  avenue,  given  to  the  clock  company  by  H.  W. 
Austin,  for  whom  the  place  was  named,  and  fifteen  acres  east  of 
Central  avenue,  given  to  the  same  concern  by  C.  C.  Merrick.  When 
Mr.  Bassett  located  there  he  was  building  depots  on  the  Galena 
division  of  the  Chicago  &  Northwestern  railroad.  He  saw  the  rapid 
development  of  the  suburb  and  has  aided  practically  and  materially 
in  all  its  advancement. 

Mr.  Bassett  is  a  Mason  and  a  member  of  the  Blue  lodge  and 
Commandery  at  Oak  Park.  He  married,  at  Batavia,  111.,  Novem- 
ber 4,  1861,  Miss  Helen  A.  Worthley,  who  was  born  in  Vermont, 
January  9,  1842,  one  of  the  three  children  of  Thomas  D.  and  Atilda 
(Hyde)  Worthley.  Thomas  D.  Worthley,  son  of  Thomas 
Worthley,  was  of  Welsh  stock.  Thomas  saw  service  in  the  War  of 
1812  and  later  lived  at  Ware,  N.  H.,  which  probably  was  his  birth- 
place. There  Thomas  D.  was  born  May  16,  1814.  He  was  by  trade 
a  carpenter  and  joiner.  In  1854  he  brought  his  family  to  Illinois. 
He  lived  and  worked  at  his  trade  in  Batavia  until  1862,  when  he 
moved  to  Chicago  and  bought  property  on  Elizabeth  street.  He 
died  in  Chicago  September  10,  1898.  His  two  sons  were  named 
Edwin  Hyde  and  Charles  B.  Worthley.  The  former  was  a  Union 
soldier  in  the  Civil  war.  Atilda  Hyde,  daughter  of  James  and 
Eunice  (Pennock)  Hyde,  was  born  at  Stratford,  Vt,  April  23,  1815. 
Her  father  enlisted  at  17  for  service  in  the  Revolutionary  war,  served 
under  Washington  six  years  and  ten  months,  rising  to  be  an  ensign, 
and  was  honorably  discharged  at  the  end  of  the  struggle.  His  wife 
bore  him  seventeen  children,  all  of  whom  lived  to  maturity.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Bassett  have  had  seven  children :  George  Dow,  Cora  M., 
Nellie  A.,  Adah  H.,  Eloise,  Norman  M.  and  James  J.  Mrs.  Bassett 
is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 

Joseph  J.  Belinski,  a  successful  practitioner  of  law  with  offices 
at  1016  Chicago  Opera  House  block  and  1906  South  Ashland 
avenue,  was  born  in  Chicago  on  May  10,  1874,  and  is  a  son  of 
Clement  A.  and  Jadwiga  (Witkowski-Nowakowski)  Belinski,  both 
of  whom  were  natives  of  German  Poland,  who  came  to  the  United 
States  in  the  early  seventies  and  located  in  Chicago. 

Joseph  J.  was  reared  in  his  native  city,  and  educated  in  the  public 


682  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

and  parochial  schools.  Having  made  up  his  mind  to  study  law  he 
entered  the  Chicago  College  of  Law,  and  in  June,  18%,  passed  the 
examination  and  was  duly  admitted  to  the  bar  of  Illinois.  He  im- 
mediately began  the  practice  and  has  thus  been  engaged  with  success 
ever  since.  He  has  served  as  attorney  for  the  Polish  Roman 
Catholic  Union  of  America  for  eight  years,  attorney  for  the  village 
of  West  Hammond,  Cook  county,  for  two  years,  and  is  a  member 
of  St.  Adelbert's  Polish  Roman  Catholic  church.  His  success  is  due 
to  his  own  energy  and  ability.  He  owns  a  fine  home  at  1906  South 
Ashland  avenue.  On  June  7,  1897,  he  married  Agatha  Guzy,  a 
native  of  German  Poland  and  by  her  has  four  children  living :  Helen, 
John,  Adelaide  and  Theodore  Roman. 

Dr.  Emanuel  O.  Benson  was  born  March  11,  1871,  and  is  a  son 
of  John  O.  and  Amelia  (Week)  Olson,  natives  of  Sweden.  They 
came  to  the  United  States  and  Chicago  in  1869.  The  father  was  a 
patternmaker  by  trade  and  immediately  entered  the  employ  of  the 
McGinnis  Flour  Mill  company.  Later  he  accepted  a  position  with 
the  Crane  Elevator  company,  now  the  Otis  Elevator  company,  and 
is  still  in  their  employ,  having  been  with  the  company  for  over  thirty 
years.  Mr.  Olson  is  a  Republican  and  a  useful  citizen.  To  him  and 
wife  were  born  five  children  :  Emanuel  O.,  Jennie,  Joseph,  Aaron  and 
Esther,  all  of  whom  reside  in  Chicago. 

Dr.  Emanuel  O.  Benson  was  educated  in  the  public  and  high 
schools  of  Chicago,  and  later  graduated  from  the  Augustana 
college.  Rock  Island,  111.,  in  the  class  of  '95,  receiving  the  degree  of 
Bachelor  of  Arts.  He  then  entered  Rush  Medical  college  and  grad- 
uated therefrom  with  credit  in  the  class  of  1900.  Succeeding  his 
graduation  in  medicine  he  was  interne  in  the  Augustana  hospital  for 
one  and  a  half  years.  Much  of  1902  and  1903  he  spent  abroad  in  the 
famous  medical  schools  of  Vienna.  Returning  to  Chicago  in  1903  he 
began  the  practice  of  medicine  at  5125  North  Clark  street,  and  made 
a  specialty  of  children's  diseases.  He  has  charge  of  the  children's  de- 
partment at  the  Augustana  hospital.  He  is  assistant  professor  of 
diseases  of  children  in  the  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Chicago  Medical  society.  Illinois  Medical  so- 
ciety. American  Medical  association.  Vikings.  Svithiod,  Edgewater 
Masons.  Modern  Woodmen,  and  in  politics  is  Independent  Re- 
publican. On  October  28.  1905,  he  married  Carrie  Johnson,  of  Chi- 
cago, and  they  have  one  daughter.  Margaret,  aged  two  years. 

Frank  Taggert  Bentley,  traffic  manager  of  the  Illinois  Steel  com- 
panv,  Indiana  Steel  company,  and  Western  Traffic  Manager  of  the 
Universal  Portland  Cement  company,  was  born  in  Charlestown, 
Clark  county,  Indiana,  and  is  a  son  of  Francis  W.  and  Catherine 
(Taylor)  Bentley.  He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools,  Charles- 
town  academy  and  the  Davenport  Business  college.  He  began 
teaching  at  the  age  of  16.  Then  went  West  and  roughed  it  for  some 
years  on  the  cattle  ranges  and  in  the  mines.  In  1885  he  came  to 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  683 

Chicago  and  entered  the  employ  of  the  Monon  Railway  company 
as  clerk.  Later  he  became  connected  in  various  capacities  with  the 
North-Western  and  the  Great  Western  railroads.  In  1889  with  the 
latter  he  was  contracting  freight  agent,  and  in  1892  he  became  its 
local  freight  agent  and  later  its  commercial  agent.  In  1894  he  be- 
came traffic  manager  of  the  Consolidated  Steel  &  Wire  and  suc- 
ceeding companies,  and  in  1899  traffic  manager  of  the  Illinois  Steel 
company,  the  other  two  companies  with  which  he  is  now  connected 
being  additions.  He  is  a  Knight  Templar  Mason,  Mystic  Shriner, 
a  member  of  the  Indiana  society,  Royal  Arcanum  and  the  following 
clubs :  Exmoor  Country,  Chicago  Athletic  association,  Chicago 
Yacht,  Traffic  of  Chicago  and  Traffic  of  New  York.  On  August 
11,  1887,  he  married  Catherine  Brownell,  a  lady  of  high  culture. 
She  is  a  member  of  the  Art  Institute,  Amateur  Musical  society,  Lake 
View  Woman's  club  and  one  of  the  board  of  governors  of  the  Chi- 
cago Home  of  the  Friendless. 

Leon  A.  Berezniak,  attorney  at  law,  was  born  near  Odessa, 
Russia,  March  15,  1873,  and  is  the  son  of  Abraham  and  S^rah 
(Katz)  Berezniak  and  was  educated  in  the  public  schools'  gym- 
nasium and  the  Imperial  university.  At  the  age  of  17  years  he 
entered  the  University  of  St.  Petersburg,  from  which  three  years 
later  he  was  graduated  with  high  honor,  his  thesis  on  literature 
winning  first  prize.  He  then  became  connected  with  the  Russian 
press  and  in  1893,  during  the  World's  Fair,  he  came  to  Chicago  as 
the  representative  of  a  Russian  newspaper  syndicate. 

At  the  close  of  the  Fair  he  determined  to  become  an  American 
citizen.  He  entered  the  Illinois  College  of  Law  and  was  graduated 
therefrom  in  1901  with  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Laws.  While 
thus  engaged  he  continued  his  articles  to  Russian  newspapers  and 
even  operated  a  laundry  as  a  means  to  help  secure  his  legal  educa- 
tion. During  the  World's  Fair  he  was  instrumental  in  organizing 
a  society  whose  object  is  to  assist  Russian  emigrants  to  become 
prosperous  here.  This  society  is  yet  in  existence.  At  the  time  of  the 
Kishineff  outrages  in  Russia  Mr.  Berezniak  was  president  of  the 
society  which  raised  a  large  sum  for  the  survivors  and  victims. 

After  graduating  in  law  he  immediately  began  the  practice,  but 
continued  his  literary  work  for  which  he  had  great  aptitude  and 
much  liking.  He  has  written  with  unusual  success  several  short 
stories.  He  now  has  offices  in  Chicago,  Hammond,  Indianapolis. 
Cleveland  and  New  York  City  and  his  legal  correspondents  in  Paris 
and  Vienna.  He  is  now  at  the  head  of  the  Midland  Credit  Adjust- 
ment company.  His  practice  is  large  and  lucrative.  On  August 
15,  1897,  he  married  Marie  Davis,  of  Poland,  and  they  have  two 
children,  Dorothy  and  Abrfer  Herbert.  He  is  a  Democrat  though 
independent  locally. 

Edward  P.  Bishop,  Jr..  senior  member  of  the  firm  of  E.  P. 
Bishop  &  Sons,  dealers  in  general  merchandising  at  Worth,  was 


684  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

born  in  Northfield  township,  this  county,  August  25,  1861.  His 
father,  Edward  P.  Bishop  is  also  a  native  of  Cook  county,  North- 
field  township,  born  March  7,  1837,  and  is  the  son  of  Dardanus  and 
Sophronia  (Steele)  Bishop  both  of  whom  were  natives  of  New 
York  and  came  to  Cook  county  in  1835. 

Edward  P.  was  reared  on  his  father's  farm  and  continued  farm- 
ing as  an  occupation  until  1881  when  he  moved  to  Worth  and  en- 
gaged in  merchandising,  continuing  until  1891,  when  he  retired, 
leaving  the  business  to  his  sons,  Edward  P.,  Jr.,  and  Carl  B.  The 
latter  are  now  successfully  conducting  the  establishment.  Edward 
P.,  Sr.,  is  well  known  and  highly  respected  in  this  community.  He 
has  served  as  school  director,  township  collector,  justice  of  the  peace 
and  has  been  postmaster  of  Worth  since  1882.  He  married  Eliza- 
beth Kerr,  a  native  of  Cornwall,  Ontario,  born  May  21,  1836,  and 
was  brought  to  Illinois  by  her  parents  when  about  two  years  of  age. 
To  them  nine  children  were  born  as  follows:  Charles  (deceased)  ; 
Edward  P.,  Jr. ;  Ida  M.,  widow  of  Robert  J.  Lucas,  residing  in 
Worth;  Erminie  F.,  wife  of  John  R.  Sproat  of  Will  county;  Lizzie 
M.  (deceased)  ;  Carl  B.  now  in  partnership  with  Edward  P.,  Jr., 
born  December  18,  1868;  Clarence  (deceased);  Perry  C.  and 
Ethel  B. 

Edward  P.,  Jr.,  was  reared  on  a  farm  and  continued  engaged  there 
until  20  years  of  age.  Since  that  time  he  has  been  occupied  in 
the  mercantile  business  at  Worth  with  the  exception  of  one  year. 
He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  and  in  the  Elgin  academy.  On 
December  14,  1893,  he  married  in  Worth,  Margaret  A.  Ferrin,  a 
native  of  Essex  county,  New  York,  born  September  1,  1863.  They 
have  one  son,  Harold,  born  July  28,  1904.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bishop  are 
among  the  most  enlightened  and  high  minded  citizens  of  this  portion 
of  the  country. 

Joseph  C.  Blaha,  operator  in  real  estate,  loans  and  insurance,  at 
3824  West  Twelfth  street,  was  born  in  Chicago  on  August  15,  1877, 
and  is  a  son  of  Joseph  and  Mary  (Foertsch)  Blaha.  At  the  age  of 
14  years  his  father  immigrated  from  Bohemia  to  the  United  States 
in  1863,  located  in  Chicago,  and  entered  the  employ  of  the  Oliver 
Packing  company,  and  in  the  end  became  foreman  of  the  retail  de- 
partment. In  1875  he  embarked  in  the  grocery  business  on  West 
Twelfth  street  and  has  been  thus  occupied  ever  since.  Here  he 
has  lived  and  labored  and  reared  his  large  family  to  lives  of  useful- 
ness and  honor.  His  father  was  Joseph  who  came  to  this  country  in 
1875  and  settled  in  Chicago  where  he  and  wife  passed  the  remainder 
of  their  days.  They  were  the  parents  of  three  sons  and  three 
daughters :  George,  deceased ;  Joseph ;  Matthias,  deceased ;  Mary, 
wife  of  Michael  Foertsch;  Annie,  wife  of  Fred  Nave;  and  Theresa, 
wife  of  Charles  Gore.  Of  this  family  Joseph,  father  of  subject, 
has  now  a  family  of  ten  living  children :  Joseph  C.,  Theresa,  John, 
Anthony,  Mary,  Victor,  Cecelia,  Sophia,  William  and  Rose. 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  685 

Joseph  C.  was  reared  in  this  city  and  educated  at  the  public 
schools,  St.  Francis  school,  and  St.  Ignatius  college.  At  the  age  of 
16  he  began  steady  work  with  his  father  and  thus  remained  occu- 
pied until  1905,  when  he  embarked  in  his  present  business.  He  has 
been  successful  and  is  well  known  in  the  community  and  has  the 
confidence  of  the  public  generally.  He  is  one  of  the  most  progres- 
sive of  the  younger  business  men  of  the  city.  He  i«  a  member  of 
St.  Mary's  Roman  Catholic  church,  Catholic  Order  of  Foresters 
and  Knights  of  Columbus.  In  politics  he  is  independent.  He 
married  Susie,  daughter  of  Thomas  and  Annie  (Hansel)  Dale, 
natives  of  Norway,  on  November  18,  1908. 

Vencel  L.  Blahnik,  of  the  firm  of  V.  L.  Blahnik  &  Sons,  1835 
West  Forty-seventh  street,  was  born  in  the  village  of  Malo  Polenka, 
Bohemia,  Austria,  on  August  1,  1862,  and  is  a  son  of  John  and 
Maria  (Rejcha)  Blahnik.  In  1872  Vencel  L.  came  to  the  United 
States  and  located  in  Chicago.  He  soon  entered  the  drug  store  of 
his  brother  Lorenz  who  had  settled  here  in  1867  and  was  the  first 
Bohemian  druggist  in  the  city.  With  him  Vencel  L.  learned  the 
drug  business.  He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  and  was 
graduated  from  the  Chicago  College  of  Pharmacy  in  1888.  In 
August,  1889,  his  brother  died,  whereupon  he  purchased  the  busi- 
ness at  88  West  Eighteenth  street  which  he  conducted  until  1891, 
when  he  sold  out  and  opened  a  new  store  at  372  West  Eighteenth 
street.  This  store  and  others  he  conducted  prior  to  1903.  At  the 
latter  date  he  opened  his  present  drug  store  at  1733  West  Forty- 
seventh  street.  Here  he  quickly  built  up  a  large  and  lucrative  busi- 
ness. In  the  summer  of  1909  he  admitted  his  sons  into  partnership 
with  him.  Mr.  Blahnik  is  one  of  the  well-known  citizens  and  suc- 
cessful business  men  of  the  city.  He  is  a  Royal  Arch  Mason  and  a 
member  of  the  Bohemian  Turners'  society,  the  Modern  Woodmen  of 
America,  and  in  politics  is  a  Republican.  In  1883  Mr.  Blahnik 
married  Antonia,  daughter  of  Frank  Jedlinsky,  and  by  her  has  four 
children :  Mary  R.,  wife  of  C.  J.  Cernoch,  Karel,  Lawrence  and  Emil. 

John  L.  Bolen  was  born  in  Hancock  county,  Tennessee,  on  Sep- 
tember 1,  1863,  and  is  a  son  of  Pleasant  and  Nancy  Bolen,  both  of 
whom  were  natives  of  that  State.  The  father  was  a  farmer  by 
occupation,  was  of  English  descent  and  served  four  years  in  the 
Union  army  during  the  Civil  war. 

John  L.  early  in  life  decided  not  to  become  a  farmer.  He  was 
educated  in  the  common  and  high  schools  of  Marion  county,  In- 
diana, to  which  place  his  parents  removed  at  the  close  of  the  Civil 
war,  a  business  college,  Oberlin  (Ohio)  college,  Chicago  College  of 
Law  and  the  law  department  of  the  Lake  Forest  university,  gradu- 
ating from  the  latter  in  1894  with  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Laws. 
However,  he  had  begun  the  active  duties  of  life  before  this  date — 
or  in  1884,  when  he  had  purchased  an  interest  in  a  country  news- 
paper. After  a  year  he  learned  there  was  no  money  in  the  business, 


686  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

whereupon  he  sold  out  and  engaged  in  abstract  and  title  work.  He 
was  first  a  clerk  in  an  abstract  office  in  1886  and  was  thus  occupied 
in  various  capacities  until  1899,  nearly  ten  years  of  which  was  with 
the  Security  Title  &  Trust  Co.,  and  in  the  meantime  studied  law, 
graduated  in  the  same  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1894.  He  is  a 
wide  reader,  takes  great  interest  in  public  affairs  and  has  been 
identified  with  a  number  of  important  reform  and  improvement 
movements.  Since  1903  he  has  been  treasurer  of  the  North-West- 
ern  Mortgage  &  Trust  company.  He  has  been  a  resident  of  Chi- 
cago for  about  twenty  years.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic,  Odd 
Fellow  and  Royal  Arcanum  organizations,  and  has  held  all  the 
offices  in  the  subordinate  and  encampment  branches  of  the  Odd 
Fellows.  He  is  a  Republican  in  his  political  views,  but  often  acts 
independently  in  local  politics.  He  is  not  active  in  religion  but  is 
an  adherent  of  the  Methodist  church.  Mr.  Bolen  owns  consider- 
able property  in  Chicago,  its  suburbs,  Michigan  and  the  South.  On 
April  3,  1909,  he  married  Albertie  E.  Braund.  Mrs.  Bolen's  parents 
reside  in  the  vicinity  of  Hamilton,  Ontario,  Canada,  and  are  an  old 
and  well-known  family. 

Alexander  Busch,  proprietor  of  the  Superb  Dye  Works  at  1721- 
23  Milwaukee  avenue,  with  branch  offices  at  1456  Humboldt  blvd., 
516  Noble  street,  and  786  W.  North  avenue,  was  born  in  Bialystok, 
Russian  Poland,  on  September  8,  1871,  and  is  the  son  of  Julian  and 
Helen  (lulski)  Busch.  The  father,  who  for  many  years  was  sales- 
man for  a  large  manufacturing  establishment,  died  in  his  native  land. 
He  was  the  father  of  seven  children,  as  follows:  Casimir;  Helen 
(deceased);  Alexander;  Gottfried;  John;  Julian  and  Mary  (de- 
ceased). 

Alexander  of  this  family  was  reared  to  manhood  in  his  native 
land  and  educated  in  the  Royal  school  of  his  native  city.  In  youth 
he  served  three  years'  apprenticeship  at  the  dyers'  trade.  In  1892 
in  company  with  his  brother  Gottfried,  he  came  to  the  United  States 
and  located  permanently  in  Chicago.  His  mother  and  other  brothers 
came  to  this  city  at  a  later  date,  and  all  are  now  residents  of  this 
city.  For  the  first  ten  years  of  his  residence  here  he  was  employed 
at  his  trade  with  the  different  dye  houses  of  the  city.  In  1902,  with 
others  he  embarked  in  an  independent  business,  but  since  1906  has 
been  in  business  alone.  He  now  operates  one  of  the  leading  estab- 
lishments of  the  kind  in  the  city.  His  business  is  steadily  growing 
and  he  gives  employment  to  forty-two  persons.  He  is  a  progressive, 
public-spirited  and  enterprising  Polish-American  citizen  and  in 
politics  is  a  Republican.  He  is  a  member  of  the  National  Dyers' 
and  Cleaners'  association,  Chicago  Dyers'  and  Cleaners'  association, 
Polish  National  Alliance,  Maccabees  and  Royal  League.  On  Sep- 
tember 8,  1892,  he  married  Eugenia,  daughter  of  Frank  Struzynski, 
of  Russian  Poland,  and  they  have  six  children :  Regena  (deceased)  ; 
Oeorge,  Vladimir,  Alexander,  Jr.,  Henry  and  Arona. 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  687 

George  J.  Buss  was  born  November  29,  1859,  and  is  a  son  of 
John  and  Barbara  (Landick)  Buss,  both  of  whom  were  natives  of 
Baieren,  Germany.  The  father  was  reared  as  a  farmer  and  in  1855 
came  to  the  United  States  and  for  ten  years  was  in  the  employ  of 
Goss  &  Philips,  sash,  door  and  blind  manufacturers,  as  a  wood  work 
finisher.  In  1865  he  began  on  his  own  account  in  the  furniture  and 
undertaking  business  at  227-29  Maxwell  street  and  was  the  first  on 
the  West  Side  to  follow  that  occupation.  There  he  remained  until 
1893  when  he  bought  a  lot  on  1214  South  Ashland  avenue  and 
erected  thereon  a  three-story  flat  building  with  an  undertaking  office 
and  chapel  on  the  first  floor  and  livery  in  the  rear.  In  1884  the 
father  discontinued  the  furniture  business.  Upon  his  death,  Feb- 
ruary 4,  1901,  his  son  George  J.  succeeded  to  the  business,  having 
previously  been  in  partnership  with  his  father.  The  mother  died  in 
1877  and  in  1880  the  father  married  Gertrude  Rademacher,  of 
Desplaines.  Lydia  and  Louis  were  born  to  the  second  marriage  and 
George  J.,  Barbara,  William,  John,  Mamie,  Paul  and  Emma  to  the 
first  marriage. 

George  J.  was  educated  in  the  public  and  parochial  schools  and 
was  connected  in  business  with  his  father.  He  is  a  Republican  and 
a  member  of  the  Lutheran  church  of  which  he  has  been  a  deacon 
since  1905.  On  April  17,  1895,  he  married  Clara  Seidel,  of  Sugar 
Grove,  Ohio,  and  to  them  were  born  two  daughters,  Lill  and  Clara, 
the  first  deceased.  The. family  home  is  at  1214  So.  Ashland 
avenue. 

William  Busse,  president  of  the  Board  of  Cook  County  com- 
missioners, was  born  in  Elk  Grove  township,  Cook  county,  111.,  on 
January  27,  1864.  His  parents,  Louis  and  Christina  (Kirschoff) 
Busse,  and  his  grandparents,  Frederick  and  Fredericka  Busse,  were 
natives  of  Hanover,  Germany. 

The  family  came  to  America  about  the  middle  of  the  last  century 
and  were  among  the  early  pioneer  farmers  of  Elk  Grove  township, 
in  this  county.  William  Busse  passed  his  early  years  on  the  home 
place,  assisting  his  father  in  caring  for  the  farm,  manufacturing 
butter  and  cheese,  merchandising,  and  attending  the  district  schools. 
Upon  attaining  his  majority  he  began  farming  for  himself,  but  in 
1890,  by  appointment  of  Sheriff  Gilbert,  became  a  deputy  county 
sheriff,  serving  as  such  ten  years.  The  capable  and  conscientious 
fulfillment  of  the  duties  to  which  he  was  assigned  attracted  the 
attention  of  the  political  leaders  and  the  public  and  in  1900  he  was 
nominated  and  elected  a  member  of  the  Board  of  County  Com- 
missioners. The  same  painstaking  care  attended  his  efforts  as  a 
member  of  the  Legislative  body  of  Cook  county  and  he  has  ever 
since  been  retained  in  this  office  by  re-election. 

So  efficient  had  been  his  services  that  he  was  elected  president  of 
the  Board  to  succeed  Edward  J.  Brundage,  and  in  1908  he  was  re- 
elected  to  this  position  by  one  of  the  greatest  majorities  ever  given 


688  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

a  candidate  for  this  office.  In  the  years  to  come  the  administration 
of  President  Busse  will  be  recognized  as  one  of  the  best  ever  given 
to  Cook  county.  He  is  a  Republican  of  the  stalwart  kind  and  one 
who  has  the  entire  confidence  of  the  public.  He  has  been  twice 
married,  and  has  seven  children  now  living,  William,  Martha  (now 
Mrs.  Albert  Froemling),  Mathilde,  Albert  and  Sophia,  by  Sophia 
(Bartels)  Busse  and  Helen  and  Frederick,  by  Dinah  Busse.  Mr. 
Busse  has  become  identified  with  a  number  of  private  and  semi- 
public  institutions  all  of  which  have  been  benefited  by  his  keen  dis- 
cernment and  practical  business  ability. 

John  Busse,  Jr.,  wholesale  dealer  in  coal  and  wood  at  1691  W. 
Twenty-second  street'  (3354  new  number),  was  born  in  this  city 
November  5,  1861,  and  is  the  son  of  John  and  Mary  (Pont)  Busse. 
In  1854  his  parental  grandparents,  Frederick  and  Catherine  (Wilk) 
Busse  with  their  family  of  six  children  immigrated  from  Germany 
to  the  United  States  and  settled  in  Chicago  in  June  of  that  year. 
In  July  of  the  same  year  both  parents  died  of  cholera  which  raged 
here  during  that  summer.  Their  children  were  as  follows :  Dora 
who  married  Charles  Bohn  ;  Frederick ;  Christian ;  John ;  Mary  who 
married  August  Christian  and  Sophia  who  married  Mose  August. 

Of  these  children  John  became  the  father  of  the  subject  of  this 
review.  He  was  born  in  Brandenberg,  Germany,  February  2,  1835, 
and  came  to  Chicago  with  his  parents  in  1854  as  above  stated.  For 
ten  years  he  was  engaged  in  teaming  and  for  the  succeeding  thirty 
years  was  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  brick,  retiring  from 
active  business  in  1894  to  give  his  entire  attention  to  his  large  real 
estate  interests.  In  1860  he  married  Mary  Pont  of  Chicago  and 
they  had  six  children  as  follows :  John ;  Minnie,  wife  of  William 
Butzow ;  Lizzie  wife  of  George  Haines;  George  and  Clara. 

John  of  this  family  was  reared  in  this  city,  educated  in  the 
private  schools,  finishing  in  Bryant  &  Stratton  Business  college.  In 
1885  he  embarked  in  the  manufacture  of  brick  and  continued  thus 
occupied  until  1902,  then  for  three  years  he  served  as  deputy  as- 
sessor of  buildings.  Since  1905  he  has  been  engaged  in  his  present 
business,  wholesale  coal  and  wood  trade  at  his  present  location.  In 
1885  he  married  Emily,  daughter  of  Henry  Roesner  of  Chicago,  and 
they  have  three  children — John,  Walter  and  Norman.  Mr.  Busse  is 
a  member  of  the  German  Lutheran  church,  Knights  of  Pythias, 
Knights  of  Columbus,  Masonic  order  and  in  politics  he  is  inde- 
pendent. 

Dr.  John  Henry  Byrne  was  born  at  Liverpool,  England,  on  Feb- 
ruary 4,  1841,  and  is  a  son  of  Foster  and  Jane  M.  (McKeever) 
Byrne.  Foster,  the  father,  before  moving  to  Liverpool,  resided  in 
the  County  of  Louth,  Ireland,  where  he  was  engaged  in  the  mercan- 
tile business  for  some  time,  but  later  conducted  a  line  of  packets 
plying  between  Dublin  and  Liverpool.  In  1847,  while  thus  engaged, 
he  had  the  misfortune  to  lose  his  life  by  drowning  in  the  River 
Thames.  His  wife  died  in  1892  at  the  age  of  92  years. 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  691 

Dr.  John  H.,  their  son,  was  educated  in  the  Erasmus  Smith  En- 
dowment School  of  the  Church  of  England,  after  which  he  served 
an  apprenticeship  of  five  years  with  an  apothecary,  entering  a  whole- 
sale drug  house  as  superintendent  of  the  drug  department.  In  1864 
he  resigned  and  came  to  the  United  States,  locating  in  Chicago, 
where  he  entered  the  employ  of  J.  A.  Reed  &  Company,  continuing 
for  a  short  time.  Later  he  accepted  a  position  as  superintendent  for 
the  Smith  &  Cutler  Wholesale  Drug  Company.  He  resigned  in  1868 
and  opened  a  retail  drug  store  of  his  own  at  the  corner  of  Ran- 
dolph and  Peoria  streets.  Having  made  up  his  mind  to  study  medi- 
cine, he  entered  Rush  Medical  College  in  1870,  and  four  years  later 
was  graduated  therefrom  with  credit.  He  disposed  of  his  drug 
store  and  began  the  practice  of  his  profession  on  the  West  side  and 
has  so  continued  to  the  present  time.  For  the  last  fifteen  years  his 
office  has  been  at  his  residence,  corner  of  Monroe  and  Honore 
streets.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Alumni  Association  of  Rush  Medical 
college,  Chicago  Medical  Society,  State  Medical  Society,  and  Amer- 
ican Medical  Association,  also  of  the  Therapeutic  Club.  In  April, 
1870,  he  married  Catherine  Scott  Whiteford,  of  this  city,  and  had 
four  children,  of  whom  one  is  deceased.  One  son  is  a  practicing 
physician  at  Spokane,  Washington.  He  was  an  army  surgeon  in  the 
Spanish-American  and  Philippine  wars  and  after  his  return  was 
post  surgeon  at  Fort  Wright,  Washington.  He  resigned  from  the 
army  four  years  ago  and  is  practicing  in  Spokane,  Washington. 

Henry  P.  Caldwell,  188  East  Madison  street.  To  be  elected  year 
after  year  to  the  responsible  executive  position  of  any  organization 
is  an  honor  that  falls  to  the  lot  of  but  few  men.  To  serve  for  a 
period  of  thirty-two  years  as  secretary  of  one  of  the  greatest  secret 
fraternal  associations  in  the  world,  is  certainly  a  matter  of  which 
any  man  may  well  be  proud.  These  honors  are  enjoyed  by  Henry 
P.  Caldwell,  grand  keeper  of  records  and  seal  of  the  State  of  Illinois 
than  whom  possibly  no  better  known  fraternal  official  lives  in  the 
state. 

Mr.  Caldwell  was  born  at  Washington,  Guernsey  county,  Ohio, 
January  11,  1840.  He  attended  the  private  schools  of  his  native 
town  and  in  1861  graduated  from  Jefferson  college,  Cannonsburg, 
Pa.,  a  seat  of  learning  now  known  as  Washington  and  Jefferson 
college,  Washington,  Pa.  Afterwards  for  two  years,  he  assisted 
his  father  in  his  general  store  at  Washington,  and  was  at  home 
when  John  Morgan,  the  Confederate  freelance,  made  his  historic 
raid  north  of  the  Ohio  river,  which  passed  through  Washington. 

Shortly  after  the  Morgan  raid  he  enlisted  as  private  in  Company 
H,  12th  Ohio  cavalry,  and  was  elected  first  lieutenant  of  the  com- 
pany. His  first  service  was  in  Kentucky  and  he  subsequently  took 
part  in  the  active  campaign  against  Morgan,  participating  in  the 
battles  at  Mt.  Sterling  and  Richmond  and  other  events  in  the  pur- 
suit of  the  Confederate  raider.  He  was  then  detailed  to  serve  as 

Vol.  1—40. 


692  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

one  of  a  board  of  examiners,  charged  with  selecting  the  officers  for 
the  colored  troops  recruited  for  services  against  the  Southern  Con- 
federacy. 

At  the  expiration  of  two  years  of  active  service  Lieutenant  Cald- 
well  was  forced  to  resign  as  the  result  of  a  severe  attack  of  typhoid 
fever,  during  which  his  life  was  more  than  once  despaired  of.  Leav- 
ing the  army  after  his  partial  recovery,  he  returned  to  his  home  in 
Washington,  where  he  resumed  his  position  in  his  father's  store. 

In  1886  he  engaged  in  the  drug  business  in  Kansas  City  and  in 
the  month  of  August,  1867,  removed  to  Chicago  and  became  a  part- 
ner in  the  drug  firm  of  Levi  Wing  &  Co.,  and  continued  in  that 
business  about  three  years,  when  the  firm  sold  their  stock  and  en- 
gaged in  general  real  estate  business.  Their  office  was  at  127  Dear- 
born street,  which  was  totally  destroyed  in  the  great  fire  of  October, 
1871.  Their  residence  was  at  the  southeast  corner  of  Wabash  avenue 
and  Congress  street,  in  a  block  of  seven  buildings  which  was  in- 
cluded in  the  structures  blown  up  by  General  Sheridan  to  stop  the 
further  progress  of  the  fire  to  the  south.  Their  building  being  the 
south  one,  was  not  absolutely  destroyed  and  the  firm  made  their  office 
in  the  basement  and  resumed  business  the  next  day. 

Mr.  Caldwell  joined  the  Knights  of  Pythias  in  1870  and  seven 
years  later  was  elected  grand  keeper  of  records,  a  position  which  he 
has  ever  since  filled  with  credit  and  distinction.  In  his  official  capa- 
city he  has  witnessed  a  wonderful  growth  in  the  Pythian  order — 
from  fifty  lodges  and  about  2, (XX)  members  in  the  state  at  that  time, 
he  now  transacts  the  business  of  600  lodges  with  a  membership  of 
nearly  60,000. 

During  the  earlier  period  of  his  connection  with  the  Grand  lodge 
office,  he  served  for  ten  years  as  deputy  south  town  assessor,  where 
he  also  made  an  enviable  record. 

Mr.  Caldwell  was  married  at  Jersey ville,  April  3,  1889,  his  bride 
being  Mrs.  M.  L.  McGready,  and  he  and  his  wife  for  several  years 
have  made  their  home  with  a  married  daughter  in  this  city. 

He  is  nearly  "seventy  years  young,''  a  statement  easily  compre- 
hended when  his  physical  and  mental  condition  is  considered. 

Still  active  and  possessing  the  esteem  of  the  great  army  whose 
business  affairs  are  largely  in  his  care,  Mr.  Caldwell  is  a  true  repre- 
sentative of  the  best  type  of  American  manhood. 

Robert  Franklin  Carr,  president  of  the  Dearborn  Drug  &  Chem- 
ical Works,  was  born  March  21,  1871,  in  Argenta,  111.,  and  is  a  son 
of  Dr.  Robert  F.  and  Emily  A.  (Smick)  Carr.  He  was  educated  in 
the  public  schools  and  later  attended  the  University  of  Illinois, 
where  he  pursued  a  course  in  chemistry  and  graduated  in  1893  with 
the  degree  of  bachelor  of  science.  He  began  active  business  in 
1894  with  his  present  company.  He  first  worked  in  the  capacity  of 
chemist  and  in  the  selling  department  and  finally  was  promoted  to 
general  manager  and  vice-president.  In  1907  he  was  given  the 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  693 

presidency  of  the  concern,  which  position  he  occupies  at  the  present 
time.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Kappa  Sigma  fraternity ;  also  of  the 
University,  Union  League,  Chicago  Athletic  and  Westward  Ho 
Golf  clubs,  the  American  Chemical  Society,  and  the  Railroad  club 
of  New  York.  On  April  25,  1906,  he  married  Louise  Smiley,  of 
Chicago,  and  they  have  one  child — Louise  Hagar  Carr,  born  May  5, 
1908.  They  live  at  413  Forest  avenue,  Oak  Park. 

Perley  D.  Castle,  present  cashier  of  the  Austin  State  bank,  was 
born  in  Barrington,  this  county,  on  March  2,  1863,  and  is  the  son 
of  Lester  D.  and  Lucy  A.  (Taylor)  Castle.  The  Castles  are  of 
English  descent  and  originally  lived  in  New  York  state.  The 
Taylors  are  also  of  English  descent  and  were  Puritans  in  colonial 
times.  Lester  D.  is  •  the  descendant  of  Henry,  who  came  to  the 
colonies  in  1635.  Phineas  Castle,  the  great  grandfather  of  Perley 
D.,  served  as  a  captain  in  the  French  and  Indian  war,  and  later, 
when  well  advanced  in  years,  was  a  continental  soldier  in  the 
Revolutionary  war  under  General  Israel  Putnam.  The  grandfather 
of  the  subject  was  Edward  Castle,  who  married  Jerusha  Bellew, 
and  their  children  were  Lester  D. ;  Emily,  who  married  W.  J. 
Lytle;  Rhoda,  who  married  Ira  J.  Chase,  a  former  governor  of 
Indiana,  and  Charlotte.  Edward  was  one  of  the  pioneers  of  Cook 
county  and  settled  in  the  township  of  Palatine,  near  the  village  of 
Barrington.  He  purchased  eighty  acres  of  the  government,  and 
owned  a  total  of  160  acres.  This  land  is  still  held  by  the  members 
of  the  family.  Edward  finally  owned  a  total  of  200  acres.  He  was 
public  spirited  and  one  of  the  prominent  pioneers  of  that  community.. 
He  assisted  in  establishing  the  First  Methodist  church  at  Barring- 
ton.  He  died  in  1870,  aged  seventy  years. 

Lester  D.,  father  of  the  subject,  was  born  on  March  4,  1826, 
in  New  York.  He  received  a  common  school  education  and  at  the 
age  of  seventeen  years  came  to  Cook  county  with  his  father.  He 
finished  his  education  in  Waukegan  academy  and  then  worked 
on  his  father's  farm.  He  married  Lucy  A.  Taylor,  daughter  of 
Samuel,  who  was  an  Illinois  pioneer  and  a  descendant  of  Puritan 
ancestors.  Lester  D.  remained  on  the  homestead  after  his  mar- 
riage and  there  became  a  prominent  and  useful  citizen.  Late  in  life 
he  retired  to  Barrington.  He  was  a  great  admirer  of  Abraham 
Lincoln,  and  was  a  stanch  anti-slavery  and  Union  man.  He  held 
several  local  offices  with  credit  and  fidelity.  He  served  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Board  of  County  Commissioners  in  the  '50s  when  only 
twenty-seven  years  old.  His  wife  was  a  member  of  the  Methodist 
church.  He  passed  away  in  1905,  in  Barrington.  To  him  and  wife 
were  born  the  following  children:  Arthur  L.,  Percy  V.,  Charles 
S.,  Fredrica,  Perley  D.,  Ben  B.  and  Lotta. 

Perley  D.  was  reared  on  his  father's  farm  and  was  educated  at  the 
district  school  and  at  the  Barrington  high  school.  He  taught  school  in 
his  home  district  and  later  began  work  in  the  store  of  A.  F.  Davis, 


694  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

at  Ridgefield.  Later  he  was  in  partnership  with  Mr.  Davis,  under 
the  name  of  Davis  &  Castle,  general  merchants.  After  six  years  he 
moved  to  Austin  and  in  1891  assisted  in  organizing  the  Austin 
State  bank,  becoming  one  of  its  stockholders.  He  was  elected 
cashier  and  has  held  the  office  ever  since,  to  the  satisfaction  of  the 
stockholders.  On  June  25,  1890,  while  living  in  Ridgefield,  he 
married  Edith  A.,  daughter  of  A.  F.  Davis,  and  they  have  four 
children,  Harold  A.,  Lester  D.,  Dorothy  J.  and  Virginia  E.  The 
family  are  members  of  the  Presbyterian  church  of  Austin. 

Frank  Hall  Childs  was  born  at  Findlay,  Ohio,  February  16,  1859, 
and  is  the  son  of  Nathaniel  Emmes  and  Emily  (Hall)  Childs.  The 
father  began  life  as  a  farmer,  then  taught  school  and  later  became 
the  first  passenger  conductor  in  that  state,  running  on  the  Mad 
River  &  Lake  Erie  road  between  Sandusky  and  Springfield.  He 
served  as  Probate  Judge  of  Hancock  county  and  was  a  Whig,  an 
Abolitionist  and  later  a  Republican.  He  was  actively  connected  with 
the  "underground  railroad"  and  assisted  many  runaway  slaves  to 
reach  the  Dominion  of  Canada.  In  religion  he  was  Puritanical.  The 
family  is  of  English  descent,  the  ancestors  in  America  being  among 
the  first  to  colonize  the  Old  Bay  state.  The  great  grandfather  of 
Frank  H.  participated  in  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill  and  narrowly 
escaped  death,  a  bullet  passing  between  his  ear  and  his  head.  He 
served  with  honor  throughout  the  Revolution. 

Frank  H.  was  educated  in  the  union  schools  of  Findlay  and  Re- 
public, Ohio;  the  normal  school,  Republic;  Columbia  Law  university, 
Washington ;  Union  College  of  Law,  and  Kent  Law  School,  Chi- 
cago, graduating  from  the  latter  in  1893  with  the  degree  of  Bachelor 
of  Laws.  During  his  early  schooling  he  built  fires  to  pay  his  tuition, 
and  at  one  time  worked  on  a  farm  for  $5  per  month.  In  1878-79 
he  was  stenographer  in  the  Government  printing  office,  Washington ; 
in  1880,  clerk  in  the  pension  office;  in  1881-90,  clerk  in  the  office  of 
the  superintendent  of  railway  mail  service,  Chicago;  in  1891  post- 
office  inspector,  Chicago  division;  in  1892,  chief  clerk  in  the  office 
of  the  postoffice  inspector  in  charge,  New  Orleans.  Since  1893  he 
has  practiced  his  profession.  From  1898  to  1900  he  was  professor 
of  law  in  Kent  College  of  Law ;  from  1900  to  1903  he  was  professor 
of  law  in  Chicago  Kent  College  of  Law;  from  1905  to  1910  he  was 
professor  of  law  in  the  Chicago  Business  Law  School,  teaching 
twenty-two  subjects;  from  1908  to  1910  he  was  instructor  in  busi- 
ness law  in  Armour  Institute  of  Technology;  from  1902  to  1910  he 
was  a  director  in  the  Northern  Liquidation  company ;  and  in  Sep- 
tember, 1909,  he  was  appointed  manager  of  the  Colonial  Land  com- 
pany. He  has  been  closely  identified  with  politics  for  the  last  twenty 
years  and  has  served  as  vice-president  of  the  Second  Ward  Repub- 
lican club,  senatorial  committeeman  and  member  of  the  executive 
council  of  that  club.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Chicago  Bar  Associa- 
tion. He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  November  12,  1884,  on  an  appel- 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  695 

late  court  examination.  He  has  traveled  extensively,  having  been 
in  every  state  of  the  Union  and  in  foreign  countries.  In  1908  he 
was  a  candidate  for  congress.  He  is  the  author  of  "Childs  on  Surety- 
ship and  Guaranty,"  "Ewell  on  Fixtures,"  second  edition;  the 
article  on  "Principal  and  Surety,"  in  the  Cyclopedia  of  Law  and 
Procedure,  and  is  now  at  work  on  "Childs  on  Personal  Property," 
to  be  published  in  1910.  On  February  18,  1886,  he  married  Amy, 
daughter  of  Edwin  Hunt,  a  wholesale  hardware  merchant  of  Chi- 
cago. 

Will  H.  Clark,  attorney,  was  born  in  Homer,  Cortland  county, 
New  York,  on  October  24,  1863,  and  is  a  son  of  Chester  M.  and 
Rachel  K.  (Haynes)  Clark.  He  was  educated  mainly  in  private 
schools  in  early  life  and  came  to  Chicago  about  1870.  From  1872 
to  1876  he  attended  the  Moseley  public  school  here.  From  1876  to 
1878  he  attended  the  Homer  academy,  Homer,  N.  Y.,  and  in  1878-9 
Professor  Taylor's  private  school  at  Syracuse,  N.  Y.  Soon  after 
this  he  entered  Union  College  of  Law,  Chicago,  and  was  graduated 
therefrom  in  the  class  of  1885.  However,  prior  to  this,  or  about 
1879,  he  began  studying  law  in  the  office  of  Hiscock,  Gifford  & 
Doheny  at  Syracuse,  but  returned  to  Chicago  in  the  fall  of  1882 
and  entered  the  office  of  Cooper,  Packard  &  Gurley.  Later  he  be- 
came associated  with  W.  W.  Gurley  and  has  been  associated  with 
him  ever  since  except  two  years  (1889-90),  when  he  was  president 
of  the  Chicago  South  Side  Rapid  Transit  Railway  company.  He  has 
served  as  director  of  the  Metropolitan  Elevated  Railroad  company, 
of  the  Rockford,  Beloit  &  Janesville  Railroad  company,  and  also  of 
other  corporations.  He  is  a  strong  Republican  and  takes  much  in- 
terest in  the  success  of  his  party  and  in  the  public  welfare  generally. 
He  served  in  the  cadet  corps  of  the  1st  infantry,  Illinois  National 
Guard,  and  during  the  world's  fair  was  a  member  of  the  famous 
Hussars,  afterwards  serving  in  the  1st  cavalry,  Illinois  National 
Guard.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Union  League  Club,  of  which  he 
was  secretary  in  1898.  He  was  also  a  charter  member  of  the  Ham- 
ilton club.  His  office  is  in  the  Marquette  building  and  his  residence 
at  34  Groveland  Park. 

George  Washington  Clarke  was  one  of  the  pioneers  who  came  to 
Chicago  when  it  had  little  more  than  Fort  Dearborn  and  its  garri- 
son ;  when  its  total  population  was  but  a  scant  few  hundred ;  when 
Indians  were  more  plentiful  than  whites,  and  when  it  required  cour- 
age and  self-reliance  to  make  the  tedious  and  perilous  trip  from  the 
East  through  the  unbroken  forests  of  the  West.  His  career  was 
one  that  shed  honor  on  the  early  manhood  of  Chicago  and  his  name 
can  never  be  effaced  from  the  roll  of  pioneers  who,  by  their  wisdom 
and  self-sacrifice,  laid  the  foundation  of  prosperity  which  will  be 
enjoyed  by  all  generations  yet  to  come.  Born  at  Brownsville,  Pa., 
in  the  year  1810,  the  son  of  Robert  Clarke,  he  was  of  notable  family 
connection. 


696  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

Originally  the  family  came  to  America  from  England  during  the 
sixteenth  century  and  for  many  generations  resided  in  the  valley  of 
the  Brandywine,  in  Pennsylvania.  During  the  Revolutionary  War 
the  Clarkes,  in  person  and  with  money,  aided  the  colonies  in  securing 
their  independence  from  the  mother  country.  A  brother  of  George 
W.  Clarke,  Robert  by  name,  was  a  classmate  at  college  of  Edwin  M. 
Stanton,  who  afterward  became  Secretary  of  War  in  President 
Lincoln's  cabinet.  By  him  Robert  was  appointed  a  major  in  the 
Union  army  during  the  war  between  the  states,  and  afterward  be- 
came a  paymaster  in  the  army.  Another  brother,  Henry  F.,  was 
graduated  from  West  Point  in  1842,  in  the  class  of  which  Ulysses 
S.  Grant  was  a  member,  and  served  through  the  entire  war  with 
Mexico.  For  brave  and  meritorious  conduct  at  the  battle  of  Chapul- 
tepec  he  was  brevetted  captain.  In  1847  he  was  appointed  military 
instructor  of  artillery  and  cavalry  at  West  Point,  and  during  the 
Civil  War  was  chief  commissary  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  on 
the  staff  of  Gen.  George  B.  McClellan.  For  many  years  after  the 
war  he  served  as  chief  commissary  for  the  Department  of  Missouri 
on  the  staff  of  Gen.  P.  H.  Sheridan  with  headquarters  at  Chicago. 
Later  he  was  transferred  to  the  staff  of  Gen.  W.  S.  Hancock,  on 
Governors  Island,  as  chief  commissary  of  the  Department  of  the  At- 
lantic. He  became  a  major-general  and  died  at  Washington,  D.  C., 
and  is  buried  there. 

In  a  deed  dated  1860,  conveying  8,000  acres  of  Indiana  land  to  a 
purchaser,  George  Washington, Clarke  said  this  of  himself :  "George 
Washington  Clarke,  formerly  of  the  county  of  Fayette,  State  of 
Pennsylvania,  civil  engineer,  formerly  engineer  on  the  first  location 
of  the  Baltimore  &  Ohio  railroad,  also  engineer  on  the  first  location 
of  the  Illinois  Central  railroad,  1838  and  1839;  also  appointed  en- 
gineer on  the  first  location  of  the  Illinois  and  Michigan  canal  and 
for  some  time  past  a  resident  of  Chicago." 

It  is  thus  seen  that  Mr.  Clarke  was  closely  identified  with  the 
growing  greatness  of  Chicago  almost  from  its  very  beginning.  Al- 
though born  at  a  period  when  opportunities  for  securing  an  educa- 
tion were  very  meager,  he  received  scholastic  advantages  far  beyond 
the  ordinary.  He  was  a  graduate  from  both  the  classical  and  en- 
gineering courses  at  Jefferson  college,  and  in  1833  came  to  the 
frontier  village  of  Chicago.  As  an  engineer  he  ranked  high  and 
helped  to  build  the  Baltimore  &  Ohio  and  the  Illinois  Central  rail- 
roads and  the  old  Illinois  and  Michigan  canal.  When  the  glowing 
reports  of  the  discovery  of  gold  in  California  in  1849  were  reported, 
he  bought  lumber  and  manufactured  it  into  material  for  houses  ready 
to  be  put  together.  This  he  shipped  with  him  on  a  sailing  vessel 
bound  from  New  York  to  California  via  Cape  Horn,  but  owing  to 
severe  storms  the  entire  cargo  was  lost  at  sea  and  the  passengers 
with  great  difficulty  were  saved.  Not  discouraged  in  the  least  by 
this  disastrous  experience,  Mr.  Clarke  again  prepared  a  similar  cargo 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  697 

which  he  took  with  him  on  the  "Tennessee,"  the  first  steam  pas- 
senger vessel  that  ever  made  the  trip  to  California.  Accompanying 
the  consignment  he  perceived  the  difficulties  and  dangers  of  passage 
through  the  Straits  of  Magellan  and  at  once  prepared  a  chart  of  the 
straits  which  was  published  upon  hjs  arrival  at  San  Francisco  and 
was  aftefward  used  by  ship  captains  in  weathering  the  cape.  Re- 
turning to  Chicago  in  the  early  '50s,  his  keen  and  observant  mind 
foresaw  the  future  greatness  of  Chicago  and  he  became  a  heavy 
purchaser  of  realty.  He  was  prosperous  and  accumulated  a  consid- 
erable fortune.  He  died  April  14,  1866,  and  was  buried  at  Rose 
Hill.  Mr.  Clarke  was  never  married  and  by  will  his  property  was 
left  to  his  brothers  and  sisters,  among  whom  were  Gen.  Henry  F. 
Clarke,  Major  Robert  D.  Clarke,  Mrs.  Jacob  Forsyth,  Sarah  J. 
Clarke  and  Harriet  S.  Clarke. 

Ferdinand  A.  Cmejla,  who  now  represents  the  real  estate  depart- 
ment of  the  Wisconsin  Central  railway  or  what  is  known  as  the 
"Soo  System,"  is  located  at  1827  Blue  Island  avenue.  He  was  born 
in  Ctinoves,  Okres,  or  County  of  Litomerice,  Bohemia,  May  27, 
1874,  and  is  a  son  of  Frank  and  Frances  (Janda)  Cmejla.  The 
parents  came  with  their  children  to  the  United  States  in  1883  and 
first  located  in  Kewanee  county,  Wisconsin,  where  the  father  cleared 
and  improved  a  farm  of  forty  acres  and  lived  thereon  with  his 
family  until  1889,  when  he  removed  to  Milwaukee  and  is  there  now 
living  a  retired  life.  He  and  wife  were  the  parents  of  the  follow- 
ing children :  Frederick.  Charles,  Rosie,  wife  of  Peter  Stauber,  and 
Ferdinand  A. 

The  latter  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  his  native  land 
and  those  of  Wisconsin.  He  began  business  in  1897  in  New  York 
City  as  a  dealer  in  stationery  and  importer  of  books.  He  conducted 
the  business  successfully  until  1899,  when  he  came  to  Chicago  and 
handled  local  real  estate  one  year.  Since  1900  he  has  been  engaged 
in  his  present  business.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Knights  and  Ladies 
of  Honor  and  the  C.  S.  P.  S.,  and  in  politics  is  a  Republican.  On 
May  30,  1889,  he  married  May,  daughter  of  Albert  and  Catherine 
Mazance.  of  Chicago,  and  they  have  one  daughter,  Viola. 

Dr.  Lorin  C.  Collins  was  born  August  1,  1876,  and  is  a  son  of 
Lorin  C.  and  Nellie  (Robb)  Collins.  The  mother  was  born  in  Chi- 
cago in  the  early  fifties  and  was  a  daughter  of  one  of  the  old  set- 
tlers, a  ship  chandeler,  firm  of  Hubbard  &  Robb,  now  G.  B.  Carpenter 
&  Co.,  and  one  of  the  original  volunteers  in  the  first  fire  brigade. 
The  father  greatly  distinguished  himself  in  this  city.  He  was  edu- 
cated in  the  common  schools  of  St.  Paul,  Minn.,  and  was  prepared 
for  college  at  Delaware,  Ohio.  In  1868  he  entered  Northwestern 
University,  and  graduated  therefrom  in  the  classical  course  in  June, 
1872.  He  immediately  began  the  study  of  law  in  the  office  of  Clark- 
son  &  Van  Schaack,  Chicago,  and  in  September,  1874,  was  admitted 
to  the  bar.  His  success  was  immediate  and  pronounced.  In  1878 


698  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

he  was  elected  to  the  legislature,  was  re-elected  and  was  made 
speaker.  He  was  prominently  identified  with  all  the  important  legis- 
lation of  that  period.  In  1884  he  was  a  delegate  to  the  National 
Republican  Convention,  and  later  was  appointed  to  the  circuit  bench, 
and  still  later  elected  to  the  same  position.  He  resigned  from  the 
bench  in  1894,  and  was  a  candidate  before  the  Republican  State 
convention  for  the  gubernatorial  nomination,  but  was  defeated  by 
Mr.  Fifer.  He  was  associated  with  Goodrich,  Darrow  and  Vincent 
in  the  practice  of  law,  but  after  three  years  the  firm  became  Collins 
&  Fletcher,  with  office  in  the  Title  and  Trust  building.  In  1904  he 
was  appointed  one  of  the  associate  justices  of  the  canal  zone,  Pana- 
ma, with  headquarters  at  Christobal.  He  was  very  active  in  poli- 
tics and  in  the  practice  of  law. 

Dr.  Lorin  C.  was  educated  in  the  Chicago  public  schools,  Uni- 
versity school,  North  Western  Academy,  and  in  1896  entered  North 
Western  Medical  School,  and  was  duly  graduated  with  credit  in  the 
class  of  1900.  The  last  year  he  was  in  school  he  was  an  assistant 
pathologist  in  the  Michael  Reese  hospital.  Later  he  served  as  interne 
in  the  Samaritan  hospital,  in  the  Chicago  Lying-in  hospital  and  in 
the  Children's  Memorial  hospital.  He  then  began  the  practice  with 
residence  at  1158  Addison  avenue,  now  moved  to  3704  Maple  Square 
avenue,  and  office  at  1834  North  Clark  street,  and  made  a  specialty 
of  children's  diseases  and  obstetrics.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Chicago 
Medical  Society,  Physicians'  Club,  American  Medical  Association, 
and  Alumni  of  the  Chicago  Lying-in  hospital.  In  1904  he  married 
Anna  E.  Fonstoff  Lindblad,  of  Chicago,  and  they  have  Lorin  C. 
(No.  IV.),  born  February  2,  1905,  and  Almeda  Grace,  born  August 
29,  1908. 

William  M.  Connery  was  a  native  of  County  Tipperary,  Ireland, 
his  birth  occurring  in  1833.  He  was  reared  to  manhood  in  his 
native  country,  receiving  a  common  school  education.  In  the  year 
1852  he  immigrated  to  America.  Until  1863  he  resided  in  Rhode 
Island  engaged  in  farming.  He  there  married  Mary  Tobin  and  in 
1863  removed  to  Chicago,  which  was  the  home  of  himself  and  wife 
until  their  respective  deaths  August  27,  1883,  and  December  14, 
1896.  While  a  resident  of  Chicago,  Mr.  Connery  was  engaged  in 
railroad  bridge  building,  the  grocery  business  and  as  a  retail  coal 
merchant.  He  superintended  the  building  of  the  old  north  pier  for 
Fox  &  Howard.  While  ordinarily  he  was  a  Democrat,  yet  as  a 
matter  of  fact  he  was  an  independent  and  original  thinker  along 
political  lines.  Both  he  and  his  wife  were  members  of  the  Catho- 
lic church  and  died  in  that  faith.  They  were  the  parents  of  a  family 
of  fourteen  children,  twelve  of  whom  grew  to  years  of  maturity  and 
live  in  Chicago.  William  M.,  John  T.,  Michael  M.,  James  P.,  Francis 
D.,  Ellen  M.  (Mrs.  James  Riordan)  ;  Joseph  F.,  Henry  T.,  Helena 
B.,  Vincent  A.,  Catherine  A.,  and  Elizabeth  M. 

John  T.  Connery  was  born  in  Bristol,  R.  L,  January  10,  1861,  re- 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  699 

ceiving  his  education  in  the  Chicago  public  and  parochial  schools 
and  the  Chicago  Athenaeum.  He  was  associated  with  his  father  in 
the  grocery  and  coal  business  until  1879,  then  was  employed  as  yard 
clerk  for  E.  L.  Hedstrom,  coal  merchant,  until  1881,  when  he  be- 
came cashier  and  bookkeeper  for  the  Silver  Creek  and  Morris  Coal 
company,  of  which  he  later  became  a  stockholder  and  in  1883  secre- 
tary. He  continued  with  this  concern  until  1895,  when  the  busi- 
ness was  sold  and  merged  into  another  corporation.  He  then  be- 
came the  resident  manager  and  established  the  business  of  the 
Youghiogheny  &  Lehigh  Coal  company,  continuing  his  association 
with  this  concern  until  he  resigned  to  accept  the  presidency  of  the 
Miami  Coal  company,  in  which  capacity  he  is  now  serving.  He  was 
married  June  9,  1886,  to  Miss  Mary  E.  Daly,  by  whom  he  is  the 
father  of  six  children:  Mary  E.,  Marguerite  M.,  Esther  L.,  John 
D.  (deceased),  Edwin  F.,  and  Bernadette  (deceased).  He  resides 
at  2159  Sheridan  Road,  Edgewater,  and  is  a  member  of  the  Edge- 
water  Golf  Club,  Edgewater  Country  Club,  South  Shore  Country 
Club,  Germania  Country  Club,  Chicago  Athletic  Club,  Illinois  Ath- 
letic Club,  Chicago  Automobile  Club  and  Mid-day  Club. 

Dr.  William  L.  Copeland  was  born  at  St.  Catherines,  Canada,  on 
January  7,  1851,  and  is  a  son  of  William  L.  and  Dency  Prudence 
(Moore)  Copeland.  When  a  small  child  the  father  came  with  his 
parents  from  County  Armagh,  Ireland,  to  the  United  States,  and 
for  a  time  lived  at  Lewiston,  N.  Y.  Later  the  family  moved  to 
Canada  and  located  on  a  farm  near  London.  There  James  lost  his 
life  by  accident  when  William  L.  was  only  four  years  old.  The  latter 
at  an  early  age  began  work  on  the  farm,  but  a  little  later  was  em- 
ployed in  a  hat,  cap  and  fur  house  and  still  later  in  the  postomce. 
He  finally  was  appointed  postmaster  and  as  such  served  for  twenty 
years,  after  which  he  retired.  He  died  in  1887  and  his  widow  in 
1880. 

Dr.  William  L.  was  educated  in  the  public  schools.  After  re- 
ceiving thorough  academic  training,  he  entered  McGill  Medical 
college  and  graduated  therefrom  with  credit  in  the  class  of  '72. 
The  following  year  was  spent  by  him  in  the  hospitals  of  London, 
England.  He  then  returned  to  St.  Catherines,  Canada,  and  began 
the  general  practice  of  his  profession,  continuing  with  success  for 
six  years.  In  1879  he  came  to  Chicago  and  located  on  the  West 
side  where  he  still  resides.  Since  coming  to  this  city  his  practice  has 
been  general  and  successful.  Besides  the  office  at  his  house,  he  has 
a  down-town  office  at  103  State  street  with  his  brother-in-law, 
Doctor  St.  John.  Doctor  Copeland  has  been  connected  with  the 
Chicago  College  of  Dental  Surgery  for  the  last  twenty-five  years. 
He  is  professor  of  anatomy  at  the  Chicago  College  of  Medicine  and 
Surgery,  and  is  a  member  of  the  Chicago  Medical  Society,  the  Amer- 
ican Medical  Association,  the  Therapeutic  and  Menoken  clubs,  the 
Royal  League  and  the  North  American  Union.  In  politics  he  is  a 


700  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

Republican.  In  1875  he  married  Mary  St.  John,  of  St.  Catherines, 
Canada.  They  had  Mary  Maud,  now  the  wife  of  C.  A.  Heninger, 
of  Kansas  City,  Mo.,  and  Dency  Bell.  The  family  resides  at  979 
Warren  avenue. 

James  A.  Crandall  was  born  in  Bremen  township,  May  24,  1857, 
and  is  the  son  of  John  and  Jane  (McKenzie)  Crandall,  who  were 
among  the  first  settlers  of  this  county.  The.  father  was  a  native  of 
Franklin  county,  New  York,  and  was  born  October  4,  1830,  being 
the  son  of  David  and  Harriet  (Thurston)  Crandall  who  came  from 
New  York  to  Cook  county  in  1831,  settling  first  in  Thornton  town- 
ship. They  were  thus  residents  of  the  county  at  the  time  of  the 
Blackhawk  war  and  took  refuge  in  Old  Fort  Dearborn  with  several 
hundred  other  families.  After  a  few  years  they  moved  to  Will  coun- 
ty, and  finally  to  Missouri.  They  were  the  parents  of  ten  children, 
four  sons  and  six  daughters. 

John,  their  son,  was  brought  to  Cook  county  at  the  age  of  about 
six  months.  He  was  reared  on  a  farm  and  followed  farming  as  an 
occupation  through  life.  He  was  a  progressive,  enterprising  and 
intelligent  citizen  and  took  an  active  interest  in  all  matters  pertain- 
ing to  the  welfare  of  the  community.  At  the  time  of  his  death  he 
owned  five  hundred  acres  of  land.  A  portion  of  the  present  Worth 
village  is  located  on  his  old  homestead.  He  was  a  Republican  and 
though  not  an  aspirant  for  office,  was  honored  by  his  fellow  citizens 
with  several  positions  of  trust  and  responsibility.  He  married  in 
this  county  on  November  22,  1855,  Jane  McKenzie,  who  was  a 
native  of  Glasgow,  Scotland,  born  July  5,  1832,  being  the  daughter 
of  William  and  Janet  (Weir)  McKenzie,  both  of  whom  were 
natives  also  of  Scotland  and  came  to  the  United  States  in  1836, 
locating  first  in  Washington  county,  New  York,  but  in  1849  coming 
to  Cook  county.  After  his  marriage  John  Crandall  settled  in  Bre- 
men township,  but  in  May,  1858,  moved  to  Worth  township,  and 
there  lived  until  his  death  which  occurred  December  15,  18%.  His 
widow  still  survives  and  resides  with  her  daughter  in  the  village  of 
Worth.  John  and  Jane  reared  a  family  of  six  children :  James  A., 
Harriet  J.,  wife  of  B.  S.  Crandall.  a  second  cousin,  and  resides  in 
Worth  village;  Ruby  C.,  wife  of  Thomas  W.  Sproat  of  Will  county: 
Mary  E.,  wife  of  Louis  Biedenkopf  of  Worth  village;  Daniel  L.  and 
Ellen  (deceased),  the  wife  of  George  Hilderbrand. 

James  A.,  the  subject  of  this  review,  was  reared  to  the  occupation 
of  farming  which  he  has  followed  throughout  life.  He  was  edu- 
cated in  the  district  schools  and  at  the  Cook  County  Normal  school, 
and  on  January  12,  1882,  he  married  in  Oak  Lawn,  Mary  E.  Sproat, 
who  was  born  in  Cook  county,  May  3,  1861,  and  is  the  daughter  of 
John  and  Elizabeth  (McCullah)  Sproat  who  were  among  the  early 
settlers  of  the  county.  He  is  one  of  the  successful,  progressive  and 
up-to-date  men  of  this  community.  He  is  a  Republican  and  has 
served  as  constable,  collector,  member  of  the  school  board  for  thirty 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  701 

years  and  also  served  with  credit  in  other  official  positions.  He  and 
wife  have  two  children :  Albert  J.,  born  January  9,  1883,  and 
Mabel  E.,  born  March  26,  1884.  The  latter  is  the  wife  of  Lindon  A. 
Perry  of  Worth  village.  Mr.  Crandall  is  corresponding  clerk  of 
L.  Wolf  Manufacturing  company,  Chicago,  and  is  a  member  of  the 
Modern  Woodmen  of  America.  Albert  J.  is  the  private  secretary 
of  W.  B.  Martin,  a  Chicago  capitalist.  He  married  Dollie  B.  Bron- 
son.  They  have  one  daughter,  Gladys  C.,  born  May  17,  1909,  and 
reside  in  Worth  village. 

George  H.  Crosby,  freight  traffic  manager  for  the  Chicago, 
Burlington  &  Quincy  Railroad  company,  was  born  at  Hillsboro,  111., 
September  23,  1855,  a  son  of  Hiram  and  Susan  (Willis)  Crosby. 
During  boyhood  and  early  manhood  he  attended  the  grammar  and 
high  schools,  subsequently  taking  a  commercial  course  in  Notre  Dame 
university,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in  1874.  Practically  his 
entire  mature  years  have  been  passed  in  railroad  work  as  the  follow- 
ing record  will  show :  In  various  positions  with  the  Hannibal  &  St. 
Joseph  Railroad  company  until  July  1,  1876;  claim  clerk  in  the  gen- 
eral freight  office  at  Chicago  of  the  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy 
Railroad  company  until  November  1,  1877,  then  in  a  like  position 
for  the  International  &  Great  Northern  Railroad  at  Palastine,  Tex., 
until  February  1,  1878.  He  then  resumed  his  old  position  with  the 
Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy  road,  at  Chicago,  but  from  June, 
1878,  to  June,  1880,  was  chief  clerk  in  the  general  freight  office  of 
the  Hannibal  &  St.  Joseph  road  at  Hannibal.  He  then  occupied  a 
similar  position  for  the  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy  road  at 
Chicago  for  fourteen  months,  then,  until  July,  1883,  was  general 
freight  agent  for  the  Kansas  City,  St.  Joseph  &  Council  Bluffs  road 
at  St.  Joseph,  Mo.  From  July  1,  1883,  to  January,  1890,  he  was 
first  assistant  general  freight  agent  and  general  agent  of  the  Burling- 
ton &  Missouri  River  road  at  Denver,  Colo.,  and  was  then  general 
freight  agent  of  the  same  corporation  to  December  1,  1902.  From 
that  time  to  February  1,  1905,  he  was  assistant  freight  traffic  man- 
ager of  the  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy  road  and  since  the  latter 
date  has  been  the  freight  traffic  manager.  Mr.  Crosby  is  one  of  the 
best  known  railroad  officials  in  the  West,  having  worked  his  way  up 
from  errand  boy  to  his  present  position  through  practically  thirty- 
six  years'  work.  He  is  a  Republican  in  politics  and  a  member  of  the 
Union  League,  Chicago  Railway  and  Chicago  Traffic  clubs.  May 
19,  1880,  he  married  Miss  May  Wolcott  and  they  are  the  parents 
of  one  daughter,  Blanche  W.  The  family  home  is  at  818  Junior 
Terrace. 

Charles  H.  Crossette,  for  forty-three  years  a  resident  of  Chicago, 
and  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Cutter  &  Crossette,  neckwear  and  shirt 
manufacturers  at  178  Market  street,  was  born  at  Alstead,  N.  H., 
November  6.  1848,  a  son  of  Rev.  Robert  and  Dorothea  (Fisher) 
Crossette.  When  a  boy  he  attended  a  school  conducted  bv  his 


702  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

father,  who  was  also  a  minister  of  the  Congregational  faith,  and 
later  completed  his  literary  education  in  the  Connecticut  Literary 
Institute,  at  Suffield,  Conn.  The  family  moved  to  Beemerville,  N.  J., 
in  1856,  and  from  there  in  1866,  Charles  H.  came  to  Chicago.  He 
here  began  life  as  an  errand  boy  for  the  wholesale  woolen  house 
of  Kimball,  Stevens  &  Company,  continuing  with  this  firm  two  years. 
He  then  became  connected  with  the  wholesale  neckwear  manufactur- 
ing firm  of  Damon,  Temple  &  Company  as  order  clerk,  subsequently 
becoming  traveling  salesman  for  the  firm  and  remaining  in  their 
employ  six  years.  January  1,  1874,  he  became  the  junior  member 
of  the  firm  of  Scott,  Cutter  &  Crossette,  in  the  same  line  of  busi- 
ness which  in  1880  became  Cutter  &  Crossette.  This  firm  has  since 
continued  and  by  its  straight-forward  business  dealings  has  be- 
come one  of  the  leaders  in  its  line.  Mr.  Crossette  is  a  member  of 
the  Union  League,  Hinsclale  Golf,  Congregational  and  Hinsdale 
clubs.  On  his  father's  side  he  is  descended  from  French  Huguenot 
ancestry,  and  is  of  English  descent  from  his  mother's  side.  Septem- 
ber 13,  1873,  he  married  Mary  A.  Dunning,  and  of  the  five  children 
born  to  them  the  following  named  four  are  now  living:  Charles 
D.,  Robert  G.,  Murray  F.,  and  Aurelia  M. 

John  T.  Cunningham  was  born  in  the  County  of  Ayrshire,  near 
Kilmarmock,  Scotland,  on  July  28,  1864,  and  is  a  son  of  David  and 
Janet  (Smith)  Cunningham.  In  that  portion  of  Scotland  the  fam- 
ily is  known  to  have  resided  since  1460.  It  is  also  known  that  they 
are  a  branch  of  the  Cunninghams  of  the  northern  district  of  Ayr 
which  was  known  as  the  Cunningham  district,  the  county  compris- 
ing three  districts.  The  father,  David,  was  engaged' in  the  dairy 
business  and  had  ten  children — five  boys  and  five  girls.  The  father 
died  June  19,  1902,  but  the  mother  is  yet  alive  and  active  at  the  age 
of  86  years. 

John  T.,  their  son,  was  educated  in  the  common  schools  and 
worked  on  his  father's  farm  until  the  age  of  sixteen  years,  after 
which  for  four  years  he  worked  as  brakeman  on  the  North  British 
Railroad.  He  then  resigned  his  position,  crossed  the  Atlantic  Ocean 
to  the  United  States  and  located  in  Chicago  in  1886.  At  first  he 
worked  for  one  year  on  a  farm  near  Chicago  and  then  came  to  the 
city  and  drove  an  ice  cream  wagon  for  the  Thompson  company  for 
a  while,  but  finally  became  a  salesman  for  the  same  company,  having 
the  West  side  for  the  scene  of  his  operations  and  continuing  for  six 
years.  He  then  started  in  the  ice  cream  business  for  himself  at  917 
Polk  street,  having  at  first  a  one-horse  wagon  and  two  employes. 
This  business  has  steadily  grown  until  now  he  employs  about  fifty 
men  and  has  much  larger  quarters.  His  business  is  now  large  and 
profitable.  He  is  now  located  at  930-32  West  Van  Buren  street.  He 
is  a  Republican  and  a  member  of  the  Masonic  order.  On  January  24, 
1888,  he  married  Margaret  Fitzpatrick,  of  Springfield,  111.,  and  they 
have  four  children:  Jessie  and  John,  deceased,  and  Allan  and 
Margie,  living. 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  703 

DeWitt  H.  Curtis  was  born  February  25,  1839,  at  Oxford, 
Chenango  county,  New  York,  and  is  the  son  of  Charles  H.  and 
Frances  (Holmes)  Curtis.  The  father  was  born  in  Market  Har- 
borough,  Leicestershire,  England,  July,  1812,  and  was  brought  to 
the  United  States  by  his  parents  at  the  age  of  three  years.  The 
family  located  in  Chenango  county.  A  little  later  Charles  H.,  while 
yet  a  boy,  went  to  Utica,  where  he  learned  the  butchering  business. 
After  his  marriage  he  engaged  in  furnishing  food  supplies  for  the 
contractors  who  built  the  Chenango  canal,  but  later  he  moved  to 
Oxford  and  opened  the  Fort  Hill  House  and  entertained  the  travel- 
ing public.  In  1842  he  came  to  Chicago  on  the  boat  "Bunker  Hill." 
arriving  October  6.  Here  he  first  engaged  in  cattle  trading,  con- 
tinuing for  two  years,  after  which  he  took  the  contract  to  build  a 
section  of  the  Illinois  and  Michigan  canal  from  Bridgeport  south, 
and  after  it  was  finished  took  and  completed  three  other  sections. 
From  1849  to  1853  he  was  engaged  in  the  market  and  provision 
business.  In  1853  he  established  a  distillery  at  South  Elgin,  then 
Clintonville,  and  two  years  later  established  one  at  South  Park  and 
23d  street.  In  1861  he  bought  the  Thayer  Brothers'  distillery  at 
Quincy,  111.,  and  owned  the  same  until  1884.  For  many  years  he 
was  president  of  the  Downer  &  Bemis  Brewing  company  of  Chi- 
cago ;  also  vice:president  of  the  Bemis  Malting  company.  He  owned 
interests  in  many  other  business  concerns,  among  which  was  that 
of  the  Third  National  bank,  being  chairman  of  its  discount  board. 
He  was  also  vice-president  of  the  paper  called  the  "Chicago  Horse- 
man." He  died  January  3,  1886;  his  wife  died  November  7,  1873. 

DeWitt  H.  was  educated  in  the  public  schools,  finishing  with  two 
years  at  Knox  college  and  with  a  course  at  Bryant  &  Stratton's 
Business  college.  He  then  engaged  in  the  distillery  business  with 
his  father.  In  1857  he  joined  the  voluntary  fire  department  and  was 
one  of  the  organizers  of  Engine  Company  No.  9  and  became  fore- 
man of  the  hose  company  of  that  organization.  In  1859  he  was 
elected  first  assistant  foreman  of  the  Engine  Company  and  the  fol- 
lowing year  was  made  foreman  of  the  same,  serving  as  such  until 
the  close  of  1861.  He  then  joined  his  father  in  the  distillery  busi- 
ness at  Quincy.  It  so  happened  that  Mr.  Curtis  was  in  the  Western 
Union  building  at  Chicago  at  the  time  of  the  great  fire  when  the 
last  message  was  sent  out — one  to  Detroit  calling  for  assistance — 
before  the  structure  took  fire.  In  1887  he  became  connected  with 
the  Bemis  &  Curtis  Malting  company  and  so  remained  until  1890 
when  he  and  B.  F.  Hales  bought  out  the  concern.  In  1897  they 
sold  out  to  the  American  Malting  company.  In  1899  Mr.  Curtis 
built  a  new  malt  house  at  46th  avenue  and  Courtland  street,  and  in- 
corporated under  the  name  of  the  North  Western  Malt  &  Grain 
company,  of  which  Mr.  Curtis  is  now  treasurer  and  Mr.  Hales 
president,  with  offices  in  the  Western  Union  building.  Mr.  Curtis 
is  a  Republican  in  politics.  On  September  11,  1860,  he  m;*rried 


704  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

Almira  Holmes,  of  Oriskany  Palls,  N.  Y.  To  them  were  born  six 
children  of  whom  four  are  now  living:  Frances  H.,  Charles  H., 
George  P.,  and  Leonard  D.  Mrs.  Curtis  died  January  29,  1908. 
The  family  resides  at  409  Washington  boulevard. 

John  Wesley  Dal,  M.  D.,  was  born  September  17,  1854,  at 
Poughkeepsie,  N.  Y.,  and  is  a  son  of  Jacob  and  Christina  (Lauer) 
Dal,  both  of  whom  were  natives  of  Germany.  They  came  from  the 
Black  Forest  in  the  Grand  Duchy  of  Baden,  and  were  among  the 
refugees  of  the  revolutionary  period  of  1847-8.  They  reached  New 
York  City  in  1848  and  after  remaining  there  for  a  short  time,  re- 
moved to  Poughkeepsie  where  the  father  engaged  in  the  manufac- 
ture of  clothing.  In  1858  he  came  to  Chicago,  but  soon  moved  to 
Sterling,  111.,  where  he  qualified  for  the  ministry  in  the  Methodist 
church  in  the  old  Rock  River  conference.  In  1871  he  attended 
Hahnemann  Medical  college  from  which  institution  he  was  duly 
graduated  in  1873  with  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Medicine,  and  he 
continued  the  practice  of  his  profession  until  his  death  which  occurred 
in  1895.  His  son,  John  W.,  was  educated  in  the  public  schools,  the 
Normal  school  at  Galena  and  at  Baldwin  university.  In  1870  he 
came  to  Chicago,  took  a  special  course  in  the  old  Chicago  university, 
after  which  he  attended  Chicago  Medical  college,  now  Northwestern 
Medical  college,  graduating  therefrom  in  1878.  He  began  the  prac- 
tice at  Le  Sueur,  Minn.,  but  after  two  years  returned  to  Chicago 
and  located  at  744  Milwaukee  avenue  and  continued  a  general  prac- 
tice. In  1889  he  built  his  present  residence  at  1124  N.  Robey  street 
and  there  has  resided  and  practiced  ever  since.  From  1892  to  1896 
he  was  associate  physician  at  the  German  hospital  on  Larabee  street. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Chicago  Medical  Society,  American  Medical 
association,  the  Masonic  order  and  the  Republican  party.  In  1878 
he  married  Matilda  Loeber,  of  this  city,  from  whom  a  separation 
took  place.  He  married,  in  1908,  Effie  M.  Wilson,  also  of  this  city. 
There  is  a  daughter,  Dorothy  C.  Dal. 

Frank  P.  Danisch,  a  well  known  and  successful  lawyer  at  1853 
South  Ashland  avenue,  was  born  in  Chicago,  September  22,  1873, 
and  is  the  son  of  Florian  and  Caroline  (Rzetczyk)  Danisch,  both 
of  whom  were  natives  of  upper  Silesia,  an  old  province  of  Poland. 
The  parents  immigrated  to  the  United  States  in  1872  and  settled  in 
Chicago,  and  here  they  have  resided  ever  since.  The  father  was  in 
the  employ  of  the  McCormick  reaper  works  prior  to  1899.  Of  their 
children  ten  are  yet  living :  Minnie,  wife  of  John  Dankowski ; 
Agnes,  wife  of  John  Aniol ;  Peter,  Frank  P.,  Frances,  Albert  J., 
Rose,  Mary,  wife  of  Edward  Lamich ;  Josephine  and  Julia.  Of  this 
family  Frank  P.  was  reared  in  his  native  city  and  received  his  edu- 
cation in  the  Polish  parochial,  the  public  and  private  schools.  In 
1890  he  began  the  study  of  law  in  this  city  and  in  1896  duly  grad- 
uated with  credit  from  the  Chicago  College  of  Law.  He  did  not  im- 
mediately begin  the  practice  but  embarked  in  the  newspaper  field,  be- 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  705 

coming  editor  of  the  Sztandar,  a  Polish  weekly  newspaper.  He  also 
served  as  reporter  for  the  Chicago  Record.  In  1900  he  started  to 
devote  all  his  time  to  the  practice  of  law  and  has  been  more  than 
ordinarily  successful.  His  office  is  in  the  Chicago  opera  house.  He 
is  the  legal  representative  of  five  Polish  Building  and  Loan  associa- 
tions and  of  several  Polish  business  concerns.  He  served  as  assist- 
ant city  prosecuting  attorney  during  Mayor  Dunne's  administration. 
In  politics  he  is  a  Democrat.  In  1908  he  was  one  of  the  candidates 
of  his  party  for  the  nomination  as  judge  of  the  municipal  court, 
but  suffered  defeat  at  the  primaries  though  polling  a  good  vote.  He 
also  served  as  commissioner  for  the  State  of  Illinois  on  behalf  of  the 
Polish  National  Alliance.  He  is  a  member  of  St.  Adelbert's  Polish 
Roman  Catholic  church,  Polish  Roman  Catholic  Union,  Polish 
National  Alliance  and  of  the  Polish  Mechanics'  Industrial  Society. 
He  is  president  of  the  Polish-American  Citizens'  club  on  the  South- 
west side  which  is  modeled  on  the  American  club  plans  and  is  doing 
much  good  in  the  civic  life  of  the  Poles.  Mr.  Danisch  was  together 
with  Col.  Joseph  Smolinski,  of  Washington,  D.  C.,  the  chief  worker 
to  induce  congress  to  appropriate  $50,000  for  the  erection  of  a  suit- 
able equestrian  statue  to  the  memory  of  the  Polish  general,  Count 
Casimir  Pulaski,  at  Washington.  The  appropriation  was  made  and 
the  statue  will  be  unveiled  in  May,  1910.  Mr.  Danisch  takes  much 
interest  in  literature  and  has  written  several  books  of  fiction  which 
will  soon  be  published.  Mr.  Danisch  is  being  groomed  for  con- 
gressional honors  by  his  host  of  friends.  On  October  9,  1901, 
he  married  Lucy,  daughter  of  Mathias  and  Mary  (Kopistecki) 
Truszczynski  of  Chicago,  and  they  have  two  children,  Sylvia  and 
Edwin. 

Among  one  of  the  largest  industries  in  Chicago  is  that  of  the 
Daprato  Statuary  Company,  a  concern  making  exclusively  ecclesias- 
tical goods.  This  company  was  founded  in  the  year  1860.  Begin- 
ning in  a  small  way,  the  business  has  steadily  grown  until  it  has 
become  the  largest  concern  of  its  kind  in  the  United  States.  The 
company  occupies  two  five-story  buildings,  numbered  766-768-770 
West  Adams  street,  where  now  also  can  be  found  one  of  the  finest 
exhibits  of  statues,  stations  of  the  cross,  altars,  etc.,  as  well  as  an 
artistic  line  of  marble  goods. 

This  firm  has  had  a  wonderful  growth  since  Mr.  John  E.  Rigali 
took  charge.  The  company  was  incorporated  under  Illinois  laws  in 
1893,  and  in  1904  opened  a  branch  house  at  No.  31  Barclay  street. 
New  York.  The  company  employs  about  160  men  and  is  contin- 
ually growing.  During  the  life  of  the  firm  it  has  never  met  with 
the  slightest  set  back,  and  has  never  had  a  fire. 

John  E.  Decker  was  born  September  12,  1871,  at  Pleasant  Valley, 
Iowa.  He  is  a  descendant  of  Capt.  John  Decker,  who  served  the 
Colonies  in  the  Revolution,  and  is  the  son  of  Erastus  Decker  who, 
in  1882,  settled  near  Mellette,  S.  Dak.,  and  began  farming.  John 


706  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

E.  attended  the  village  school  during  the  winter  months  until  he 
could  learn  no  more  there,  after  which  he  spent  one  year  in  the 
State  Normal  school  at  Madison,  two  years  in  the  State  University 
at  Vermillion,  and  finished  with  a  thorough  business  course  at 
Rochester,  N.  Y.  In  September,  1892,  he  came  to  Chicago  and  ac- 
cepted a  position  as  bookkeeper  with  the  firm  of  L.  Everingham  & 
Company,  board  of  trade  operators.  Filled  with  a  desire  to  see  and 
enjoy  the  World's  Fair,  he  joined  the  Columbian  Guards  on  May 
2,  1893,  and  owing  to  his  great  height  (six  feet,  four  inches)  and 
to  his  excellent  record,  was  permitted  to  hold  the  position  until  Feb- 
ruary 2,  1894,  at  which  time  only  150  of  the  Guards  remained  and 
all  of  them  were  army  men.  Immediately  after  leaving  the  Guards, 
he  bought  a  small  coal  plant  at  309  W.  Lake  street,  which  was 
moved  to  Madison  street  and  Forty-first  avenue  in  1898.  This 
change  proved  advantageous  as  the  business  rapidly  expanded  and 
the  firm  became  very  prosperous.  In  1904  they  were  forced  to  erect 
their  first  furniture  storage  warehouse,  and  this  was  followed  two 
years  later  by  the  first  strictly  fireproof  warehouse  to  be  built  on  the 
West  side  for  the  exclusive  storage  of  household  goods".  This 
progress  was  almost  phenomenal  and  indicated  the  industry  and 
sound  judgment  of  the  country  boy  who  had  come  penniless  to  Chi- 
cago but  a  few  years  before.  He  is  now  recognized  as  one  of  the 
prudent  and  successful  business  men  of  the  city.  He  is  president 
and  sole  owner  of  the  Decker  Fireproof  Storage  Company,  and  presi- 
dent and  owner  of  the  majority  of  the  stock  issued  by  the  J.  E. 
Decker  Coal  company.  He  resides  in  Oak  Park  and  is  a  member  of 
the  Masonic  order,  the  Colonial  club  and  is  proud  to  live  in  "the 
premier  city  of  the  land  of  the  free  and  the  home  of  the  brave." 
In  1899  he  married  Hattie  M.  Gettle,  of  Marietta,  Ohio,  and  they 
have  the  following  children :  John  E.,  Jr.,  Howard  E.,  Genevieve  R. 
and  David  D.,  all  living  except  the  daughter  who  died  young. 

Arthur  W.  Dickinson  was  born  July  23,  1869,  the  son  of  Chester 
and  Alida  (Suits)  Dickinson.  His  great  grandfather,  John  Dickin- 
son, was  a  farmer  and  served  in  the  Revolutionary  War,  later  be- 
coming Governor  of  the  State  of  Massachusetts.  The  grandfather, 
Zabina,  was  also  a  farmer  by  occupation,  and  in  the  '40s  served  as 
sheriff  of  Amherst  county,  Massachusetts.  Chester,  the  father, 
came  to  Chicago  in  1845  by  canal  and  the  great  lakes,  and  on  the 
trip  he  met  Alida  Suits,  whom  he  subsequently  married  in  1846. 
After  looking  around  all  winter  for  a  good  place  to  locate,  he  finally 
settled  in  what  was  then  Jefferson  township  and  purchased  eighty 
acres  of  land,  later  buying  eighty  more.  He  died  at  the  age  of 
eighty-six  years,  owning  considerable  property.  His  wife  was 
seventy  years  old  when  she  passed  away.  Mr.  Dickinson  was  one 
of  the  very  earliest  settlers  out  on  what  is  now  Milwaukee  avenue. 
In  the  '50s  he  was  instrumental  in  having  the  Northwestern  plank 
road  (now  Milwaukee  avenue)  laid,  and  the  place  where  the  Dick- 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  709 

inson  homestead  is  now  located  was  used  as  the  point  from  which 
the  surveyors  sighted  to  the  steeple  of  the  Baptist  church,  corner 
LaSalle  and  Washington  streets,  in  laying  out  the  course  of  the  road. 
He  was  a  director  of  the  toll  road  until  it  was  sold  to  A.  J.  Snell, 
and  was  one  of  those  who  called  a  meeting  to  organize  the  township 
and  town  of  Jefferson.  He  served  on  the  town  and  school  boards 
of  the  above,  and  in  politics  was  an  active  Republican.  To  him  and 
wife  were  born  the  following  five  children :  Clara,  now  Mrs.  Clara 
Lowell,  living  on  the  old  homestead;  Edward  C.,  Arthur  W.,  John 
Wand,  Alida  A. 

Arthur  W.  Dickinson,  the  subject  of  this  review,  was  educated  in 
the  Jefferson  grammar  and  high  schools  and  in  a  manual  training 
institution.  Early  in  life  he  entered  the  employ  of  Edbrooke  & 
Burnham,  architects,  where  he  remained  one  and  one-half  years  with 
a  view  to  preparing  himself  as  an  architect.  In  1905  he  began 
business  for  himself,  contracting  and  building  residences  in  Jefferson 
township  and  subdividing  twenty-seven  acres  of  the  old  homestead. 
Here  he  purchased  another  tract  of  land  and  during  the  last  four 
years  has  built  and  sold  over  one  hundred  residences  thereon.  Mr. 
Dickinson  is  a  member  of  Everett  Council  of  the  National  Union 
and  a  deacon  of  the  First  Congregational  church.  In  1889  he  mar- 
ried Altieri  A.  Huestis,  now  deceased,  and  they  had  one  son,  Mal- 
colm G.  Mr.  Dickinson  married  Harriet  E.  Webb,  also  deceased, 
and  to  them  also  were  born  three  children:  Arthur  W.,  Jr.,  Alida 
Harriet  and  Marian  E.  (deceased).  In  March,  1909,  he  was  united 
in  marriage  with  Charlotte  M.  Webb,  of  Chicago,  and  they  reside 
at  4100  Milwaukee  avenue. 

The  Chicago  Sash,  Door  &  Blind  Manufacturing  company,  makers 
of  frames,  doors  and  fine  interior  finishing,  was  incorporated  October 
17,  1887,  and  is  at  present  located  at  1249-1265  West  North  avenue, 
corner  of  Fleetwood  street.  At  present  the  business  is  conducted 
by  Ewald  William  Dierssen,  secretary  and  treasurer,  who  has  entire 
management  and  is  the  active  head  of  the  concern ;  Frederick 
Dierssen  is  the  president  and  Ferdinand  Dierssen  vice-president. 
The  company  employs  on  an  average  of  150  men  and  is  one  of  the 
most  prosperous  of  its  kind  in  the  city.  Its  reputation  is  excellent 
and  due  to  the  high  grade  of  products  and  the  clean  management  of 
the  mill.  Among  their  later  contracts  have  been  the  following: 
Part  of  the  interior  work  on  the  new  county  building,  frames  and 
sash  for  the  LaSalle  hotel,  Blackstone  hotel.  People's  Gas,  Light 
&  Coke  company  and  the  new  Chicago  &  Northwestern  depot.  They 
have  furnished  the  frames  and  sash  and  interior  finish  for  the  new 
Cook  county  poor  farm  at  Oak  Forest.  They  furnished  the  mill 
work  for  fully  one-fourth  of  all  recent  school  buildings  erected  and 
many  residences  throughout  the  city  and  the  north  shore,  in  fact 
they  rank  first  in  this  line  of  business. 

Frederick  Dierking  (deceased)  was  a  pioneer  of  Leyden  township 

Vol.  I — 41. 


710  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

and  the  son  of  Christian  and  Louisa  (Roders)  Dierking.  The 
father  was  born  in  December,  1804,  and  was  a  farmer  by  occupa- 
tion. He  also  followed  the  occupation  of  merchant  tailoring  in  his 
native  land.  His  wife,  Louisa,  was  born  in  Hanover,  December  24, 
1804.  Christian  came  to  America  in  1846  in  company  with  several 
of  his  neighbors  from  Germany,  among  whom  was  Dietrich  Kolze. 
Christian  Dierking  stopped  in  the  state  of  New  York  for  "one  year 
and  there  worked  on  a  farm.  In  the  fall  of  1847  he  came  to  Leyden 
township  and  bought  eighty  acres  of  wild  land  near  the  homes  of 
several  acquaintances.  In  the  middle  of  November,  1848,  Chris- 
tian's family  came  on  from  the  fatherland,  and  all  occupied  a  log 
house  during  the  following  winter  on  the  Louis  Smith  farm  in 
DuPage  county.  Members  of  the  family  differ  as  to  these  dates  and 
circumstances.  Henry  and  Frederick  were  depended  upon  to  im- 
prove the  farm.  One  winter,  two  years  later,  having  nothing  to  do, 
they  went  in  seach  of  employment  down  the  river  to  New  Orleans 
and  there  witnessed  some  of  the  horrors  of  slavery — saw  colored 
men  and  women  sold  at  auction.  They  also  told  of  having  seen  men 
gambling  with  immense  piles  of  gold  before  them.  They  secured 
employment  on  a  steamboat  running  up  the  Albany  river,  but  re- 
turned to  Illinois  the  following  spring. 

Frederick,  born  April  3,  1832,  in  Gilden,  Hanover,  had  also  a 
common  school  education  and  was  between  eighteen  and  nineteen 
years  old  when  he  came  to  America.  Upon  reaching  his  majority 
he  began  work  for  himself,  carefully  saving  his  money.  In  1857  he 
bought  113  acres  of  land  in  Leyden  township,  paying  down  $600  and 
agreeing  in  the  end  to  pay  $45  per  acre.  On  February  12,  1858, 
he  married  Christianna  Kohler,  born  in  Meucha  Sachsen,  Altenburg, 
Germany,  December  10,  1838,  the  daughter  of  Jacob  and  Christine 
(Gruner)  Kohler.  Her  father  was  a  bridge  builder's  foreman.  His 
children  were  Anna,  Sophia,  Herman  and  several  who  died  in  in- 
fancy. The  Kohlers  came  to  America  at  an  early  date  and  finally 
settled  in  Leyden  township.  Jacob  Kohler  died  in  1858  and  his 
widow  in  1872.  They  were  members  of  the  Evangelical  church. 
Christianna,  their  daughter,  as  above  stated,  married  Frederick 
Dierking.  She  received  in  youth  a  fair  education  and  was  con- 
firmed at  the  age  of  thirteen  years.  She  came  to  America  in  1852 
in  company  with  her  sister  Anna.  They  reached  New  York  in  May, 
1852.  Both  sisters  secured  employment.  She  was  sent  to  her 
mother's  sister  at  Watkin's  Glen,  N.  Y.  Near  there  she  first  worked 
for  fifty  cents  per  week,  but  later  for  better  wages.  She  worked 
and  saved  her  money  until  1854  and  then  came  to  Leyden  township. 
After  working  for  the  Dunlaps,  the  Thatchers,  the  Higgins  and 
William  H.  Sampson,  the  last  named  being  one  of  the  first  real 
estate  dealers  in  Chicago,  she  finally  married  as  above  stated.  She 
greatly  assisted  her  husband  to  pay  for  the  farm  and  also  to  make  an 
addition  of  eighty  acres  thereto  and  still  other  additions  later.  She 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  711 

made  many  trips  to  Chicago,  driving  the  horses  herself.  In  1887 
they  bought  a  place  in  Bensenville,  where  Mrs.  Dierking  now  re- 
sides. Mr.  Dierking  met  with  a  severe  accident  by  a  fall  from  an 
apple  tree  in  September,  1873,  and  by  another  mishap  bruised  his 
head  in  1887.  From  these  accidents  he  never  fully  recovered. 
Paralysis  set  in  and  he  finally  died  July  12,  1896.  Both  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Dierking  were  members  of  the  Evangelical  church.  He  was  a 
Republican,  an  honest  man  and  a  highly  respected  citizen.  He  occu- 
pied several  responsible  official  positions.  To  him  and  wife  were 
born  the  following  four  children:  Clara  Eliza,  born  March  11, 
1859,  died  May  12,  1863;  Anna  Caroline,  born  October  31,  1861, 
died  June  1,  1863;  Christian  Emil,  born  June  9,  1864,  in  Leyden 
township,  Cook  county,  Illinois,  married  Christine  Geils  of  Arling- 
ton Heights  on  May  12,  1887,  and  is  the  father  of  two  children, 
Fred  C.  being  the  name  of  the  only  one  living;  and  Edna  Louisa, 
born  October  28,  1869,  married  Dr.  H.  W.  F.  Bartells  on  February 
12,  1887,  and  is  the  mother  of  six  children,  the  following  now  living : 
Edna  E.,  John  C.,  and  Ina  L.  Mrs.  Dierking  is  yet  living  and  is 
remarkably  well  preserved  for  her  age.  The  following  verse  from 
the  scriptures,  learned  early  in  life,  has  always  been  a  source  of 
comfort  to  her :  "And  that  from  a  child  thou  hast  known  the  holy 
scriptures,  which  are  able  to  make  thee  wise  unto  salvation  through 
faith  which  is  in  Christ  Jesus." 

William  Henry  Dierking  was  born  in  Hanover,  Germany,  May 
24,  1845,  and  is  the  son  of  Christian  and  Louisa  (Roders)  Dierking. 
The  father  was  born  in  December,  1804,  in  Hanover.  He  was  the 
son  of  a  fanner  and  early  in  life  was  left  an  orphan.  He  engaged  in 
farming  in  boyhood  and  in  time  owned  a  small  place  in  the  father- 
land at  Nieuhagen.  However,  in  early  life  he  learned  merchant 
tailoring  which  occupation  he  followed  more  or  less  afterwards. 
His  wife,  Louisa  Roders,  was  born  in  Hanover,  December  24,  1804. 
Christian  and  Louisa  were  the  parents  of  five  children  who  lived  to 
maturity:  Louisa,  born  1828;  Dorthea,  born  1830;  Frederick,  born 
April  3,  1832;  Henry,  born  1834,  and  William  H.  All  the  children 
were  probably  born  at  Gilton  Amt  Ahlde. 

In  1846  Christian  alone  came  to  America  accompanied  by  friends 
from  the  old  home.  He  landed  in  New  York  City  and  after  a  short 
time  came  West  to  Bensenville,  Du  Page  county,  arriving  in  the 
autumn  of  1847.  He  bought  eighty  acres  of  wild  land  where  his 
son  now  lives  and  in  1849  brought  out  his  family  and  all  made  their 
home  on  the  new  farm.  The  first  home  was  a  rude  log  house  and 
was  occupied  for  several  years.  The  land  was  broken  by  Christian 
and  his  sons  with  ox  teams.  In  1856  a  good  frame  house  was 
erected.  The  family  were  members  of  the  St.  John's  Evangelical 
church  of  which  he  was  one  of  the  founders.  He  assisted  in  build- 
ing the  first  church  the  same  year  he  came  from  Germany.  He  was 
a  sturdy,  honest,  well  informed,  reliable  citizen.  He  died  at  the 
age  of  about  fifty-six  years.  His  wife  died  March  4,  1887. 


712  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

William  H.,  his  son,  was  three  years  old  when  he  was  brought 
to  America.  Members  of  the  family  differ  as  to  the  time  of  the 
arrival  in  America.  Several  say  they  came  in  November,  1848, 
and  lived  the  succeeding  winter  in  an  old  log  house  owned  by  Louis 
Smith  in  Du  Page  county.  William  H.  received  a  fair  education  in 
youth,  one  of  his  teachers  being  the  pastor  of  the  St.  John's  church. 
He  also  attended  the  district  school  in  his  neighborhood  and  a 
parochial  school  of  the  Evangelical  church  located  on  Lake  street, 
Chicago,  when  a  young  man.  He  was  confirmed  at  the  age  of  four- 
teen years.  Farming  has  been  his  occupation  through  life.  On 
April  7,  1865,  he  married  in  Leyden  township  Marie  Annie  Cath- 
erina  Duhne,  who  was  born  May  5,  1846. 

Her  father,  Henry,  was  born  in  Hanover,  Germany,  November 
8,  1808,  and  was  a  farmer  by  occupation.  In  1832  he  came  to  Amer- 
ica, landing  at  Baltimore.  Later  he  worked  two  years  in  Michigan, 
then  came  to  Chicago  and  a  little  later  to  Leyden  township.  There 
he  bought  ninety-five  acres  on  the  line  of  Du  Page  and  Cook  coun- 
ties, all  wild  land,  which  he  improved.  On  January  10,  1845,  he 
married  Annie  Adelaide  Franzen,  born  October  13,  1820,  who  came 
to  Leyden  township  in  1843.  Henry  Duhne  was  a  prominent  and 
substantial  citizen,  owning  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  land. 
His  children  were  Marie  Anna  and  Martha,  born  July  30,  1865. 
Henry  lived  to  be  fifty-two  years  old,  dying  December  11,  1864. 
His  widow  died  January  16,  1906,  aged  about  eighty-six  years. 

William  H.  Dierking  and  his  wife  lived  a  few  years  on  the  Henry 
Duhne  farm  and  then  located  permanently  on  the  Dierking  farm. 
They  improved  the  latter  materially  with  good  buildings,  fences,  etc. 
Their  children  are  as  follows :  Clara  M.,  born  November  26,  1865  ; 
Bertha,  born  May  20,  1872 ;  Otto  Fritz,  born  December  30,  1873 ; 
Emily,  born  November  18,  1875 ;  Walter  H.,  born  November  3, 
1877;  Robert,  born  May  17,  1880;  Gustav,  born  April  19,  1883; 
Herman,  born  October '20,  1886;  Augusta,  born  March  7,  1891. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dierking  are  members  of  the  St.  John's  church  of 
which  he  has  been  treasurer  for  six  years.  He  assisted  in  building 
the  present  church  structure.  In  politics  he  is  a  Republican.  He 
owns  one  hundred  and  forty  acres  of  excellent  land  with  orchards, 
out-houses  and  other  important  improvements.  The  family  is  well 
known  and  highly  respected.  Clara  married  Albert  Kolze  and  lives 
in  Du  Page  county ;  Bertha  A.  married  Henry  Lagershausen  and 
lives  in  Du  Page  county ;  Otto  F.  married  first  Ida  Landmeier  and 
second  Martha  Glander.  He  lives  in  Bensenville;  Emily  married 
Gustav  Landmeier  and  lives  in  Elk  Grove ;  Walter  married  Manda 
Wiemerslage  and  lives  in  the  town  of  Leyden.  The  other  children 
are  at  home  with  their  parents. 

William  Dillon,  attorney-at-law,  was  born  in  Brooklyn,  N.  Y., 
July  10.  1850,  and  is  a  son  of  John  B.  and  Adelaide  Dillon.  At  the 
time  of  his  birth  his  father  was  living  in  exile  because  of  his  par- 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  713 

ticipation  in  the  operations  of  the  Young  Ireland  party.  The  father 
returned  to  Ireland  in  1856  and  was  a  member  of  Parliament  from 
County  Tipperary  at  the  time  of  his  death.  He  distinguished  him- 
self in  fighting  for  the  rights  of  Ireland. 

His  son  William  was  educated  in  the  schools  of  his  native  land 
and  finished  at  the  Catholic  university  in  Dublin.  He  then  began 
the  study  of  law  and  was  called  to  the  Irish  bar  in  1874.  He  began 
the  practice  and  continued  successfully  until  compelled  to  relinquish 
it  by  reason  of  his  health  in  1880.  He  then  came  to  the  United 
States  and  went  to  Colorado  where  he  remained  until  1893,  spend- 
ing a  portion  of  his  time  on  a  cattle  range  and  resuming  the  prac- 
tice of  law.  While  there  in  1885  he  married  Elizabeth  Ratcliff.  In 
June,  1893,  he  came  to  Chicago  and  in  March  of  the  following  year 
became  editor  of  the  New  World,  a  Catholic  weekly,  with  which 
he  was  connected  until  1902.  Since  then  he  has  been  engaged  in  the 
general  practice  of  law.  He  is  a  Democrat  and  a  member  of  the 
Knights  of  Columbus,  Catholic  Order  of  Foresters,  Iroquois  club 
and  Illinois  Athletic  club.  His  office  is  at  59  Clark  street  and  his 
residence  at  1321  Lunt  avenue. 

Charles  Doctor  was  born  on  Section  17,  Orland  township,  in  the 
house  in  which  he  is  now  residing,  the  same  being  the  old  homestead 
of  his  father.  He  is  the  son  of  Joseph  Doctor,  a  native  of  Alsace- 
Lorraine,  France  (now  Germany),  and  was  born  on  October  16, 
1823,  who  was  himself  the  son  of  Joseph  Francis  Doctor  or  Docteur, 
as  the  name  was  originally  spelled  in  French.  Joseph  Francis  Doctor 
was  likewise  a  native  of  Alsace-Lorraine,  France,  and  there  married 
Jane  Dominique  Mayer  who  was  a  native  of  the  same  province.  In 
1831  the  father  came  with  his  family  to  the  United  States  and  set- 
tled near  Cape  Vincent,  N.  Y.,  where  he  purchased  land  and  lived 
until  death.  He  and  wife  were  the  parents  of  six  children. 

Joseph,  the  father  of  Charles,  was  the  eldest  of  the  family.  He 
was  reared  a  fanner  and  followed  that  occupation  during  life.  In 
1844  he  came  to  Cook  county  and  first  secured  employment  in  Chi- 
cago with  Philo  Carpenter,  a  pioneer  of  the  city.  The  next  spring 
he  went  to  Lockport,  Will  county,  and  worked  on  the  farm  of  Hiram 
Norton,  continuing  about  two  years.  He  then  became  a  canal  boat- 
man between  Chicago  and  LaSalle.  but  two  years  later  secured  other 
work  on  the  canal,  but  in  winter  time  worked  in  the  flour  mill  of 
Norton  &  Company  in  Lockport.  On  May  9,  1848,  he  married 
Marie  B.  James,  a  native  of  Holland,  born  May  4,  1820,  but  reared 
in  Belgium  mostly.  Her  father  died  when  she  was  a  child  and  her 
mother  married  again  and  moved  to  America  in  1847,  settling  in 
Chicago.  In  1849  Joseph  Doctor  bought  eighty  acres  in  Orland 
township  where  Charles  his  son  now  resides.  He  settled  on  this 
farm  in  1854.  In  March,  1850,  he  crossed  the  plains  on  his  way 
to  California,  traveling  as  far  as  Salt  Lake  City  by  horses  and  wagon. 
They  traded  their  horses  to  the  Mormons  for  oxen  and  continued 


714  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

on  to  the  diggins  in  California.  There  he  remained  for  four  years, 
meeting  with  fair  success  and  in  August,  1854,  returned  to  Cook 
county  and  settled  on  his  farm  in  Orland  township.  There  he  re- 
sided until  his  death.  He  was  an  enterprising,  progressive  citizen 
and  a  Democrat  in  politics,  but  during  the  Lincoln  campaign  changed 
his  views  and  voted  for  Mr.  Lincoln  in  1860.  Ever  after  he  was  a 
strong  Republican.  He  served  as  commissioner  of  highways,  school 
trustee  and  school  director  and  was  instrumental  in  establishing  the 
first  school  in  the  district.  He  died  July  1,  1902,  after  an  active, 
useful  and  correct  life.  His  wife  died  October  2,  1906.  At  the 
time  of  his  death  Joseph  Doctor  owned  two  hundred  and  forty  acres 
in  Orland  township  and  two  hundred  acres  in  Indiana.  He  and  wife 
were  the  parents  of  six  children  as  follows :  Joseph  F.,  born  June 
15,  1849,  now  living  in  Ontario,  Canada;  George,  born  April  10, 
1855,  lives  in  White  county,  Indiana;  Oliver,  born  February  22, 
1857,  resides  in  Newton  county,  Indiana;  Lewis,  born  August  22, 
1859,  died  December  11,  1860;  Charles  mentioned  above,  born 
August  2,  1864 ;  Ellen,  born  May  12,  1867,  died  September  27,  1868. 

Charles  was  reared  a  farmer  and  has  followed  that  occupation 
during  life.  He  was  educated  in  the  district  schools,  the  Englewood 
High  school  and  Cook  County  Normal  school.  On  May  19,  1886, 
in  Chicago  he  married  Mary  E.  Tilsy,  a  native  of  Will  county,  born 
November  25,  1864,  a  daughter  of  William  and  Dora  (Holm)  Tilsy. 
Her  parents  were  natives  of  Germany  and  came  to  Cook  county  in 
youth.  They  were  married  in  Chicago  and  later  lived  in  Will 
county  where  the  father  died  in  1883,  but  the  mother  still  survives. 
The  Tilsys  were  the  parents  of  five  children :  Lewis,  William, 
Mary  E.,  Henry  and  Caroline.  Charles  Doctor  owns  the  old  home- 
stead of  two  hundred  and  forty  acres,  also  twenty  additional  acres 
adjoining,  and  his  wife  owns  an  adjoining  tract  of  forty  acres.  He 
and  wife  have  the  following  children :  Lawrence  W.,  born  April  19, 
1887;  Ray  W.,  born  February  22,  1891 ;  Esther  B.,  born  July  21, 
1892;  Amil  J.,  born  January  7,  1897.  Mr.  Doctor  is  a  member  of 
the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America,  a  Republican,  and  takes  much 
interest  in  public  affairs.  He  has  been  school  director  for  more  than 
twenty  years,  a  justice  of  the  peace  and  has  been  a  notary  public 
for  ten  years.  He  is  one  of  the  most  enterprising,  public  spirited 
and  prominent  citizens  of  this  community. 

Edmund  A.  Drach  was  bom  at  the  corner  of  Clark  and  Huron 
streets,  Chicago,  on  March  21,  1859,  and  is  a  son  of  Joseph  and 
Sophia  ( Rochelsberg)  Drach,  who  came  to  the  city  from  Cologne. 
Germany,  in  1855.  Joseph,  the  father,  was  a  practicing  musician  of 
eminence— was  a  well-known  flutist — and  was  a  member  of  the  or- 
chestra in  the  old  Crosby  opera  house.  After  coming  here  he  re- 
mained a  resident  until  his  death.  He  was  connected  with  all  the 
leading  musical  organizations  and  entertainments  of  the  citv  during 
that  early  period  of  artistic  development.  His  home  on  Sedgwick 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  715 

street  near  Lincoln  Park  was  destroyed  in  the  great  fire  of  1871. 
He  died  in  1874. 

His  son  Edmund  was  educated  in  the  public  schools,  finishing  in 
the  old  Newberry  school  building.  After  receiving  a  thorough  musi- 
cal training  he  became  a  practical  flutist  and  played  in  the  principal 
theatres  here  until  1897,  except  during  five  years,  1880-1885,  when 
he  was  a  resident  of  St.  Louis  and  played  in  the  Grand  opera  house 
there.  From  1885  to  1898  he  was  secretary  of  the  Chicago  Musical 
Society  and  was  one  of  the  national  officers  of  the  national  organiza- 
tion for  eight  years.  This  organization  was  the  National  League 
of  Musicians  of  America.  In  1898  he  embarked  in  the  real  estate 
business  at  Lincoln  and  Diversey  avenues,  doing  a  general  real  estate 
loan  and  insurance  business.  In  1907  he  located  in  Ravenswood, 
907  (now  1423)  Wilson  avenue.  Mr.  Drach  has  ever  been  active  in 
ward  and  local  politics  generally.  In  1883  he  married  Emilie  Deicke 
of  St.  Louis,  and  they  have  the  following  children :  Eugenie,  born 
in  March,  1884;  Edmund  L.,  born  January,  1887,  and  Carl  Harrison, 
born  in  November,  1898.  The  family  resides  at  695  (now  1721) 
Leland  avenue. 

William  Obed  Duntley,  president  of  the  Chicago  Pneumatic  Tool 
Company  of  New  Jersey,  is  a  native  of  Michigan,  his  birth  occur- 
ring July  21,  1867,  at  Wyandotte,  and  he  is  a  son  of  John  F.  and 
Mary  (Lyons)  Duntley.  The  father  was  a  foundryman  during  his 
early  business  career,  later  becoming  identified  with  the  Chicago 
Pneumatic  Tool  company,  of  which  he  became  vice-president.  He 
is  at  present  looking  after  the  general  interests  of  the  company, 
and  particularly  is  active  in  the  management  of  the  Detroit  factory. 

William  O.  Duntley  received  his  education  in  the  public  and  high 
schools  of  Detroit  and  when  seventeen  years  old  began  serving  an 
apprenticeship  as  an  electrician.  Two  years  later  he  came  to  Chi- 
cago and  began  working  in  the  electrical  department  of  the  estab- 
lishment of  E.  Baggott,  continuing  thus  until  1894,  the  last  two  years 
acting  as  manager  of  his  employer's  St.  Louis  store.  In  1895  he 
entered  the  employ  of  the  Chicago  Pneumatic  Tool  company  of 
Chicago  as  traveling  salesman,  continuing  in  this  capacity  until  1898, 
when  he  was  promoted  to  general  sales  manager.  From  this  time 
on  his  advancement  in  the  company  was  rapid.  In  1900  he  was 
made  general  manager,  and  in  1901  elected  vice-president,  succeed- 
ing his  father  on  the  board  of  directors.  In  1902,  at  the  time  of 
the  reorganization  of  the  company  and  when  the  name  was  changed 
to  the  Chicago  Pneumatic  Tool  Company  of  New  Jersey,  the  capital 
stock  was  increased  to  $10,000,000,  and  Mr.  Duntley  was  elected 
vice-president  and  general  manager.  He  continued  in  this  capacity 
until  February  15,  1909,  when  he  was  elected  president  of  the  cor- 
poration to  succeed  his  brother,  J.  W.  Duntley,  who  had  resigned. 

The  Chicago  Pneumatic  Tool  company  is  the  largest  of  its  kind 
in  the  world,  having  plants  located  at  Franklin,  Pa. ;  Cleveland,  O. ; 


716  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

Detroit,  Mich. ;  Montreal,  Canada ;  Fraiserburg,  Scotland,  and  St. 
Petersburg,  Russia.  Under  normal  conditions  2,000  hands  are 
given  employment,  and  their  product  is  used  throughout  the  civilized 
world. 

Mr.  Duntley  is  one  of  Chicago's  best  known  substantial  business 
men.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Union  League  club,  the  South  Shore 
Country  club,  the  Automobile  club,  the  Illinois  Athletic  association 
and  the  Colonial  club  of  Chicago,  the  Missouri  Athletic  club  of  St. 
Louis  and  the  New  York  Athletic  and  Machinery  clubs  of  New 
York.  He  belongs  to  the  Masonic  fraternity,  is  a  Republican 
in  politics  and  a  Methodist  in  religion.  October  15,  1898,  he 
married  Miss  Elizabeth  Arnold  and  they  have  two  children  named 
Crawford  and  Blanche.  Mr.  Duntley's  office  is  at  1010  Fisher  build- 
ing and  his  residence  at  688  East  Forty-eighth  place. 

Dr.  Charles  Orpha  Du  Plessis  was  born  at  Syracuse,  N.  Y.,  Sep- 
tember 17,  1853,  a  son  of  Odilon  and  M.  Rosalie  Du  Plessis.  In 
both  lines  he  traced  his  ancestry  to  France,  but  it  had  for  several 
generations  been  confined  to  Canada,  where  his  parents  were  born. 
Odilon  Du  Plessis  was  a  contractor  and  builder.  Dr.  Du  Plessis 
attended  grammar  school  and  high  school  in  Syracuse  till,  at  fifteen, 
he  began  to  serve  an  apprenticeship  under  his  father. 

He  developed  a  taste  for  athletics  and  attained  to  much  proficiency 
as  an  athlete,  and  in  1870,  when  he  came,  aged  seventeen,  to  Chicago 
with  his  father's  family,  he  became  a  night  instructor  in  athletics 
at  the  Chicago  Athenaeum,  then  at  50  Dearborn  street,  while  em- 
ployed by  day  in  his  father's  contracting  and  building  business.  In 
1876  he  devoted  himself  exclusively  to  athletics  and  until  1881  was 
professor  of  physical  culture  at  the  Athenaeum,  then  resigned  to 
accept  a  like  position  at  the  Northwestern  university,  Evanston.  In 
1883  he  went  to  Minneapolis  and  erected  gymnasiums  there  and 
at  St.  Paul. 

In  1884  he  began  the  study  of  medicine  at  the  Minnesota  Hospital 
college,  Minneapolis,  and  was  graduated  with  the  Medical  Doctor's 
degree  in  March,  1888.  In  1888-89  he  was  assistant  city  physician 
of  Minneapolis  and  in  1890  he  returned  to  Chicago  and  during  the 
ensuing  year  was  connected  with  the  A.  G.  Spalding  sporting  goods 
establishment.  After  a  part  of  a  year  spent  as  superintendent  of  the 
Detroit  Athletic  club,  he  was  recalled  to  work  for  Mr.  Spalding. 
But  he  soon  made  a  tour  of  the  East  for  the  inspection  of  the  best 
gymnasiums,  and  when  he  came  back  superintended  the  erection  of 
the  gymnasium  of  the  Chicago  Athletic  association.  At  the  solicita- 
tion of  many  prominent  physicians  of  Chicago,  who  had  come  to 
recognize  the  value  of  massage  and  physical  culture  in  the  treat- 
ments of  certain  ailments,  Dr.  Du  Plessis  in  1893  established  himself 
in  Chicago  on  the  South  side  as  an  expert  masseur  and  physical  cul- 
turist.  His  clientele,  sent  to  him  by  influential  practitioners,  was 
drawn  from  among  the  wealthy.  While  engaged  in  this  work  he 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

carefully  kept  up  his  connection  with  athletics  and  general  field 
sports. 

In  1898  he  was  elected  handicapper  for  the  Amateur  Athletic  as- 
sociation. He  was  in  constant  demand  by  the  principal  colleges  of 
the  Northwest  as  starter  and  field  judge,  in  which  capacities  he  acted 
at  every  important  athletic  meet  for  athletic  societies  and  miscel- 
laneous athletic  organizations  in  Chicago  and  was  employed  by  the 
A.  G.  Spalding  company  to  write  up  the  histories  and  records  for 
their  yearly  Sporting  Almanac,  also  by  the  Daily  News  to  write  up 
their  annual  records  published  in  their  paper  and  Almanac. 

In  1902  he  passed  a  civil  service  examination  and  was  made 
superintendent  of  playgrounds  at  all  the  small  parks  in  the  city, 
but  other  demands  upon  him  were  so  imperative  that  he  soon  gladly 
relinquished  the  position.  He  passed  another  civil  service  examina- 
tion in  1907  with  a  view  to  accepting  the  same  position  but  died  sud- 
denly of  heart  disease  April  1 1,  that  year,  at  3104  South  Park  avenue 
and  was  buried  at  Rosehill.  Dr.  Du  Plessis  married  Mrs.  Addie 
Taylor  of  Chicago,  May  10,  1879.  His  life  was  a  remarkably  clean 
one,  devoid  of  excesses  or  dangerous  indulgences  of  any  kind,  and 
his  lovable  character  won  the  high  regard  of  all  who  knew  him. 

Walter  E.  Dwight,  president  of  the  village  of  Oak  Park,  is  a 
descendant  of  the  New  Haven  family  of  Dwights,  the  progenitor  of 
which  came  to  America  and  settled  in  Connecticut  in  1634.  His 
mother,  Sarah  (Northrop)  Dwight,  was  of  the  family  of  Northrop 
which  for  more  than  300  years  was  prominently  identified  with  New 
England  history.  Corydon  G.  Dwight,  the  father  of  Walter  E., 
was  an  expert  brass  moulder  and  during  the  Civil  War  had  important 
contracts  with  the  government.  He  had  enlisted  in  the  Thirteenth 
Connecticut  volunteer  infantry  of  which  he  was  made  colonel,  but 
owing  to  his  expert  knowledge  of  brass  furnishings  and  foundings, 
he  was  induced  to  give  up  service  in  the  ranks  in  order  that  this 
knowledge  could  be  utilized  by  the  Ordnance  department.  Owing 
to  failing  health  he  moved  to  a  farm  in  Michigan  in  1866,  and  three 
years  later  settled  in  the  village  of  Plainwell,  where  he  yet  resides 
at  the  age  of  eighty-one,  retired  from  active  business  pursuits. 

Walter  E.  Dwight  has  had  a  varied  experience  during  the  past 
thirty  years.  He  was  born  at  New  Haven,  Conn.,  June  14,  1860, 
and  when  six  years  old  was  taken  by  his  parents  to  Michigan.  After 
graduating  from  the  high  school  at  Plainwell  he  took  a  course  in  the 
State  Normal  school  at  Ypsilanti,  then  for  two  years  worked  on  the 
farm  summers  at  $12  and  $13  per  month  and  in  winters  taught  dis- 
trict school  at  $35  per  month.  In  1880  he  began  working  at  paper- 
making  in  Yorkville,  III,  where  he  acquired  a  practical  knowledge 
of  the  business.  In  1881  he  went  to  Leadville,  Colo.,  where  for  six 
years  he  was  employed  as  a  bank  clerk  and  also  invested  in  mines 
at  which  he  made  money.  In  1887  he  returned  to  Michigan  where 
he  bought  and  for  five  years  operated  a  fouring  mill.  While  there 


718  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

he  took  an  active  interest  in  political  matters  and  although  in  no 
sense  a  politician  in  the  general  acceptation  of  that  word,  he  was 
nominated  and  elected  as  a  Republican  to  the  office  of  treasurer  of 
the  town  of  Gun  Plains.  In  1892  he  moved  to  Chicago  and  for  the 
last  twelve  years  has  resided  at  Oak  Park.  On  coming  here  he  em- 
barked in  the  wholesale  paper  business  with  his  brother,  A.  H. 
Dwight,  and  the  present  corporation  of  the  Dwight  Brothers  Paper 
company  is  one  of  the  leaders  of  its  line  in  the  West.  While  his 
business  career  has  been  one  of  strenuousity,  Mr.  Dwight  has  found 
time  to  cultivate  some  of  the  social  amenities  of  life.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Masonic  fraternity,  of  the  Chicago  Press  club,  of  which 
he  is  a  life  member ;  the  Union  League  club  and  the  Oak  Park  and 
Colonial  clubs,  the  last  two  being  located  in  Oak  Park.  In  1908  he 
was  elected  trustee  of  Oak  Park.  Evidently  his  services  were  appre- 
ciated for  one  year  later,  in  April,  1909,  he  was  elected  president  of 
the  village.  While  in  Leadville,  in  1883,  he  married  Miss  Clarabelle 
Stiff  who  died  in  Oak  Park  in  1903,  leaving  one  daughter,  Inez  C., 
now  Mrs.  Harold  Parsons,  of  Austin.  In  1904  he  married  Miss 
Jane  C.  Pither.  Mrs.  Dwight  is  a  member  of  the  Episcopal  church. 
Mr.  Dwight  affiliates  with  the  Congregationalists. 

Col.  B.  A.  Eckhart,  president  of  the  West  Chicago  Park  Com- 
missioners, was  born  in  Alsace,  Germany.  His  parents  came  to 
America  soon  after  his  birth  and  settled  on  a  farm  in  Vernon  county, 
Wisconsin.  He  attended  the  country  schools  until  he  was  seven- 
teen years  old  when  he  entered  college  at  Milwaukee,  where  after 
three  years  he  was  graduated  with  honor.  In  1870  he  came  to  Chicago 
as  the  representative  of  the  Eagle  Milling  company  of  Milwaukee, 
but  four  years  later  founded  the  firm  of  Eckhart  &  Swan,  which 
later  became  the  Eckhart  &  Swan  Milling  company  and  of  which  he 
is  now  president.  They  have  the  largest  flour  mills  in  the  state  and 
one  of  the  largest  concerns  of  the  kind  in  the  country.  He  has  been 
very  active  and  prominent  in  business.  From  1888  to  1891  he  was 
a  director  of  the  Chicago  board  of  trade.  In  1902  he  was  elected 
the  first  president  of  the  Millers'  National  Federation,  and  was  re- 
elected  in  1903.  He  was  director  of  the  Illinois  Manufacturers' 
association  from  December,  1900  to  1905,  and  was  its  vice-president 
in  1902,  and  its  president  in  1903.  In  1908  he  served  as  vice- 
president  of  the  National  Council  of  Commerce.  He  is  a  director 
of  the  Continental  National  bank,  Harris  Trust  &  Savings  bank,  and 
Chicago  Title  &  Trust  company.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Chicago, 
Union  League,  Commercial,  Merchants,  Illinois  and  Onwentsia  clubs. 

Colonel  Eckhart  has  been  very  active  and  prominent  in  public  life. 
He  served  in  the  Thirty-fifth  and  Thirty-sixth  General  Assemblies, 
and  in  the  former  was  a  member  of  the  senate  commission  to  investi- 
gate the  subject  of  pure  water  supply  and  perfect  drainage  for  the 
city  of  Chicago.  He  is  entitled  to  vast  credit  for  establishing  the 
Sanitary  district  of  Chicago.  In  1891  he  was  nominated  against  his 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  719 

express  wishes  a  member  of  the  board  of  trustees  of  the  Sanitary 
district  of  Chicago  and  so  popular  was  his  nomination  he  ran  10,000 
votes  ahead  of  his  ticket.  As  such  official  he  served  continuously  as 
chairman  of  the  Finance  committee  until  the  expiration  of  his 
service.  Under  him  the  enormous  sale  of  bonds  was  effected  without 
the  shadow  of  graft  or  dishonor  and  with  the  greatest  possible 
celerity  and  economy.  In  1896  he  was  elected  president  of  the 
board.  In  1898  he  was  instrumental  in  defeating  the  scheme  to  lease 
the  water  power  for  fifty  years.  In  1905  by  appointment  of  the 
Governor,  he  became  a  member  of  the  West  Chicago  Park  commis- 
sioners, and  was  elected  president  of  that  body  the  next  day.  In 
1905  he  became  a  delegate  of  the  Chicago  Charter  convention,  and 
was  chairman  of  the  committee  on  rules,  procedure  and  general  plans. 
Under  his  administration  the  entire  West  Park  system  was  re- 
habilitated. He  was  active  in  organizing  the  First  regiment  Illinois 
State  Guards  and  held  a  commission  in  that  body  for  a  number  of 
years.  In  1906  he  was  appointed  by  Governor  Deneen  as  aide-de- 
camp on  the  general  staff  with  the  rank  of  colonel. 
.  Herman  Euwema  was  born  April  15,  1874,  and  is  a  son  of  Peter 
and  Martha  (Dykhuis)  Euwema.  The  parents  were  natives  of 
Groningen,  Holland,  and  there  the  father  is  still  living  and  actively 
engaged  in  farming.  To  him  and  wife  seven  children  were  born — • 
Jacob,  Ralph,  Bonne,  Herman,  Hiltje  and  two  who  died  in  infancy. 
Jacob,  the  eldest,  is  still  a  citizen  of  Holland,  while  Bonne,  Ralph 
and  Herman  are  living  in  the  United  States.  The  mother  died  in 
the  city  of  her  nativity  in  1904. 

The  education  of  Herman  Euwema,  the  subject  of  our  sketch, 
was  acquired  in  the  common  schools  of  his  native  land,  and  at  the 
age  of  twelve  years  he  began  the  active  duties  of  life  by  working 
with  his  father  on  the  farm.  In  1891  he  emigrated  to  America, 
coming  to  Chicago  and  securing  employment  on  a  truck  farm  at  52nd 
avenue  and  Van  Buren  street,  where  he  remained  two  years.  He 
carefully  saved  his  money  and  in  time  bought  a  wagon  and  team, 
doing  a  general  teaming  and  hauling  business.  In  1902  he  pur- 
chased two  lots  at  4043-5  West  Twelfth  street,  building  thereon 
a  storage  warehouse  and  operating  in  connection  with  this  a  hay, 
grain,  coal  and  feed  business.  His  building  is  48x80  feet  and  two 
stories  high,  with  stable  accommodations  for  ten  to  twelve  horses. 
Through  energy  and  hustle  Mr.  Euwema  has  built  up  a  large  and 
successful  business.  June  5,  1894.  he  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Alice  Laman,  of  Chicago,  and  to  them  were  born  the  following  six 
children:  Peter,  twelve  years  old;  John,  ten;  Ralph,  nine;  Josie, 
seven;  Martha,  five,  and  George,  two.  The  family  home  is  at  1217 
South  Forty-first  avenue. 

AN  OLD  ESTABLISHED  BUSINESS.  A  Chicago  house  enjoys  the 
distinction  of  carrying  on  a  business,  the  foundation  of  which  was 
laid  in  the  latter  part  of  the  eighteenth  century. 


720  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

Down  in  the  valley  of  the  Antietam,  surrounded  by  its  majestic 
hills,  there  lived  in  the  latter  part  of  the  eighteenth  century  in  Penn- 
sylvania, an  old  Swiss-German  doctor  named  Peter  Fahrney.  Old 
Dr.  Peter,  as  he  was  familiarly  called,  was  if  ever  one  existed  a  child 
of  nature ;  he  was  also  a  born  physician. 

His  quiet,  pastoral  life  gave  him  special  opportunities  for  study 
and  investigation  in  the  realm  of  botanic  medicine.  His  old  herb 
books,  ponderous  tomes,  printed  shortly  after  the  art  of  printing  was 
invented,  bear  evidence  in  the  form  of  notations  made  in  his  own 
handwriting  what  an  indefatigable  worker  and  student  he  was. 
Here  and  there  throughout  their  pages  one  finds  additions  to  the 
printed  text  concerning  the  characteristics  and  medicinal  value  of 
this  and  that  herb  as  well  as  other  important  data. 

These  old  herb  books,  now  doubly  valuable  on  account  of  their 
age  and  family  association,  are  in  the  possession  of  his  great-grand- 
sons, the  present  proprietors  of  the  business  which  he  established 
in  that  "long  ago"  and  of  whom  we  shall  speak  later. 

Owing  to  his  skill  as  a  physician  and  helpfulness  as  a  man,  old 
Dr.  Peter  became  widely  known,  in  spite  of  the  then  limited  means 
of  communication,  not  only  throughout  the  settlements  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, but  also  in  the  adjacent  states  of  Maryland  and  Virginia. 
His  fame  was,  however,  largely  attributed  to  an  herb-remedy  which 
he  prepared  as  a  "blood  purge"  for  the  sick. 

People  were  known  to  come  in  those  days  as  far  as  fifty  and 
even  a  hundred  miles  on  horseback  and  by  wagon  over  rough 
country  roads  and  mountain  trails,  to  get  this  remedy  from  his 
hands.  It  enjoyed  a  wonderful  popularity  as  a  household  remedy 
among  the  people. 

Old  Dr.  Peter  was  succeeded  by  his  son.  Dr.  Jacob  Fahrney,  who 
received  all  the  knowledge  of  the  healing  art  which  such  a  father 
could  bestow  upon  a  son  and  who  continued  to  prepare  the  remedy 
which  had  won  such  renown  for  his  father. 

Dr.  Jacob  was  in  turn  succeeded  by  his  son,  Dr.  Peter  Fahrney — 
grandson  and  namesake  of  the  old  Dr.  Peter.  He  graduated  from 
the  Jefferson  Medical  college  in  Philadelphia,  where  he  made  the 
study  of  pharmacy  his  specialty.  He  did  this  in  order  to  enable 
him  to  put  up  the  "blood  purge"  in  a  liquid  and  more  modern  form. 

The  outbreak  of  the  Civil  war,  however,  interfered  with  all 
enterprises.  Chambersburg  was  laid  in  ashes.  Many  of  the  in- 
gredients used  in  making  the  medicine  could  not  be  obtained  at  any 
price  and  business  was  practically  at  a  standstill. 

In  1869  Dr.  Peter  Fahrney  opened  a  laboratory  in  Chicago,  in 
Dearborn  street.  Two  years  later  the  great  fire  destroyed  his 
laboratory  together  with  thousands  of  other  business  houses.  In 
less  than  three  days,  however,  he  had  made  arrangements  to  begin 
anew  and  in  a  few  weeks  was  again  shipping  to  all  parts  of  the 
country.  In  order  to  get  ample  facilities  for  handling  the  rapidly 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  721 

increasing  business,  he  finally  located  at  112-118  So.  Hoyne  avenue. 
Here  stands  to-day,  a  substantial  five-story  brick  building  devoted 
exclusively  to  the  manufacture  of  family  medicine.  It  contains  a 
floor  space  of  about  45,000  sq.  feet.  Its  laboratory  is  one  of  the 
most  extensive  and  best  equipped  of  its  kind.  The  Fahrney  medicines 
are  now  being  shipped  to  every  part  of  the  civilized  world  and  the 
demand  at  home  is  greater  than  ever. 

In  1890  the  business  was  incorporated  under  the  name  Dr.  Peter 
Fahrney  &  Sons  Co.,  his  four  sons,  whom  he  had  zealously  trained 
in  the  business,  having  been  admitted  into  the  enterprise.  Such  is 
in  brief  the  record  of  one  of  Chicago's  most  substantial  business 
houses — a  house  whose  history  dates  back  over  a  century.  The 
present  officers  are  composed  of :  E.  C.  Fahrney,  president ;  W.  H. 
Fahrney,  vice-president;  J.  H.  Fahrney,  treasurer;  E.  H.  Fahrney, 
secretary. 

Possibly  no  name  is  more  widely  known  to  Chicago  people  than 
that  of  Arthur  Burrage  Farwell  who  has  for  many  years  taken 
such  an  active  and  aggressive  personal  interest  in  all  that  makes  for 
the  clean  administration  of  local  governmental  affairs.  Mr.  Farwell 
was  born  October  2,  1852,  at  Leominster,  Mass.  Until  his  seven- 
teenth year  he  assisted  his  father  in  the  management  of  a  farm 
owned  by  the  family  and  located  near  the  town  limits.  He  attended 
village  and  preparatory  schools,  but  in  1869,  fired  with  an  ambition 
to  become  a  factor  in  the  economy  of  things,  he  came  to  Chicago, 
then  in  the  hey-day  of  one  of  her  phenomenal  eras  of  business  pros- 
perity. His  first  commercial  venture  was  as  clerk  in  the  office  of 
the  Babcock  Extinguisher  company,  of  which  his  brother  was  sec- 
retary. He  occupied  this  place  about  one  year  and  then  entered 
the  employ  of  J.  V.  Farwell  &  Co.,  remaining  with  this  great  dry 
goods  firm  until  1876,  gradually  advancing  from  the  position  of 
stock  clerk  to  that  of  traveling  salesman.  He  experienced  all  the 
vicissitudes  of  the  Farwell  fire  of  1870  and  the  fire  catastrophe  of 
1871. 

In  1876,  after  leaving  Farwell  &  Co.,  he  connected  himself  with 
C.  M.  Henderson  &  Co.,  for  many  years  recognized  as  one  of  Chi- 
cago's great  factors  in  the  wholesale  shoe  trade.  Here  Mr.  Far- 
well  remained  for  a  period  of  twenty-six  years,  when  the  Watson- 
Plummer  company  succeeded  to  the  business,  he  stayed  with  the 
latter  firm  five  years.  In  the  early  days  of  his  Chicago  residence, 
Mr.  Farwell  became  a  member  of  Plymouth  Congregational  church, 
located  at  Wabash  avenue  and  Hubbard  street,  the  present  home  of 
St.  Mary's  Catholic  congregation.  It  was  while  a  member  of  Dr. 
Bartlett's  church  that  Mr.  Farwell,  who  was  deeply  interested  in 
mission  work,  became  thoroughly  aroused  to  the  necessity  for  con- 
certed action  looking  to  the  moral  betterment  of  existing  local  con- 
ditions. He  entered  into  the  movement  for  reform  and  took  a  lead- 
ing position  in  the  work,  among  other  things  assisting  in  the  organ- 


722  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

ization  of  the  "Ballot  Box  Brigade,"  whose  efforts  in  the  direction 
of  political  reform  are  matters  of  history.  In  1880,  Mr.  Farwell 
was  chairman  of  the  Young  Men's  Republican  club,  and  took  an 
active  part  in  the  well  remembered  Brand-Lehman  legislative  con- 
test in  the  old  Eighteenth  ward.  At  this  time  he  distinguished 
himself  by  insisting  that  the  saloon  was  no  place  for  a  political  meet- 
ing, a  position  he  has  ever  since  maintained.  His  persistent  efforts 
in  this  connection  have  been  successful  to  the  extent  that  Mr.  Far- 
well  has  lived  to  see  the  day  when  politics  has  become  at  least 
measurably  free  from  the  domination  of  the  liquor  interests.  Mr. 
Farwell  removed  to  Hyde  Park  in  1885.  In  1890  he  was  elected 
chairman  of  the  finance  committee  of  the  Hyde  Park  Protective 
association,  and  in  1892  elected  secretary,  in  which  position  as  one 
of  the  executive  officers  of  the  association  he  has  always  contended 
that  the  laws  and  ordinances  must  be  enforced  and  the  Hyde 
Park  ordinances  were  to  hold  all  saloons  proscribed  within  the  dis- 
trict. This  is  due  to  the  efforts  of  Mr.  Farwell,  who  points  with 
pardonable  pride  to  the  fact  that  of  ten  saloon  cases,  appealed  to 
the  State  Supreme  court,  nine  have  been  decided  in  favor  of  decency, 
and  the  right  of  the  people  to  control  the  liquor  traffic.  Mr.  Far- 
well  believes  that  character  is  more  valuable  than  life  itself.  He 
has  proceeded  upon  that  principle  in  the  various  and  exciting  cam- 
paigns of  the  past,  and  as  president  of  the  Chicago  Law  and  Order 
League,  has  been  conspicuous  in  the  battle  for  the  supremacy  of  the 
laws,  decent  politics  and  honest  cleanly  administration  of  public 
affairs. 

Mr.  Farwell  was  married  on  Christmas  day,  1882,  at  Beverly, 
Mass.,  his  bride  being  Miss  Floretta  Woodberry.  The  family  con- 
sists of  one  boy  and  four  daughters,  one  son,  Burrage  having  died 
in  1888.  The  surviving  son,  Stanley  P.,  is  a  professor  in  Central 
university,  Danville,  Ky.  The  oldest  daughter,  Miss  Florence,  is 
teaching  at  Youngstown,  O.  Elizabeth  is  a  student  at  Lake  Erie 
college,  Painesville,  O.,  while  Louise  and  Dorothy  are  attending  the 
Hyde  Park  High  school.  The  family  home  is  at  5046  Jefferson 
avenue. 

Dr.  Geoffrey  J.  Fleming  of  Austin  was  born  on  the  West  Side, 
Chicago,  on  June  1,  1873,  and  is  the  son  of  James,  who  came  from 
Ireland  to  Chicago  in  the  early  '50s.  The  Fleming  family  went  from 
Flanders  to  England  about  the  time  of  the  Norman  conquest  and 
after  that  were  residents  of  Great  Britain.  A  particular  branch  of 
Flemings  of  which  the  subject  of  this  review  is  a  member  settled 
in  County  Coren,  Ireland,  and  there  they  engaged  in  farming.  Four 
brothers  of  the  family  came  to  Chicago,  Peter,  Geoffrey,  David  and 
James.  Here  they  prospered,  reared  families  and  passed  their  lives. 
James  was  the  father  of  Dr.  Geoffrey  J.  He  was  at  one  time  con- 
nected with  the  Chicago  water  works  department.  His  first  wife 
died  in  Chicago  and  his  second  wife,  Alice  Sheridan,  was  born  in 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  723 

Montreal,  Canada.  To  him  and  second  wife  were  born  the  follow- 
ing children:  Nellie,  Geoffrey  J.,  Alice,  Elizabeth,  Catherine,  Jo- 
seph, Marie  and  Grace.  James  was  of  an  inventive  and  mechani- 
cal turn  of  mind.  While  connected  with  the  -water  department  he 
devised  a  non-freezing  fire  plug.  Dr.  Geoffrey  J.  was  reared  in 
Chicago  and  was  educated  at  St.  Stephen's  parochial  school  and  later 
attended  St.  Mary's  College,  Kansas,  from  which  he  was  graduated 
in  1893.  He  then  took  a  full  four  years'  course  in  the  College  of 
Physicians  and  Surgeons  and  was  graduated  in  1897,  with  the  de- 
gree of  Doctor  of  Medicine.  Succeeding  his  graduation  he  served 
as  interne  in  the  Cook  County  hospital  for  eighteen  months.  In 
1900  he  began  the  practice  of  his  profession  in  Austin  in  the  same 
neighborhood  where  he  yet  lives.  He  soon  had  a  large  and  lucra- 
tive practice  and  at  the  present  date  is  one  of  the  leading  physicians 
and  citizens  of  this  portion  of  the  county.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Chicago  Medical  society,  American  Medical  association,  and  is  a 
diligent  student  of  medical  questions  and  economic  problems.  He 
is  one  of  the  medical  staff  of  Oak  Park  hospital.  On  July  23,  1890, 
he  married  Harriet  Sonn,  a  daughter  of  James  Van  Ness  and  Sarah 
(Bowen)  Sonn.  The  Sonns  were  of  Holland  stock.  The  Doctor 
is  a  Knight  of  Columbus  and  a  Forester.  In  politics  he  is  inde- 
pendent. 

John  S.  Flizikowski,  a  prominent  architect,  with  office  at  room 
24,  70  LaSalle  street,  and  residence  at  1935  North  Fairfield  avenue, 
was  born  in  Pr.  Stargard,  Province  of  West  Prussia  (Germany), 
on  April  19,  1868,  and  is  a  son  of  Joseph  and  Anna  (Paluchowski) 
Flizikowski.  He  was  reared  to  manhood  in  his  native  country  and 
was  educated  in  the  Gymnasium,  Pr.  Stargard  and  in  the  Art  Insti- 
tute of  Coeln  on  the  Rhine,  and  in  addition  took  a  technical  course 
of  study  at  the  Technical  High  School  of  Charlottenburg  where  he 
was  graduated  in  1891.  Thus  unusually  well  equipped  with  in- 
formation and  culture,  particularly  of  a  technical  character,  he  came 
to  the  United  States  in  1893  and  located  in  Chicago  where  for  eight 
months  he  was  employed  as  a  draftsman  by  various  institutions  and 
concerns. 

In  1894  he  started  in  business  for  himself — that  of  practical  arch- 
itecture— and  his  signal  success  is  proof  of  his  skill  and  fitness  for 
this  difficult  yet  charming  art.  He  has  made  a  specialty  of  residence, 
church  and  school  buildings.  Among  the  buildings  designed  by  him 
are  St.  Michael's  Lithuanian  church  on  Paulina  street,  Holy  Cross 
church  at  Forty-sixth  and  Wood  streets,  the  parish  residence  of 
Holy  Cross  at  Forty-sixth  and  Wood  streets,  the  Lutheran  church 
on  Humboldt  and  Dickens  avenues,  St.  Florian  school  at  132d 
street  and  Houston  avenue,  Chicago,  the  home  office  and  head- 
quarters of  the  Polish  National  Alliance  of  North  America,  102  W. 
Division  street.  He  is  a  member  of  St.  Philomann's  Roman 
Catholic  church,  Catholic  Order  of  Foresters,  Western  Catholic 


724  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

union,  and  in  politics  is  a  Democrat.  He  has  been  twice  married : 
First  to  Annie  Kowalkowski  by  whom  he  had  one  daughter — Helen ; 
second  to  Elizabeth  Dettlaff  by  whom  he  had  two  children :  Evelyn 
and  Dorothy. 

Daniel  Forbes,  for  more  than  forty  years  a  resident  of  Chicago, 
was  born  November  15,  1842,  at  Bridgeville,  Nova  Scotia,  where 
he  was  reared  to  manhood  on  a  farm  and  received  his  education  in 
the  public  schools.  At  the  age  of  17  years  he  was  apprenticed  to 
Robert  McGregor,  leather  merchant  of  New  Glasgow,  and  three 
years  later  went  to  Boston,  Mass.,  where  for  eight  years  he  worked 
at  his  trade.  March  1,  1869,  he  came  to  Chicago,  which  has  since 
been  his  home,  and  here  he  has  become  one  of  the  substantial, 
reputable,  business  men  of  the  city.  In  1878  he  organized  the  firm 
of  Daniel  Forbes  company,  leather  merchants,  of  which  he  is  the 
president.  Mr.  Forbes,  inheriting  the  characteristics  of  his  Scottish 
ancestry,  is  chiefly  noted  for  his  attention  to  business,  the  ability 
with  which  he  conducts  it,  the  fixed  principles  of  attending  strictly 
to  his  own  affairs  and  sturdy  honesty.  November  1,  1877,  he  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Caroline  Shipman  and  to  them  have  been 
born  eight  children,  the  following  are  now  living :  George  Shipman, 
Mabel  Frances,  Walter  M.,  James  Skinner  arid  Helen  Kathryn.  Mr. 
Forbes  is  of  the  Congregationalist  faith,  and  socially  is  a  member  of 
the  Congregational  club.  For  fourteen  years  he  served  as  superin- 
tendent of  the  Erie  Street  chapel,  and  of  which  he  was  for  many 
years  trustee.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Illinois  Manufacturers'  asso- 
ciation and  his  home  is  at  432  South  Clinton  avenue,  Oak  Park. 
John  Forbes  was  the  name  of  his  father,  and  his  mother's  maiden 
name  was  Ellen  Grant. 

Frederick  E.  Foster  was  born  in  Belleville,  Ontario,  Canada, 
August  21,  1867,  the  son  of  Daniel  and  Sarah  (Vrooman)  Foster. 
The  parents  were  natives  of  Canada  and  there  the  father  was  a  brick- 
manufacturer.  He  died  in  1907,  aged  75  years,  but  the  mother, 
now  84  years  old,  is  still  alive  and  active,  living  on  the  old  home 
place  in  Belleville. 

Frederick  E.  Foster  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Canada, 
and  in  1892  came  to  Chicago  where  he  engaged  in  the  hardware 
business  on  Forty-third  street,  remaining  in  business  for  three  years. 
In  1895  he  established  the  shoestore  of  F.  E.  Foster  &  Co.,  at  36 
Washington  street,  opposite  Marshall  Field's,  later  purchasing  the 
interests  of  his  partners  and  continuing  alone.  Mr.  Foster  is  a 
conservative  business  man.  He  is  identified  with  the  South  Shore 
Country  and  Rotary  clubs  and  the  Association  of  Commerce.  In 
1895  he  married  Marian  Merriam  (deceased,  1901,)  of  New  York 
State.  He  resides  at  3000  S.  Park  avenue. 

Benjamin  Marsh  Frees,  prominent  Chicago  lumber  merchant  and 
veteran  of  the  Civil  war,  was  born  in  Orono,  Me.,  August  3,  1846, 
and  is  the  son  of  Benjamin  M.  and  Maria  (Buffum)  Frees.  Early 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  727 

in  life  he  came  with  his  parents  to  Monroe,  Wis.,  and  here  was  edu- 
cated in  the  public  schools.  August  3,  1864,  on  his  eighteenth  birth- 
day, he  enlisted  with  the  boys  in  blue  for  the  preservation  of  Union. 
He  joined  Company  H,  of  the  Thirty-eighth  Regiment,  Wisconsin 
Volunteer  Infantry,  and  was  appointed  first  lieutenant,  subsequently 
taking  part  in  the  campaign  in  and  around  Petersburg,  Va.,  and 
during  this  series  of  engagements  being  promoted  to  the  rank  of 
captain.  This  latter  promotion  made  Mr.  Frees  one  of  the  young- 
est officers  of  that  rank  of  the  whole  Union  army. 

He  first  engaged  in  the  lumber  business  at  Monroe,  Wis.,  later 
removing  to  Whitewater,  Wis.,  and  in  1872  coming  to  Chicago, 
where  he  has  since  been  successfully  engaged  in  that  line  of  business. 
Mr.  Frees  is  vice-president  of  the  Barnett  Lumber  Company,  of  the 
Day  &  Frees  Lumber  company  and  the  Platt  &  Frees  company,  and 
is  also  vice-president  and  secretary  of  the  Perry  &  Bee  Lumber  com- 
pany and  the  F.  C.  Knotter  company,  besides  being  identified  in 
various  capacities  with  many  other  companies  and  firms.  He  is 
president  of  the  First  National  Bank  of  McCook,  Neb.,  and  vice- 
president  of  the  First  National  Bank  of  Lisbon,  N.  D.  He  is  a 
Republican  in  politics  and  a  member  of  the  Loyal  Legion,  U.  S. 
Grant  Post,  G.  A.  R.,  and  of  the  Masonic  fraternity.  He  married 
Miss  Ellie  Rosine  Adams,  of  Union  Grove,  Racine  county,  Wis., 
and  their  home  is  in  the  Lessing,  Surf  street  and  Evanston  avenue. 
Mr.  Frees'  offices  are  located  at  505,  234  LaSalle  street. 

David  H.  Fritts  was  born  May  26,  1847,  and  is  a  son  of  Joseph 
and  Lena  (Banghart)  Fritts,  of  Hunterdon  county,  N.  J.  The 
family  has  been  long  in  America.  The  paternal  great  great  grand- 
father coming  to  the  colonies  in  1740,  from  near  Berlin,  Germany. 
Joseph  was  a  farmer  in  New  Jersey,  and  was  an  active  and  devout 
member  of  the  Lutheran  church.  He  was  the  father  of  nine  chil- 
dren, six  of  whom  are  still  living  and  in  the  enjoyment  of  health 
and  prosperity,  as  follows:  George  B.,  vice-president  of  the  D.  H. 
Fritts  company;  Dr.  L.  C.  and  David  H.,  residing  in  Chicago;  and 
John  F.  and  two  sisters,  Mrs.  J.  D.  Siegfried  and  Mrs.  Rachel  A. 
Caskey,  residing  in  New  Jorsey.  The  father  died  in  Glen  Gardner, 
N.  J.,  in  November,  1904,  at  the  remarkable  age  of  92  years.  His 
wife  died  in  May,  1869. 

David  H.  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Mt.  Airy,  N.  J., 
and  worked  on  his  father's  farm  until  17  years  old.  He  then  entered 
the  employ  of  John  I.  Blair  of  the  Oxford  Furnace  Rolling  mills 
and  there  remained  for  one  year.  He  then  served  an  apprentice- 
ship of  three  years  in  the  picture  molding  trade  with  the  Gardner 
Manufacturing  company  at  Glen  Gardner,  N.  J.,  coming  out  in  1869. 
The  same  year  he  came  to  Chicago  and  accepted  a  position  with 
R.  B.  Appleby  in  the  molding  business  and  was  thus  employed  for 
two  years.  lie  then  was  partner  with  John  Moore  and  O.  Berg  in 
the  same  business  for  some  time;  but  in  1878  the  firm  dissolved  and 

Vol.  1—42. 


728  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

each  of  the  three  members  established  a  business  of  his  own.  D.  H. 
Fritts  &  Company  was  founded  at  this  time  at  31-33  South  Canal 
street  and  a  branch  was  soon  established  at  103-105  South  Canal 
street.  Needing  more  room  the  firm  in  1881  removed  to  197-199 
South  Clinton,  and  four  years  later  for  the  same  reason  to  196-198 
S.  Dcsplaines,  wood  work  being  carried  on  at  Harrison  and  Canal 
streets.  The  growth  of  the  business  compelled  a  relocation  at  111- 
113  N.  Wood  street  in  1889,  and  also  at  12-14  Smart  street.  An 
immense  building  was  erected  and  the  plant  was  extended  over  four 
and  a  half  acres,  with  100,000  square  feet  of  floor  space  and  with  a 
capacity  of  150,000,000  feet  moldings  per  annum.  In  1905  the  busi- 
ness was  incorporated  under  the  old  style  D.  H.  Fritts  &  Co.  In 
1909  it  acquired  the  molding  plant  of  the  A.  C.  Wilkerson  Moulding 
Co.,  at  Fortieth  and  Fullerton  avenues,  thus  adding  about  35  per 
cent,  to  its  output.  The  company  employs  250  men,  all  of  whom  are 
in  charge  of  machines.  The  company  makes  a  specialty  of  moldings 
and  its  products  go  to  all  parts  of  the  United  States  and  to  the  lead- 
ing foreign  countries.  It  is  the  largest  concern  of  its  kind  in  the 
United  States.  David  H.  is  a  member  of  the  National  Union  and 
of  the  Lutheran  church.  On  May  23,  1872,  he  married  Georgiana 
Thomas,  of  Chicago,  and  they  had  the  following  children :  Ada 
Maud ;  George  W. ;  William  T. ;  Anna  Louise ;  and  Marie.  He  re- 
sides at  1237  Washington  boulevard. 

William  T.,  son  of  David  H.,  was  born  October  14,  1879.  He 
was  educated  in  the  public  schools,  Lewis  Institute  and  Columbia 
university.  In  1900  he  entered  his  father's  molding  establishment  in 
the  capacity  of  a  clerk,  beginning  at  the  bottom  in  order  to  learn  all 
features  of  the  business.  Later  he  took  a  position  in  the  factory 
and  in  1909  became  manager.  He  is  thus  associated  at  the  present 
time.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Eighth  Presbyterian  church.  On  April 
5,  1904,  he  married  Emma  Brenneman,  of  New  York  City,  and 
they  have  the  following  children :  Helen,  Catherine  and  David. 
They  reside  at  Oak  Park. 

Abram  Dale  Gash,  born  at  Elmer,  Macon  county,  Mo.,  Feb-. 
ruary  11,  1861,  was  educated  in  the  common  schools  of  his  home 
town.  His  first  business  venture  was  in  the  capacity  of  clerk  and 
then  proprietor  of  a  drug  store  at  LaPlata,  Mo.  He  was  connected 
with  the  business  twelve  years ;  four  years,  of  the  latter  part  of  which 
he  was  deputy  circuit  clerk  of  Macon  county.  During  the  four 
years,  having  made  up  his  mind  to  become  a  lawyer,  he  applied  him- 
self diligently  to  the  study  of  that  profession.  In  March,  1890,  he 
removed  to  Provo,  Utah,  and  became  manager  of  the  Smoot  Drug 
company,  the  senior  member  of  which  firm  is  the  present  United 
States  Senator  from  Utah.  In  the  meantime  Mr.  Gash  continued 
his  legal  studies,  and  resigning  his  position  with  the  drug  company, 
passed  the  required  examination  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  Sep- 
tember 22,  1891.  He  commenced  the  practice  and  soon  attracted 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  729 

attention  by  his  activity  and  ability.  The  following  year,  so  rapidly 
had  he  advanced  in  public  favor,  he  was  elected  prosecuting  attorney 
of  Utah  county,  being  the  first  non-Mormon  ever  elected  to  public 
office  in  that  county.  So  well  did  he  serve  the  people  he  was  elected 
to  succeed  himself  in  1894.  During  his  incumbency  he  prosecuted 
some  of  the  most  notorious  criminals  ever  brought  to  justice  in  the 
State,  among  them  being  the  Hayes  murder  case,  one  of  the  most 
noted  in  Utah's  history.  Mr.  Gash  was  and  is  prominent  in  Masonic 
circles.  He  was  Most  Worshipful  Grand  Master  of  Utah  in  1897. 
From  1893  to  1896  he  had  the  honor  and  distinction  to  serve  as 
Judge  Advocate  General  on  the  staff  of  Governor  West  of  Utah, 
with  the  rank  of  colonel.  He  removed  to  Chicago  in  August,  1898. 

He  has  been  attorney  for  the  Chicago  Crayon  company  from  its 
inception,  and  has  directed  the  defense  of  all  inter-state  commerce 
cases  throughout  the  United  States  in  which  this  corporation  has 
been  interested.  In  this  exacting  work  he  has  invariably  been  suc- 
cessful. Mr.  Gash  in  addition  to  his  legal  practice  is  president  of 
the  Scheidel-Western  X-Ray  Coil  company,  the  largest  institution 
of  its  kind  in  the  world,  and  is  also  vice-president  and  treasurer  of 
the  Chicago  Solder  company,  as  well  as  secretary  of  the  Bell  Bros. 
Piano  Company  of  Chicago. 

Mr.  Gash  has  written  a  novel  called  "The  False  Star,"  a  work 
which  has  enjoyed  wide  popularity,  and  in  addition  to  this  literary 
venture,  has  written  many  poems  of  great  merit.  The  following 
beautiful  article  on  Chicago  is  from  his  pen : 

"GRAND,  BEAUTIFUL,  MAGNIFICENT  CHICAGO!  Where  the 
power  of  nature  has  set  her  approving  seal  and  determined  as  the 
spot  on  which  shall  stand  the  coming  metropolis  of  the  world ;  where 
the  rolling  waves  of  a  fresh  water  sea  skirt  her  borders  on  the  east, 
giving  an  outlet  to  the  world,  by  craft,  for  her  mighty  commerce, 
and  which  supplies  the  liquid  sufficient  to  turn  the  flow  of  her  river 
through  the  great  canal  which  conducts  her  waste  on  and  on  to  the 
restless  ocean's  tide;  where  broad  and  fertile  fields  stretch  in  wide 
expanse  in  every  other  direction,  threaded  with  many  railroad  lines, 
each  with  numerous  trains,  laden  with  the  products  and  fruits  of 
the  mine  and  farm,  coming  in  exchange  for  the  wares  of  the  factory 
and  the  forge ;  where  charming  parks  and  summer  gardens  with 
placid  lakes,  forest  trees,  flowers  of  every  hue  and  clime,  birds  of 
every  note  and  plumage,  beasts  from  every  land,  verdant  lawns  and 
statuary  of  the  great  and  good  who  have  gone  to  the  better  land — 
all  blending  to  form  resorts  more  enchanting  to  the  eye  and  wooing 
to  the  heart  than  arose  in  Daphne  of  old. 

"ENTERPRISING,  RUSHING,  BUSINESS  CHICAGO!  Where  more 
than  a  million  souls  have  taken  their  abode  during  the  last  decade; 
where  the  music  of  industry  rises  from  a  score  of  thousand  plants 
to  kiss  the  first  rays  of  the  morning's  sun  and  bid  him  a  last  good- 
night as  he  sinks  behind  the  Western  horizon ;  where  wagons,  car- 


730  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

riages,  automobiles,  and  cars  roll  in  mighty  concourse  through  her 
streets,  each  bearing  its  burden  of  animate  or  inert  load;  where 
mammoth  buildings  raise  their  towering  forms,  like  cliffs  in  the  far 
away  mountain  range,  within  whose  walls  a  rush  for  wealth  and 
glory  is  made  with  bounding  strides,  unsurpassed  in  all  the  world; 
which,  though  destroyed  by  flames,  arose  again  as  if  by  magic  and 
on  the  spot  of  its  origin. 

"INTELLIGENT,  EDUCATED,  CHRISTIAN  CHICAGO!  Where  schools 
for  our  children  stand  by  every  way  with  armies  of  instructors 
patiently  toiling  that  the  rising  generations  may  be  qualified  to  carry 
forward  the  great  work  which  awaits  them ;  where  church  spires  rise 
on  every  hand,  whence  chimes  peal  forth  on  Sunday  morn  calling 
all  to  walk  in  the  way  that  leads  to  Paradise. 

"HONORED,  HALLOWED  CITY  OF  THE  PRAIRIES!  BELOVED 
METROPOLIS,  MAIDEN  OF  THE  WESTERN  SOIL!  With  the  bloom 
of  youth  still  lingering  on  her  cheek  and  coursing  through  her  veins 
to  lend  grace  and  beauty  to  her  form ;  yet  she  stands  forth  in  size 
of  all  this  grand  old  sphere.  Let  us  continue  to  work  for  her  ad- 
vancement, and  for  the  elevation  of  her  citizens.  Let  us  declare  that 
in  life  and  in  death  Chicago  is  good  enough  for  any  man." 

Mr.  Gash  first  married  in  October,  1885,  Mrs.  Nannie  Dougherty, 
of  LaPlata,  Mo.,  who  died  in  Chicago,  August  26,  1902.  There 
was  one  son  by  this  union.  April  12,  1905,  Mr.  Gash  was  married 
to  Miss  Maude  Blomquist,  of  Chicago,  from  which  marriage  there 
are  two  sons.  The  family  home  is  at  5449  Winthrop  avenue,  Edge- 
water. 

John  A.  Ganger,  president  of  John  A.  Ganger  &  Co.,  and  presi- 
dent of  the  Standard  Glass  company,  ex-president  of  the  Hamilton 
club  and  prominently  identified  with  many  other  public  and  semi- 
public  institutions,  was  born  on  a  farm  in  Northumberland  county. 
Pa.,  February  8,  1856,  and  is  of  French  ancestry  on  his  father's  side 
and  of  German  on  his  mother's.  His  early  education  was  obtained 
in  the  district  schools  during  the  winter  months,  his  summers  be- 
ing passed  in  assisting  in  the  work  on  the  home  farm.  He  sub- 
sequently attended  the  high  school  at  Milton  two  years  and  Selins- 
grove  Theological  institute  four  years,  graduating  from  the  latter 
institution  when  19  years  old.  It  was  the  desire  of  his  parents  that 
he  enter  the  ministry,  but  at  this  time  he  advised  them  that  he  could 
not  conscientiously  comply  with  their  wishes,  but  desired  to  take 
up  the  law.  Their  disappointment  was  so  great  that  they  refused  to 
longer  contribute  to  his  support,  and  for  two  years,  or  until  failing 
health  compelled  him  to  relinquish  such  pursuits,  he  taught  school 
as  a  means  of  livelihood.  In  March,  1877,  he  went  to  Spring  Lake, 
Mich.,  where  for  a  time  he  was  employed  by  the  Cutler  &  Sanidge 
Lumber  company  in  the  saw  and  lumber  mills  at  $7.50  per  week. 
Close  attention  to  business  and  natural  aptitude  resulted  in  his  ad- 
vancement until  at  the  end  of  two  years  he  was  placed  in  full  charge 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  731 

of  the  office  and  financial  affairs  of  the  company  which  then  was 
operating  six  logging  camps,  three  large  saw  mills,  and  employing 
a  capital  of  $1,000,000. 

In  1881  Mr.  Ganger  was  employed  by  Col.  E.  L.  Roberts,  whole- 
sale blind,  sash  and  door  manufacturer  of  Chicago,  continuing  with 
him  until  1887,  when  he  formed  a  partnership  with  the  late  Severt 
T.  Gunclerson,  under  the  firm  name  of  John  A.  Gauger  &  Company. 
From  a  comparatively  small  start  this  firm,  in  time,  forged  to  the 
front  and  became  one  of  the  best  and  largest  of  its  line  in  the  city. 
The  first  year,  on  a  total  capitalization  of  $14,000,  they  transacted 
a  business  amounting  to  $201,000,  which  netted  a  profit  of  $24,000. 
To  accomplish  this  result  required  aggressiveness  and  the  hardest 
kind  of  work.  In  1892  Mr.  Gauger  bought  out  the  interest  of  Mr. 
Gunclerson  by  paying  him  $52,000  cash.  This  he  was  able  to  do 
from  his  investment  of  $7,000,  made  five  years  previously.  Since 
then  the  business  has  continued  as  the  John  A.  Gauger  company 
which,  in  1905,  became  incorporated,  and  which  now  transacts  an 
annual  business  amounting  to  $3,000,000.  The  manufactured  prod- 
uct of  the  corporation  goes  to  every  state  in  the  Union  and  to  many 
foreign  countries. 

In  addition  to  the  foregoing  Mr.  Gauger  has  become  connected 
with  many  other  financial  and  commercial  institutions  of  note.  He 
is  the  president  and  principal  stock  owner  of  the  Standard  Glass 
company,  one  of  the  leading  wholesale  plate  and  window  glass 
houses  of  Chicago ;  he  is  a  large  stockholder,  director  and  a  member 
of  the  executive  committee  of  the  Illinois  Life  Insurance  company, 
and  in  addition  is  the  owner  of  considerable  real  estate  including  his 
residence  on  Drexel  boulevard.  In  1885  he  married  Miss  Helen 
Pierce  and  to  this  union  has  been  born  one  daughter,  Esther,  who  is 
the  wife  of  W.  L.  Eaton,  the  secretary  and  general  manager  of  the 
Standard  Glass  company.  For  many  years  Mr.  Gauger  has  been 
prominently  identified  with  the  Masonic  fraternity  in  which  he  has 
officiated  in  all  the  offices  from  Master  of  his  lodge,  Apollo  641,  to 
Eminent  Commander  of  his  commandery,  Montjoie  No.  52.  As 
president  of  the  Hamilton  club,  one  of  the  foremost  and  influential 
Republican  organizations  of  the  country,  Mr.  Gauger  had  the  honor 
and  pleasure  of  introducing  President  Roosevelt  on  several  occasions 
during  the  campaign  of  1905.  On  one  of  these  occasions  the  Presi- 
dent turned  to  Mr.  Gauger  and  asked,  "How  long  have  you  been  in 
politics?"  Mr.  Gauger  replied,  "I  am  not  in  politics;  I  am  only 
president  of  the  Hamilton  club."  "I  never  saw  a  man  introduce  so 
many  men  and  call  them  by  name  in  so  short  a  time  in  my  life,"  re- 
plied Mr.  Roosevelt.  This  was  once  the  President  had  met  a  man 
who  could  astonish  him.  Mr.  Gauger  is  an  enthusiastic  golfer,  be- 
ing a  member  of  the  Midlothian  and  Beverly  Golf  clubs,  and  his 
recreations  are  equally  enjoyable  when  with  his  horses  or  his  auto- 
mobile. 


732  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

The  moral  of  this  brief  and  condensed  sketch  of  the  life  of  Mr. 
Ganger  is  found  in  the  fact  that  it  is  entirely  within  the  range  of 
possibilities  for  a  young  man  possessing  a  fair  degree  of  ability  and 
the  determination  to  arise  from  the  medicority  to  a  position  of 
superiority  and  one  of  wealth  and  honor. 

Benjamin  J.  Glaser,  Chicago  banker,  was  born  May  9,  1872,  the 
son  of  John  and  Anna  (Biehl)  Glaser,  natives  of  Motzfeld  Shenkls- 
feld  by  Herzfeld  Kurhessen,  Germany.  The  parents  emigrated  to 
America  in  1851,  locating  in  Little  York,  Pa.,  where  the  father  fol- 
lowed farming  until  1854,  then  moving  to  a  farm  near  Dayton,  Ohio. 
In  1864  he  removed  to  San  Jose,  Macon  county,  111.,  where  he  fol- 
lowed the  same  profession  until  1886,  then  coming  to  Chicago.  Here 
his  death  occurred  January  17,  1907,  and  subsequently  that  of  his 
wife  on  September  9,  1909.  To  their  union  were  born  the  follow- 
ing eleven  children:  Anna  E.,  Jacob,  Mary,  Katie,  Hannah,  Henry, 
Julia,  Christopher  (deceased),  Benjamin  J.,  William  and  Edward. 

The  subject  of  this  review,  Benjamin  J.  Glaser,  was  educated  in 
the  common  schools  of  San  Jose,  111.,  and  in  1886,  at  the  age  of  15 
years,  he  decided  to  start  out  in  life  for  himself  and  came  to  Chi- 
cago where  for  a  year  and  a  half  he  worked  as  cash  boy  for 
Marshall  Field  &  Company.  Later  he  entered  the  employ  of  T.  P. 
Keefe,  real  estate  dealer,  located  at  Monroe  and  LaSalle  streets, 
and  became  manager  of  their  sales  department  when  they  removed 
to  Madison  and  Dearborn  streets.  In  1897  he  entered  the  real  estate 
business  for  himself,  locating  at  what  is  now  3644  Ogden  avenue. 
'Having  in  his  hands  the  handling  of  the  Dempster  estate,  his  ten 
years  of  experience  with  down-town  property  assured  him  success, 
and  in  1903  he  built  a  new  real  estate  and  safe  deposit  building 
which  is  absolutely  fire  and  burglar  proof.  He  also  holds  private 
banking  interests  in  the  city.  May  22,  1895,  he  married  May 
McDonald,  of  Chicago,  and  to  them  have  been  born  two  children, 
Lester  (deceased)  and  Violet,  ten  years  of  age.  In  politics  Mr. 
Glaser  is  a  Democrat  and  is  active  in  ward  and  local  affairs.  He  is 
identified  with  the  Royal  Arcanum,  K.  O.  T.  M.,  Knights  of 
Pythias,  Ogden  Avenue  Business  Men's  association  and  the  Ogden 
Avenue,  Millard  Avenue  and  Clifton  Park  Avenue  Improvement 
clubs.  He  also  belongs  to  the  Cook  County  Real  Estate  board  and 
the  Chicago  Board  of  Undenvriters.  Mr.  Glaser  and  family  reside 
at  1854  Clifton  Park  avenue.  Mr.  Glaser  is  also  a  member  of  the 
American  Bankers'  association  and  State  Bankers'  association  of 
State  of  Illinois. 

He  handled  the  property  on  Millard  avenue  between  Ogden 
avenue  and  Sixteenth  street  for  the  Dempster  estate  exclusively. 
Millard  avenue  is  the  finest  private  residence  street  in  the  entire  city 
of  Chicago  and  Mr.  Glaser  points  with  pride  to  it  as  a  monument 
to  his  individual  efforts.  He  also  was  the  leader  of  the  fight  for  the 
improvement  of  Ogden  avenue  which  is  now  considered  to  be  the 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  733 

finest  business  street  in  the  world.  Mr.  Glaser  has  been  instrumental 
in  securing  many  other  improvements  in  the  vicinity  west  of  Douglas 
Park  and  is  continuously  working  for  the  many  improvements 
necessary.  He  is  also  a  great  believer  in  a  better  and  cleaner  city. 

John  Bartosz  Glowacki,  proprietor  of  the  Star  Cornice  works, 
4528  So.  Ashland  avenue,  and  with  residence  at  1511  West  Twenty- 
second  street,  was  born  in  Klodawa,  Russian  Poland,  on  September 
19,  1877,  and  is  a  'son  of  Frank  and  Prowidencya  (Cudkowska) 
Glowacki.  The  paternal  grandfather  of  John  B.  was  Bartosz 
Glowacki  who  under  the  famous  General  Kosciuszko  distinguished 
himself  in  the  Polish  revolution  against  the  Russian  government. 
For  his  valor  generally  and  on  the  field  in  particular  Kosciuszko 
granted  him  the  special  honor  of  the  right  to  prefix  to  his  name  the 
title  of  von.  This  raised  him  above  the  rank  of  peasantry  and  made 
him  the  overseer  of  a  large  estate.  Frank,  father  of  John  B.,  was  a 
wood  carver  by  trade  and  an  artist  in  his  business.  He  died  in 
Poland  in  1894  leaving  a  family  of  five  daughters  and  two  sons,  as 
follows:  Otelia,  Pelagia,  Anton,  Francisca,  Rosalia,  Maria  and 
John  B.  All  are  yet  residents  of  Poland  except  the  latter.  Anton 
is  a  prominent  jeweler  of  Warsaw  and  an  artist  of  distinction; 
Ludwicka  Glowacki,  an  aunt  of  subject,  is  a  painter  of  note  and  re- 
sides near  Constantinople. 

John  B.  was  reared  in  his  native  city  and  educated  there  in  the 
Polish  gymnasium.  He  studied  metal  sculpture  in  Berlin,  Vienna, 
Munich,  Zurich,  Rome  and  Venice.  After  the  completion  of  these 
studies  he  returned  home  and  was  immediately  pressed  into  the 
Russian  army,  but  soon  afterward  deserted,  and  followed  his  trade 
in  Cracow,  Vienna  and  several  cities  in  Switzerland.  In  1899  he 
went  to  Paris  and  spent  two  years  at  work  on  the  metal  sculpture 
exhibit  for  the  world's  fairs  afterward  held  there.  He  was  granted 
a  gold  medal  for  the  excellence  of  his  work.  In  1901  he  came  to 
the  United  States  and  located  in  Chicago  where  for  three  years  he 
was  specially  employed  by  the  Friedley-Voshardt  Co.  This  company 
found  him  the  most  efficient  workman  in  his  line  ever  in  their  em- 
ploy. In  the  Spring  of  1905  he  embarked  in  his  present  business 
on  Gross  avenue  and  there  remained  one  year.  Since  1906  he  has 
been  at  his  present  location,  4528  So.  Ashland  avenue.  He  has  a 
large  business  which  is  rapidly  expanding.  Mr.  Glowacki  is  ex- 
tremely versatile  and  speaks  Polish,  Russian,  German,  French  and 
English  fluently.  He  is  the  inventor  of  a  water  heater  and  cooker 
greatly  liked  by  all  chefs  and  cooks.  He  is  also  the  inventor  of  a 
life  saving  apparatus  to  be  used  in  case  of  disaster  at  sea,  enabling 
a  passenger  to  save  himself  without  trouble.  He  is  also  the  inventor 
of  shoes  for  walking  on  the  water,  for  which  he  is  applying  now  for 
patents  in  Europe  and  the  United  States. 

Frank  Gould  was  born  on  a  farm  near  the  village  of  Peacham, 
Caledonia  county,  Vt.  on  August  1,  1841.  He  lived  on  the  home 


734  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

place  until  his  19th  year,  securing  such  education  as  the  country 
schools  and  village  academy  afforded.  An  elder  brother,  Leonard 
Gould,  had  removed  to  Chicago  in  1856  and  established  himself  in 
business  in  May,  1860,  while  the  historic  wigwam  was  being  erected 
but  a  few  days  before  the  nomination  of  Abraham  Lincoln  for  the 
Presidency.  His  alluring  pictures  of  the  possibilities  of  the  Garden 
City  proved  too  strong  to  be  resisted.  Accordingly,  in  the  Fall  of 
that  year,  Frank  Gould  determined  to  cast  his  fortune  with  the 
coming  city  on  Lake  Michigan. 

He  arrived  in  Chicago  October  1,  1860,  and  at  once  entered  the 
employ  of  his  brother  in  a  clerical  capacity.  Owing  to  the  illness  of 
his  father  it  became  necessary  for  him  to  return  to  the  old  home  in 
the  fall  of  1861,  where  he  remained  until  1865,  when  he  again  came 
to  Chicago  and  resumed  his  position  in  his  brother's  store.  In  1867, 
while  the  firm  was  located  at  57  So.  Water  street,  the  brothers 
formed  a  partnership  under  the  firm  name  of  L.  Gould  &  Company, 
and  were  doing  a  prosperous  business  when  overtaken  by  the  great 
fire  of  1871.  Nothing  daunted  they  leased  a  vacant  lot  on  Canal 
street,  upon  which  was  erected  a  frame  building,  in  which  temporary 
structure  they  transacted  business  for  about  one  year.  They  then 
moved  back  to  So.  Water  street,  thence  to  42  Wabash  avenue,  where 
they  remained  twelve  years.  The  firm  then  occupied  quarters  on 
Lake  street  for  a  period  of  five  years,  then  removing  to  46  Wabash 
avenue  where  they  remained  until  1905.  They  then  moved  into 
their  present  commodious  building,  erected  expressly  for  them  at 
702  Lake  street,  northwest  corner  of  Union.  Leonard  Gould  the 
senior  member  of  the  firm  and  founder  of  the  house,  died  at  Block 
Island,  R.  I.,  August  5,  1899,  but  the  business  has  continued  under 
the  original  title  of  L.  Gould  &  Company.  He  was  buried  at 
Peacham,  Vt,  in  the  village  cemetery,  which  originally  was  part 
of  his  father's  farm,  and  in  ground  over  which  he  had  worked  with 
hoe  and  scythe  in  his  boyhood  days.  He  contributed  materially  to 
the  upbuilding  of  Chicago,  and  left  as  a  legacy  to  his  family  an  un- 
blemished reputation  both  in  business  and  society. 

Frank  Gould  married  Myra  Miller,  a  daughter  of  T.  L.  Miller, 
one  of  Chicago's  best  known  insurance  men.  His  family  consists 
of  his  wife  and  two  daughters,  the  elder,  Elsie,  being  the  wife  of 
George  R.  Work,  of  Chicago,  and  the  younger,  Miss  Leone,  residing 
at  home  in  Evanston,  where  the  family  have  lived  for  the  past 
twenty-five  years.  Mr.  Gould  laughingly  says  he  believes  he  is  the 
only  man  in  Chicago  who  religiously  celebrates  two  anniversaries, 
one  being  the  day  he  was  born  amid  the  mountains  of  Vermont,  and 
the  other  the  15th  of  October,  1860,  when  he  was  borne  into  Chi- 
cago. He  is  an  enthusiastic  Chicago  man,  finding  time  to  praise  just 
as  fulsomely  the  beauties  and  advantages  of  Evanston  where  he  has 
so  long  made  his  home. 

Rev.  Casimir  Gronkowski,  pastor  of  St.  Adalbert's  Polish  Rom- 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  735 

an  Catholic  church,  at  Seventeenth  and  Paulina  streets,  was  born  in 
Linne,  Poland,  July  23,  1873.  He  received  his  elementary  educa- 
tion in  his  native  town  and  his  classical  education  in  the  College  of 
Neumark  and  Lipno.  In  1893  he  came  to  the  United  States  and 
entered  St.  Mary's  Seminary,  Baltimore,  Md.,  where  he  pursued  a 
full  course  of  study  and  was  graduated  with  credit  in  philosophy  in 
1894.  He  then  entered  St.  Francis  Seminary,  Milwaukee,  from 
which  institution  he  was  graduated  in  theology  in  1897.  The  same 
year  he  was  ordained  to  the  priesthood  by  Archbishop  Katzer,  of 
Milwaukee.  His  first  appointment  was  as  assistant  pastor  of  St. 
Josaphat  Parish,  Chicago,  where  he  remained  two  years  and  ten 
months.  He  was  then  appointed  pastor  of  St.  Salomea  church  at 
Kensington  and  there  remained  until  December  1,  1904,  when  he 
was  transferred  to  his  present  charge.  Under  his  able  administration 
the  membership  has  increased  about  3,000.  The  parish  was  founded 
in  1874  and  its  present  membership  is  about  14,570  souls.  The 
parochial  school  connected  therewith  has  1,638  pupils  who  are  under 
the  instruction  of  twenty-six  sisters  of  the  Holy  Family  of  Nazareth. 
Father  Gronkowski  has  three  assistant  priests :  Revs.  L.  Zuchola, 
F.  G.  Ostrowski  and  B.  Orlemanski. 

Lorenz  Guthier  one  of  the  pioneers  of  Leyden  township  is  of 
Germanic  stock  and  is  the  son  of  Nicholas  and  Mary  (Witzenbach) 
Guthier.  The  father  Nicholas  was  a  miller  by  occupation  and  was 
independent  in  circumstances.  In  addition  he  owned  a  large  farm. 
He  died  in  the  prime  of  life,  the  cause  of  death  being  mill  dust,  in 
1837.  He  left  a  widow,  and  five  children  as  follows :  Mary,  Katie, 
Annie,  Lorenz  and  George  all  now  deceased  except  Lorenz.  All 
came  to  the  United  States  except  Annie  and  Mary  who  died  child- 
less in  the  old  country.  George  who  was  born  in  1837  came  to 
America,  but  died  in  1871  without  issue.  The  old  homestead  in 
Germany  descended  to  Nicholas  from  his  ancestors  who  had  owned 
the  property  for  several  hundred  years.  In  the  time  of  Nicholas 
this  farm  was  divided  among  three  sons. 

Lorenz  was  born  on  this  estate  August  10,  1830.  The  farm  stood 
in  Heppenheim,  Darmstadt,  Prussia.  In  youth  he  received  a  com- 
mon school  education  and  was  brought  up  to  the  occupation  of  farm- 
ing and  milling.  When  seventeen  years  old  he  served  in  the 
Prussian  army  in  Baden  during  a  revolt.  He  participated  in  several 
battles,  one  at  Heidelburg  being  very  severe,  many  lives  being  lost, 
especially  at  the  bridge  which  was  blown  up.  One  night  when  on 
guard  he  bought  a  ragged  suit  of  clothing,  released  his  horse,  stuck 
his  saber  in  the  ground  and  over  it  placed  his  soldier  coat  and  armor, 
giving  the  outfit  the  appearance  of  a  man  in  the  darkness,  and  im- 
mediately afterwards  struck  across  the  national  line  into  France. 
He  had  no  money  but  was  fed  by  hospitable  people  until  he  reached 
Paris  where  he  secured  work  as  a  butcher.  A  little  later  he  worked 
his  passage  across  the  English  channel  and  followed  butchering  in 


736  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

London  for  a  time.  Later  he  returned  to  France  and  finally  took 
passage  for  New  York  where  he  arrived  October  3,  1848.  He 
secured  work  in  a  market  for  three  dollars  per  month,  but  a  little 
later  was  paid  first  eighteen  dollars  and  finally  thirty  dollars  per 
month.  He  saved  his  wages,  doing  his  own  washing  and  saving 
every  penny.  When  he  had  accumulated  $275  he  left  New  York  and 
in  December,  1849,  went  to  Cleveland  and  thence  to  Chicago,  arriv- 
ing December  25  of  that  year.  He  secured  work,  saved  his  wages 
and  invested  in  a  lot  on  the  North  Side  in  the  vicinity  of  Division 
and  Sedgwick  streets.  Later  he  sold  the  same  and  in  1850  bought 
his  present  farm  in  Leyden  township.  From  time  to  time  he  added 
to  this  tract  until  up  to  the  present  time  he  owns  one  hundred  and 
thirty-seven  acres.  The  corporation  line  of  Chicago  is  one  mile  east 
of  his  land. 

On  October  1,  1857,  he  married  Catherine  Knight  who  was  born 
in  Germany  in  1830  and  is  the  daughter  of  Martin  Knight  who  came 
to  Cleveland  in  1837.  Mr.  Guthier  had  settled  on  his  land  one  year 
before  his  marriage.  He  and  wife  became  the  parents  of  the  follow- 
ing children;  Lorenz,  born  July  16,  1858;  Katherine,  born  July  4, 
1861,  now  the  wife  of  Henry  Kolze;  George,  born  November  27, 
1863;  Henry,  born  December  8,  1869;  killed  by  lightning,  1895; 
Rosie,  born  May  25,  1866.  The  latter  married  William  Shaw,  a 
farmer  of  Cook  county.  Mrs.  Guthier  died  October  15,  1906.  She 
was  an  excellent  business  woman,  well  educated  and  was  much  as- 
sistance to  her  husband  in  the  management  of  business  affairs.  In 
addition  to  his  farm  Mr.  Guthier  owns  a  two-story  frame  building 
on  Wilmot  avenue,  Chicago,  and  is  also  the  owner  of  considerable 
personal  property. 

John  D.  Haggard,  307  South  Pine  avenue,  Austin,  was  born  in 
Chicago,  December  4,  1847,  a  son  of  Samuel  B.  and  Mary  (Ma- 
son) Haggard,  of  an  old  Virginia  family,  and  a  distant  relative 
of  H.  Rider  Haggard,  author  and  reformer.  Mr.  Haggard  traces 
his  ancestry  to  Sir  Andrew  Ogard,  Knight,  of  Brandenham  castle, 
England,  who  came  from  Denmark  in  1433.  The  English  manner 
of  spelling  the  name  has  long  been  familiar.  David  Haggard,  of 
Ware,  was  a  forefather  of  the  American  branch  of  the  family. 
James,  descended  from  David,  came  in  a  merchant  ship  from  Eng- 
land to  Norfolk,  Va..  in  1698,  when  he  was  21  years  old,  and  was 
the  first  of  the  blood  in  America.  David,  his  descendant,  was  a 
farmer  near  Monticello.  home  of  Thomas  Jefferson.  His  son,  David 
H.,  born  in  Albemarle  county,  Va.,  in  1763,  enlisted  at  16  in  the 
Continental  army,  served  under  Washington  and  witnessed  the 
surrender  of  Cornwallis  at  Yorktown.  Family  tradition  has  it  that 
after  Jefferson's  return  from  France,  David  H.  Haggard  helped  to 
put  French  windows  'in  his  mansion  at  Monticello.  He  married 
Nancy  Dawson  in  1792,  moved  to  Kentucky,  where  they  reared  ten 
children.  Their  son.  Nathaniel,  had  a  son,  Dawson,  born  in  Clark 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  737 

county,  Kentucky,  in  1793  and  married  Charity  Baldwin.  He  was 
a  property  owner,  a  slave  owner  and  a  Baptist  preacher. 

His  son,  Samuel,  eldest  of  seven  children,  was  orphaned  at  15, 
and  in  addition  to  the  care  of  the  family  had  also  the  care  of  a 
cousin,  John  L.  Routt,  who  was  the  first  territorial  and  the  first 
governor  of  Colorado.  In  1832,  then  21,  he  rode  a  horse  to  Illinois, 
settling  at  Blooming  Grove,  a  suburb  of  Bloomington.  He  married 
Mary  Mason,  a  native  of  Winchester,  Ky.,  took  up  carpentering 
and  in  1843  moved  to  Chicago.  He  was,  1847-50,  superintendent 
of  the  mowing  machine  factory  of  McCormick  &  Gray,  the  fore- 
runner of  the  great  McCormick  reaper  works,  then  in  1850  began 
making  pumps  on  Randolph  street,  between  Market  and  Franklin, 
Chicago.  At  this  time  he  resided  on  the  North  side,  but  when 
burned  out  in  the  great  conflagration  of  1871,  moved  to  the  West 
side,  taking  with  him  the  family  Bible  and  a  horse  and  buggy,  all 
that  he  had  saved  from  his  material  possessions.  He  became  a 
hardware  merchant  on  West  Lake  street,  and  in  1873  established 
his  home  in  Austin.  He  voted  for  every  Whig  and  Republican 
candidate  for  President  from  William  Henry  Harrison  to  William 
McKinley  and  at  the  time  of  his  death,  in  1899,  was  the  oldest  sur- 
vivor in  Cook  county  of  the  historic  Tippecanoe  club.  He  was  a 
Baptist. 

John  D.  Haggard  was  educated  in  the  free  schools  (including  the 
high  school)  of  Chicago.  Among  his  early  recollections  are  those 
of  Indians  who  visited  John  H.  Kinzie,  pitching  their  wigwams  on 
land  at  Michigan  and  Cass  streets,  and  the  visit  of  the  Prince  of 
Wales,  now  Edward  VII.,  of  England,  to  Chicago.  He  treasures 
the  memory  of  a  speech  made  by  Lincoln  before  Moody's  Sunday 
school,  in  North  Market  hall.  In  May,  1864,  when  he  was  in  high 
school,  less  than  17  years  old,  he  enlisted  as  a  private  in  Company 
D,  134th  Illinois  volunteer  infantry,  his  father  going  with  him  to 
the  recruiting  office.  After  some  months'  active  service  doing  garri- 
son duty  in  Kentucky,  he  contracted  typhoid  fever  and  was  honor- 
ably discharged  in  November,  1864.  Except  for  a  time  while  he 
was  with  Vant,  Cook  &  Co.,  manufacturers,  he  was  connected  with 
his  father's  hardware  business  until  1879,  when  he  became  a  pioneer 
in  the  manufacture  of  spring  beds.  He  is  now  president  of  Haggard 
&  Marcusson  company,  one  of  the  leading  producers  in  that  line. 
Mr.  Haggard  lived  at  Austin  1873-79,  in  Chicago  1879-81  and  since 
1881  has  lived  again  at  Austin.  He  is  a  past  commander  of  Kil- 
patrick  post,  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  of  Austin,  and  is  a  Blue 
lodge,  chapter,  commandery,  Eastern  Star  and  Scottish  Rite  Mason 
and  a  member  of  the  Mystic  Shrine.  In  politics  he  is  staunchly 
Republican.  Mr.  Haggard  married  Miss  Sarah  U.  Bennett  on 
December  4,  1871,  his  twenty- fourth  birthday.  She  was  born  at 
Canton,  N.  Y.,  a  daughter  of  Harmon  Bennett.  Their  daughter, 
Mabel  H.,  married  Erank  W.  Yale  and  their  daughter  Florence  is 
the  wife  of  Samuel  M.  Farrar. 


738  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

Robert  Sheridan  Haldeman  was  born  at  Fairmount  Park,  Phila- 
delphia, August  13,  1859,  and  is  a  son  of  Elias  and  Elizabeth  (Shan- 
non) Haldeman.  The  father  was  a  successful  farmer  and  a  good 
citizen. 

Robert  S.  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  and  when  nine  years 
old  began  working  on  his  father's  farm  in  summers  and  attending 
school  in  winters  and  was  thus  occupied  until  he  was  nineteen  years 
of  age.  Then  for  three  years  he  served  an  apprenticeship  in  the 
plastering  business  with  Hanley  Brothers  of  Detroit.  In  1880  he 
came  to  Chicago  and  worked  at  his  trade  for  some  time  with  Smith 
&  Eastman.  Later  he  worked  on  the  State,  War  and  Navy  build- 
ings at  Washington,  D.  C.,  but  finally  established  the  business  of 
plastering  contracting  in  Minneapolis  under  the  firm  name  of 
Lennox  &  Haldeman.  In  1900  Mr.  Lennox  retired  and  the  Lennox- 
Haldeman  company  was  incorporated  with  Mr.  Haldeman  as  presi- 
dent and  M.  F.  Shugrue  as  secretary.  In  1891  they  removed  their 
headquarters  to  Chicago,  and  they  have  done  work  on  the  following 
buildings:  Chicago  Public  Library,  Art  Institute,  Masonic  Temple, 
Monadnock  building,  Medinah  Temple,  Woman's  Temple,  Chicago 
post-office;  several  public  schools ;  state  houses  of  Illinois,  Minnesota, 
and  Kansas;  Baltimore,  Cleveland,  Detroit,  Camden,  and  New 
Jersey,  county  buildings,  and  fifty-eight  government  post-office 
buildings  throughout  the  United  States.  They  lately  secured  the 
contract  for  plastering  the  new  poorhouse  buildings  at  Oak  Forest. 
Mr.  Haldeman  is  a  member  of  the  Edgewater  Country  club,  St. 
Bernard  Commandery,  K.  T.,  Oriental  Consistory,  and  Medinah 
Temple  of  the  Mystic  Shrine.  He  is  a  Republican  in  politics.  On 
July  29,  1896,  he  was  united  in  marriage  with  Nannie  Glen  Brown, 
of  Chicago,  and  to  them  have  been  born  the  following  children: 
Lennox  Glen,  Hope  Louise,  Ruth  Sheridan  and  Robert,  Jr.  The 
family  residence  is  at  6031  Kenmore  avenue  and  Mr.  Haldeman's 
office  is  located  at  1206,  122  Monroe  street. 

Henry  J.  Hankermeyer,  residing  at  5807  Henry  street,  Austin, 
was  born  at  Hanty,  Hanover,  Germany,  February  16,  1846,  his 
father  being  William  Hankermeyer.  He  acquired  a  limited  edu- 
cation in  the  public  schools  and  married  so  young  that  he  was  only 
nineteen  when,  in  1865,  he  brought  his  wife,  who  was  Dorothy  Von 
der  Ahe,  and  their  infant  son,  Henry  C.,  to  the  United  States.  They 
made  the  voyage  to  New  York  in  seven  weeks  on  a  sailing  vessel, 
and  were  a  week  on  an  immigrant  train  between  New  York  and 
Chicago.  Mr.  Hankermeyer  had  spent  all  his  money  except  $2.50 
and  borrowed  more  from  German  friends.  He  secured  employment 
at  $1.25  a  day  on  the  Galena  division  of  the  Chicago  &  North- 
western railroad  and  thus  continued  eight  months.  In  1866  he  be- 
gan working  at  $2.50  a  day  in  a  clock  factory  at  Austin,  his  home 
being  on  Park  avenue  in  a  little  house  that  had  been  moved  from 
Oak  Park  and  is  still  standing.  After  a  brief  residence  in  Chicago 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  739 

he  returned  to  Austin,  where  he  bought  a  small  frame  house  and 
two  lots  for  $900  saved  from  his  small  earnings.  In  the  employ 
of  the  clock  company  he  had  gained  some  proficiency  with  the  saw 
and  the  hammer  and  for  ten  years  he  labored  successfully  as  a  car- 
penter and  builder.  He  was  appointed  policeman  at  $60  a  month 
and  served  as  such  three  years,  the  first  and  only  policeman  in  Cicero, 
driving  all  over  the  township  with  a  horse  and  buggy.  Returning 
to  house-building  at  Austin,  he  began  to  invest  quite  heavily  in  local 
real  estate,  buying  first  two  lots  at  Chicago  and  Park  avenues,  on 
which  he  built,  and  similarly  sixteen  lots  on  Prairie  avenue.  While 
tearing  down  a  house  in  Hyde  Park  he  broke  both  his  legs,  and  when 
he  was  able  to  walk  again  he  was  elected  constable,  which  office  he 
filled  eight  years,  meanwhile  putting  up  a  block  of  business  build- 
ings at  Superior  street  and  Park  avenue.  His  success  was  the  just 
reward  of  energy  and  honesty.  As  one  of  the  founders  and  chief 
promoters  of  the  Lutheran  church  at  Austin,  he  induced  H.  W. 
Austin,  "father"  of  the  place,  to  give  a  church  lot  and  a  bell  and  to 
assist  otherwise.  An  organization  of  about  sixty  Germans  was 
effected,  money  was  subscribed  and  Mr.  Hankermeyer  erected  a 
small  frame  building  which  stands  near  the  present  church  and 
houses  a  parochial  school.  He  was  a  liberal  giver  toward  the  new 
church  building.  Mr.  Hankermeyer  is  a  Republican  in  politics.  His 
wife  has  borne  him  the  following  named  children  besides  four  who 
died  young:  Henry  C.,  George,  Frank,  Annie,  Mary,  Walter, 
Arthur  and  Mabel.  All  these,  except  Annie,  have  married.  Mr. 
Hankermeyer's  brother  William  came  to  America,  another  brother 
died  in  Germany,  and  a  sister,  Mary,  married  and  remained  in 
the  fatherland. 

Joseph  Hanreddy,  one  of  the  well  known  contractors  of  the  city, 
is  a  son  of  Patrick  and  Margurt  (Hamilton)  Hanreddy,  natives 
of  Iceland.  In  the  early  '30s  Patrick  Hanreddy  immigrated  to 
America,  and  in  1858,"  when  the  city  had  less  than  100,000  in- 
habitants, came  to  Chicago  and  was  employed  as  a  boss  roller  in  the 
old  Chicago  rolling  mills.  He  is  yet  living,  hale  and  hearty,  and 
one  of  his  greatest  pleasures  is  the  recollection  of  participations  in 
the  scenes  and  incidents  of  more  than  half  a  century  of  Chicago's 
growth.  A  native  of  Chicago,  Joseph  Hanreddy  was  reared  to 
manhood  in  this  city,  acquired  his  education  in  the  public  schools 
and,  following  the  occupation  of  his  father,  began  working  in  the 
rolling  mills  when  14  years  old  and  at  which  he  continued  for  a 
period  of  1 1  years.  In  partnership  with  John  McGillen  and  John  P. 
Agnew,  under  the  firm  name  of  the  Bermuda  Asphalt  Paving  com- 
pany, he  then  engaged  in  contracting  for  street  paving.  This  part- 
nership continued  until  1900  when  it  was  dissolved  and  since  that 
time  Mr.  Hanreddy  has  been  engaged  in  the  general  contracting 
business  for  himself  and  has  become  recognized  as  one  of  the  fore- 
most in  his  line  in  the  city.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Illinois  Athletic 


740  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

association,  the  Iroquois  club,  the  Benevolent  and  Progressive  Order 
of  Elks  and  the  Knights  of  Columbus.  In  religion  he  is  a  Roman 
Catholic  and  in  politics  a  Democrat.  His  business  office  is  at  744 
Unity  building  and  he  and  wife  reside  at  1518  George  street. 

Henry  Stephen  Hawley  was  born  at  Bridgeport,  Ct,  on  August 
12,  1851,  and  is  a  son  of  Daniel  W.  and  Henrietta  S.  (Hopkins) 
Hawley.  He  was  educated  in  the  Bridgeport  public  schools  and 
upon  reaching  manhood  engaged  in  bridge  contracting  and  railroad 
promoting  and  constructing  and  continued  thus  occupied  from  1874 
to  1883,  during  which  time  the  Grand  Trunk  railway  from  Val- 
paraiso to  Thornton  was  built,  the  Chicago  &  Southern  railroad  was 
purchased  at  Master's  sale,  and  the  Chicago  &  Wisconsin  railroad 
was  promoted.  From  1883  to  1890  he  was  president  of  the  Chi- 
cago, Wisconsin  &  Minnesota  railroad  during  its  construction  from 
Chicago  to  Schleisingerville,  Wis.,  and  was  the  general  agent  who 
purchased  the  right  of  way  of  portions  of  the  Chicago  &  Great 
Western  railroad  and  upon  its  completion  became  its  general  agent 
and  had  charge  of  its  traffic  and  leases.  From  1890  to  1893  he 
served  as  general  agent  of  the  Chicago  &  Northern  Pacific  railroad 
and  had  charge  of  the  traffic  department,  and  from  1893  to  1897  was 
general  agent  and  treasurer  for  the  receiver  of  the  same  road.  From 
1897  to  1899  he  served  as  general  agent  and  treasurer  of  the  re- 
organized Chicago  Terminal  Transfer  railroad.  He  was  traffic 
manager,  treasurer  and  assistant  secretary  of  the  same  road  from 
1899  to  1902.  His  experience,  skill,  knowledge  of  inter-oceanic 
railway  conditions  and  constructive  ability  were  recognized  through- 
out the  country.  He  is  now  director  and  president  of  the  Railroad 
Supply  company,  manufacturers  of  railroad  supplies;  also  director 
and  secretary  of  the  Chicago  &  Calumet  Terminal  Railway  com- 
pany. 

He  has  had  thus  far  an  active,  prominent  and  successful  busi- 
ness career.  He  is  also  active,  influential  and  prominent  in  political 
and  other  public  affairs.  Particularly  was  he  active  in  the  national 
campaigns  of  1880,  1884  and  1888  in  this  State.  From  1872  to 
1874  he  served  as  secretary  of  the  Union  League  of  America.  He 
is  an  Episcopalian,  being  senior  warden  of  the  Church  of  the  Re- 
deemer, and  a  member  of  the  Royal  Arcanum,  the  Royal  League, 
Union  League  club.  South  Shore  Country  club,  Chicago  Automobile 
club,  Church  club,  Chicago  Yacht  club  and  the  Chicago  Association 
of  Commerce;  also  a  member  of  Engineer  club  of  New  York  City. 
On  November  3,  1880,  he  married  Lillie  L.  Ferguson  and  they  have 
had  the  following  children :  Royal  Duncan,  Philip  Ferguson  and 
Henry  Stephen  (who  died  in  infancy).  His  office  is  at  215  Dear- 
born street  and  his  residence  at  5845  Madison  avenue. 

Lincoln  S.  Heafield  was  born  August  14,  1864,  and  is  a  son  of 
John  W.  and  Abbie  (Studley)  Heafield.  John  W.  was  born  in  New 
York  City  and  came  with  his  mother  to  Chicago  in  1837,  locating 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  741 

on  a  farm  in  Northfield  township,  Cook  county,  Illinois,  he  being 
twelve  years  old  at  that  time.  His  mother  died  in  the  '50s  and  after 
working  on  a  farm  for  a  short  time  he  served  an  apprenticeship, 
learning  the  carpenter's  trade.  Some  time  later  he  became  a  con- 
tractor, locating  at  Fulton  and  Leavitt  streets  and  here  he  engaged 
in  general  contracting,  building  residences,  elevators,  the  prison  at 
Jacksonville,  111.,  the  Doll  Varden  elevator  and  the  gas  works  on 
Twenty-second  street  in  the  '60s.  Mr.  Heafield  was  active  in  politics 
and  served  as  a  member  of  the  Legislature  in  1870-1  on  the  Repub- 
lican ticket.  He  was  instrumental  in  the  passage  of  the  bill  cover- 
ing the  "Burnt  Record  Act"  and  prevented  the  bill  requiring  title 
by  chancery  preceedings.  He  was  active  in  the  old  Twelfth  ward 
and  was  prominent  in  societies,  being  a  thirty-second  degree  Mason. 
He  died  June  18,  1887.  Abbie  (Studley)  Heafield  was  a  native  of 
Cape  Cod  and  she  passed  away  October  3,  1893.  Four  children  were 
born  to  their  union:  Sanford  J.,  Carrie,  now  Mrs.  Geo.  H.  Hard- 
ing of  Chicago;  Jessie  F.  (deceased),  and  Lincoln  S. 

The  latter  was  educated  in  the  Chicago  public  schools  and  the 
Metropolitan  Business  college.  At  the  age  of  twelve  years  he  began 
life  for  himself  as  a  tally  boy  for  the  Wm.  J.  Frawley  Lumber  com- 
pany, where  he  remained  three  years.  He  served  as  bookkeeper  for 
the  Wm.  Meglade  Lumber  company  and  the  Ford  River  Lumber 
company,  remaining  with  the  former  three  years  and  the  latter  four- 
teen. He  ultimately  became  salesman  and  buyer.  In  1897  he  went 
into  the  real  estate  business  in  Logan  Square  and  he  has  built  over 
nine  hundred  homes  and  subdivided  about  a  hundred  and  fifty  acres 
of  land  there.  September  2nd,  1889,  he  married  Lucy  Kimball, 
daughter  of  Spencer  S.  Kimball,  an  old  settler  born  here  in  1844 
and  whose  father  came  here  in  1837.  To  their  union  were  born  four 
children:  Dorothy  M.,  Helen  S.,  John  McLaren  and  Spencer  K. 
Mrs.  Heafield  died  September  18,  1904.  Mr.  Heafield  is  a  Republi- 
can and  active  in  ward  politics.  He  is  a  Mason,  a  Shriner  and  a 
member  of  the  Builders'  club.  He  resides  at  429  Roscoe  street. 

Daniel  D.  Healy  was  born  in  Ireland,  February  11,  1847,  and 
when  two  years  old  was  brought  by  his  parents,  John  and  Helen 
(O'Brien)  Healy,  to  the  United  States.  He  was  reared  and  edu- 
cated in  Chicago  and  when  less  than  fifteen  years  old  enlisted  for  the 
preservation  of  the  Union,  the  greater  part  of  his  service  being  on  a 
gunboat  on  the  Mississippi  river.  At  the  conclusion  of  the  war  he 
returned  to  Chicago  and  for  many  years  was  connected  with  the 
fire  department  as  engineer,  serving  as  such  during  the  great  con- 
flagration of  1871.  He  has  served  as  financial  secretary  of  the  Fire- 
men's Benevolent  Association  nine  years,  as  treasurer  nine  years 
and  as  president. 

Mr.  Healy  has  been  prominent  in  county  and  city  politics  since 
attaining  his  majority  and  has  served  as  county  comptroller,  presi- 
dent of  the  board  of  county  commissioners,  warden  of  the  Cook  coun- 


742  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

ty  hospital  and  superintendent  of  public  service.  He  was  the  nomi- 
nee of  his  party  in  1902  for  the  office  of  county  sheriff,  but  was  de- 
feated in  the  election.  He  is  now  engaged  in  the  hardware  business. 
Mr.  Healy  is  a  Republican  in  politics.  His  marriage  with  Miss 
Kittie  Clemens,  of  Chicago,  was  solemnized  July  6,  1876,  and  the 
names  of  their  four  children  are  Daniel  M.,  Katherine  M.,  Ella  Jose- 
phine and  Walter  C. 

Joseph  A.  Hellmuth,  pharmacist  at  2148  North  Robey  street,  was 
born  on  October  19,  1868,  in  the  city  of  Chicago,  a  son  of  Michael 
and  Catharine  (Pajkowska)  Hellmuth.  His  maternal  grandfather, 
Adam  Pajkowska,  was  a  native  of  Poland,  where  for  many  years  he 
was  a  mail  carrier.  He  came  to  the  United  States  about  the  year 
1858  and  was  among  the  first  of  the  Polish  immigrants  to  locate  in 
Chicago.  Michael  Hellmuth,  father  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch, 
was  of  Bavarian  nativity.  He  came  to  Chicago  in  1857,  and  for 
many  years  worked  at  his  trade  of  cooper  on  Cornell  street,  near 
Noble,  where  he  afforded  employment  to  about  eighteen  hands.  He 
died  in  1895,  aged  sixty  years.  Six  children  were  born  to  his  mar- 
riage with  Catharine  Pajkowska  as  follows:  Mary,  the  wife  of 
Albert  J.  Sprengel ;  Annie,  who  married  Peter  Schommer  and  is 
now  deceased;  Joseph  A.,  John,  Catharine,  deceased,  and  Michael, 
deceased. 

Joseph  A.  Hellmuth  was  reared  to  manhood  in  his  native  city,  re- 
ceiving his  education  in  the  parochial  schools  and  at  St.  Ignatius  col- 
lege. He  took  up  the  study  of  pharmacy  and  was  graduated  from 
the  pharmaceutical  department  of  the  University  of  Illinois  in  1899. 
Previously,  in  1895,  he  had  established  himself  in  the  drug  trade  on 
Robey  street,  and  since  1895  has  continuously  conducted  his  present 
establishment.  In  May,  1893,  he  married  a  daughter  of  Anthony 
and  Annie  (Dorszynska)  Sowinski,  of  Chicago,  and  their  three  chil- 
dren are  named  Armella,  Joseph  K.  and  George  W.  Mr.  Hellmuth 
is  a  member  of  St.  Hedwig's  Polish  Roman  Catholic  church,  the 
Knights  of  Columbus,  the  Catholic  Order  of  Foresters  and  other 
social  and  benevolent  organizations.  In  politics  he  is  a  Democrat 
and  in  former  years  was  an  active  worker  in  the  interests  of  his 
party.  For  two  years  he  was  division  clerk  in  the  office  of  the  water 
department  of  the  city.  At  the  time  of  his  graduation  in  pharmacy 
he  had  the  honor  of  winning  the  prize  for  excellency  in  microscopical 
work  and  in  materia  medica  and  histology,  and  his  name  was  placed 
on  the  roll  of  honor. 

Edward  J.  Hibner,  who  is  engaged  in  the  coal,  wood,  oil  and  gaso- 
line business  at  72  West  Division  street,  was  born  in  Warsaw,  Po- 
land, September  29,  1869,  and  is  a  son  of  Ignatius  and  Pauline 
(Sobiecki)  Hibner.  The  parents  came  to  the  United  States  in  1899 
and  located  in  Chicago,  where  the  father  died  in  1906  at  the  age  of 
seventy-two  years. 

His  son  Edward  J.,  was  educated  at  the  Gymnasium  in  Warsaw 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  745 

and  in  early  life  learned  the  printing  trade.  He  came  to  Chicago  in 
1890  and  for  the  first  six  years  was  employed  on  the  Polish  Daily 
News.  In  1896  he  embarked  in  his  present  business  on  a  small 
scale,  starting  with  one  wagon,  but  has  steadily  grown  down  to  the 
present  time.  His  success  is  due  solely  to  his  own  exertions.  He  is 
a  member  of  St.  Stanislaus  Roman  Catholic  church,  Polish  National 
Alliance,  Foresters  and  Macierz  Polska.  In  1892  he  married  Eva- 
line,  daughter  of  Ferdinand  and  Constantine  Sowadzki,  of  Chicago. 
Edward  J.  has  the  following  brothers  and  sisters :  Anthony, 
Raphael,  Adam  and  Mary. 

George  Higginson,  Jr.,  who  is  now  engaged  in  handling  invest- 
ment securities  in  the  Chicago  office  of  Stone  &  Webster,  was  born 
at  Stockbridge,  Mass.,  September  3,  1864,  and  is  a  son  of  George 
and  Elizabeth  Hazard  (Barker)  Higginson.  His  early  education 
was  secured  at  St.  Mark's  school,  Southboro,  Mass.,  from  which  he 
entered  Harvard  university  and  was  duly  graduated  therefrom  in 
1887.  After  one  year  spent  in  travel  throughout  Europe,  he  entered 
the  employ  of  the  Kansas  City,  Ft.  Scott  and  Memphis  railway  at 
Memphis,  in  November,  1888,  and  the  following  year  was  trans- 
ferred to  Kansas  City,  still  in  the  service  of  the  same  company.  He 
continued  with  that  organization  until  October,  1892,  when  he  came 
to  Chicago  and  became  first  secretary  and  treasurer  of  the  West  Side 
Elevated  Railway  company,  also  a  director,  which  position  he  occu- 
pied acceptably  until  1902,  when  he  was  given  the  title  of  vice- 
president,  while  still  retaining  the  office  of  secretary  and  treasurer. 
He  resigned  from  the  Metropolitan  West  Side  Elevated  Railway 
company  in  June,  1905.  In  recent  years  he  has  been  very  active  in 
charity  work  outside  his  regular  business.  He  was  treasurer  and  di- 
rector of  Maternity  Hospital,  is  now  a  director  of  the  Illinois  Chil- 
dren's Home  and  Aid  Society,  and  president  and  trustee  of  the  Allen- 
dale  Association.  He  is  a  Republican  and  an  Episcopalian.  He  is 
senior  warden  of  Christ  church,  Winnetka.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
village  board  of  that  suburb.  He  belongs  to  the  following  clubs : 
University  (vice-president)  ;  Harvard  (of  which  he  was  president  in 
1904)  ;  Chicago,  Caxton  (of  which  he  was  formerly  treasurer  and 
director)  ;  Saddle  and  Cycle,  City,  Church,  American  Kennel,  and 
Collie  Club  of  America  (vice-president).  His  office  is  in  the  First 
National  bank  building  and  his  residence  at  Winnetka,  Illinois. 

Frederick  A.  Hill  has  done  as  much  as  any  man  to  build  up  Austin 
and  Oak  Park.  He  is  a  native  of  the  city  of  Chicago,  born  near  the 
corner  of  Morgan  and  Indiana  streets,  February  24,  1862.  Both  of 
his  parents,  William  H.  and  Caroline  (Pound)  Hill,  were  of  Eng- 
lish nativity.  They  came  to  America  about  the  year  1849  and  for  a 
time  lived  in  New  York  City.  About  the  year  1854  they  came  to 
Chicago,  where  the  father  for  a  number  of  years  was  connected  with 
the  old  Union  Hide  &  Leather  company.  He  had  a  practical  knowl- 
edge of  the  tanning  business  and  subsequently  embarked  in  the 

Vol.  I — 43. 


746  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

leather  industry  at  which  he  accumulated  considerable  means,  the 
most  of  which  was  swept  away  by  the  panic  of  1873.  However,  he 
continued  in  that  line  of  business  until  his  death  in  1878.  His  wife 
died  in  1865.  They  were  the  parents  of  nine  children,  two  sons  and 
four  daughters  now  living.  The  oldest  son,  John,  was  a  soldier  in 
the  Union  army  during  the  Civil  war,  now  resides  in  Salt  Lake  City, 
Utah,  and  is  connected  with  the  Denver  &  Rio  Grande  Railway 
company. 

Frederick  A.  received  his  education  in  the  old  Washington  school 
at  Indiana  and  Sangamon  streets,  and  when  fourteen  years  old  began 
business  for  himself  as  errand  boy  for  Armour  &  Company.  A  little 
later  he  was  promoted  to  a  clerkship  and  when  eighteen  bacame  a 
department  head  in  the  jobbing  division.  The  next  year  he  became 
a  traveling  salesman  and  so  continued  until  he  was  twenty-two  years 
old,  working  mostly  in  the  East  and  among  other  services  establish- 
ing the  branch  office  at  Washington,  D.  C.  In  1884  he  embarked 
in  the  grain  and  provision  business  on  the  Board  of  Trade,  Chicago, 
and  was  thus  occupied  until  1889,  when  he  engaged  in  the  real 
estate  business  and  has  continued  the  same  ever  since.  The  greater 
part  of  this  time  Mr.  Hill  has  maintained  a  down-town  office  and 
for  the  past  fifteen  years  has  also  conducted  an  office  in  Austin. 
While  handling  all  kinds  of  realty  anywhere,  his  principal  work  has 
been  in  and  near  Austin  and  Oak  Park.  He  has  opened  about  eigh- 
teen important  sub-divisions  and  built  over  500  homes.  When  he 
first  came  to  Austin  it  was  sparsely  settled,  truck  patches  and  corn- 
fields abounding  where  now  stand  paved  streets  and  large  buildings. 
Much  of  its  present  fine  appearance  and  prosperity  are  due  to  the 
enterprise,  sagacity,  foresight,  public  spirit  and  wisdom  of  Mr.  Hill. 
In  social  and  civic  matters  he  has  been  equally  progressive  and  in- 
fluential. He  belongs  to  the  Oaks  and  the  Westward  Ho  Golf  clubs, 
and  to  Oak  Park  Lodge,  No.  450,  A.  F.  &  A.  M. ;  Cicero  Chapter, 
No.  180,  R.  A.  M. ;  Siloam  Commandery,  No.  54,  K.  T. ;  Oriental 
Consistory,  A.  A.  S.  R.  M. ;  and  Medinah  Temple,  A.  A.  O.  N.  M.  S. 
He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Chicago  Stock  Exchange  and  of  the  Cook 
county  real  estate  board.  To  the  marriage  of  Mr.  Hill  and  Miss 
Marie  Bartelme,  solemnized  July  29,  1886,  two  children  were  born: 
Frederick  A.,  Jr.,  a  student  at  the  University  of  Michigan,  and  Grace 
Marie,  now  attending  Wellesley  college  in  Massachusetts.  The  fam- 
ily home  is  at  301-3  North  Park  avenue,  Austin.  The  main  office  of 
Mr.  Hill  is  at  5629-31  West  Lake  street.  The  down-town  office  is 
in  the  Boyce  building,  114  Dearborn  street. 

John  W.  Hill  was  born  in  Ottawa,  111.,  on  May  9,  1857,  and  is 
the  son  of  Isaac  and  Sarah  A.  (Wilson)  Hill.  In  his  early  life  the 
father  secured  a  good  education  and  became  a  teacher  and  later  for 
many  years  was  a  successful  contractor  and  builder.  He  moved  to 
Iro.quois  county  in  1867  and  thence  to  Benzie  county,  Michigan,  in 
1873,  where  he  and  his  wife  finally  died.  -John  W.  is  one  of  a  con- 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  747 

siderable  family  including  Lysander  Hill,  one  of  the  best  known 
patent  lawyers  of  the  country.  Mr.  Hill  was  educated  in  the  dif- 
ferent towns  where  his  parents  resided.  He  supplemented  his 
studies  in  the  common  schools  by  a  year  spent  industriously  in  the 
State  Norman  school  at  Ypsilanti,  Mich. 

Soon  after  completing  his  education  as  above,  he  engaged  in  the 
lumber  business  with  which  he  was  identified  for  a  period  of  seven- 
teen years.  He  became  familiar  with  every  department  of  the  busi- 
ness, from  the  tree  in  the  forest  to  the  manufactured  lumber,  and 
served  in  every  office  both  in  and  out  of  doors.  In  1888  he  opened 
an  insurance,  loan  and  real  estate  office  at  Frankfort,  Mich.,  and 
about  this  time,  feeling  himself  qualified  by  nature,  he  began  the 
study  of  law  with  his  office  associate,  a  prominent  attorney  in  the 
county.  In  the  fall  of  1890  he  successfully  passed  the  examination 
and  was  duly  admitted  to  the  bar.  He  at  once  began  practicing  in 
Frankfort,  but  in  March,  1891,  upon  the  solicitation  of  his  brother, 
Judge  Lysander  Hill,  he  came  to  Chicago  and  for  seven  years  was 
associated  with  the  latter  in  the  law  practice.  The  partnership  was 
then  dissolved,  and  until  recently  the  subject  of  this  sketch  has  con- 
tinued alone. 

He  has  paid  special  attention  to  patent,  trade  mark  and  copyright 
law,  of  which  important  branch  he  is  a  master,  and  in  addition  has 
figured  prominently  in  real  estate  and  corporate  litigation.  In  order 
to  properly  represent  his  large  clientele  he  has  found  it  necessary  to 
make  protracted  research  and  study  as  to  the  practice  under  the 
common  law  of  England  and  in  so  doing  has  discovered  laws  long 
dormant  but  effective,  having  a  direct  bearing  upon  certain  phases  of 
titles  to  realty  in  the  city  of  Chicago. 

He  has  devoted  much  attention  to  politics,  as  every  good  citizen 
should,  and  was  an  active  member  of  the  Charter  Convention  ap- 
pointed to  formulate  a  new  charter  for  the  city  of  Chicago.  In  1904 
he  was  elected  representative  from  the  Sixth  senatorial  district  and 
was  re-elected  in  1906.  During  his  first  term  he  was  appointed  on 
the  following  committees :  Claims,  Chicago  charter,  judicial  de- 
partment and  practice,  statutory  revision,  corporations,  judiciary, 
revenue,  and  to  visit  educational  institutions.  In  the  Forty-fifth 
General  Assembly  he  was  chairman  of  the  committee  on  revenue,  and 
in  addition  to  the  committees  of  his  previous  term,  those  of  municipal 
courts  and  primary  elections  were  added.  He  was  made  chairman  of 
the  special  non-partisan  committee  consisting  of  three  republicans 
and  three  democrats  appointed  to  investigate  the  Illinois  State  insti- 
tutions, and  the  unanimous  report  of  this  committee  was  so  adverse 
to  the  management  given  them  that  it  became  an  issue  in  Illinois 
during  the  political  campaign  of  1908.  Mr.  Hill  was  a  candidate 
for  the  nomination  of  State  senator  but  was  defeated  in  a  close  con- 
-test  at  the  primaries. 

He  belongs  to  the  Episcopal  church  and  is  a  member  of  the  Hamil- 


748  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

ton,  City,  Illinois  Athletic,  Chicago  Athletic,  Exmoor  Country  and 
Episcopal  clubs.  Mr.  Hill  is  one  of  the  best  known  Masons  of  Illinois 
and  is  considered  in  the  fraternity  an  authority  on  Masonic  usages. 
He  is  a  charter  member  and  from  its  organization  has  been  the 
treasurer  of  St.  Cecilia  Lodge  No.  865,  A.  F.  &  A.  M. ;  is  a  past 
high  priest  of  Corinthian  Chapter  No.  69,  R.  A.  M.,  and  is  a  charter 
member  and  from  its  organization  has  been  the  treasurer  of  St. 
Cecilia  Chapter  No.  220,  R.  A.  M. ;  is  a  past  thrice  illustrious  master 
of  Chicago  Council  No.  4,  R.  &  S.  M. ;  is  a  Sir  Knight  of  St.  Bernard 
Commandery  No.  35,  K.  T. ;  is  also  a  thirty-second  degree  Mason 
and  an  officer  of  Oriental  Consistory,  A.  A.  S.  R.,  and  is  a  member 
of  St.  John's  Conclave  No.  1,  Knights  of  the  Red  Cross  of  Con- 
stantine,  and  Medinah  Temple,  A.  A.  O.  N.  M.  S.  He  is  also  an 
Odd  Fellow,  of  which  organization  he  is  past  Noble  Grand.  In  1878 
he  married  Ida  E.  Watson,  of  Frankfort,  Mich.,  and  by  this  union 
has  one  son,  Roy  Wilson  Hill,  at  present  associated  as  a  partner  of 
his  father  in  the  law  practice. 

Henry  Horak,  a  well-known  and  prominent  electrical  contractor 
and  hardware  merchant,  at  3213  West  22d  street,  was  born  in 
Bohemia,  on  March  2,  1879,  and  is  a  son  of  John  and  Louisa 
(Ladyr)  Horak.  He  was  reared  to  manhood  in  his  native  land  and 
there  learned  the  machinist's  trade  and  was  otherwise  educated  and 
prepared  for  the  battle  of  life.  Believing  that  the  United  States 
offered  better  opportunities  for  advancement  and  success,  he  came 
to  this  country  in  1903,  settled  in  Chicago,  and  took  up  the  study  of 
electricity,  and  having  mastered  that  science,  began,  in  1905,  the 
business  of  electric  contracting,  which  has  successfully  engaged  his 
attention  ever  since.  In  the  fall  of  1908  he  embarked  in  the  general 
hardware  business  and  has  built  up  a  large  and  profitable  trade  in 
that  line.  Already  he  is  well  known  as  a  successful  and  reliable 
business  man  and  has  the  confidence  of  the  community  where  he  re- 
sides. Mr.  Horak  became  a  citizen  of  the  United  States  in  May, 
1908,  and  since  that  date  has  affiliated  with  the  Republican  party 
and  has  taken  an  active  interest  in  its  success.  On  May  1,  1907,  he 
married  Carrie,  daughter  of  Charles  and  Rose  (Andrelik)  Kuncl, 
who  is  one  of  four  living  children :  Carrie,  wife  of  the  subject  of 
this  sketch ;  Charles,  Joseph,  who  served  in  the  United  States  navy 
from  which  he  received  an  honorable  discharge  August  11,  1909,  and 
George.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Kuncl  were  formerly  from  Vienna,  Austria, 
but  came  to  America  in  1893  and  settled  in  Chicago,  where  they  still 
reside. 

Charles  W.  Hotchkiss  was  born  at  Unadilla  Forks,  N.  Y.,  June 
19,  1863,  and  is  a  son  of  Edgar  F.  and  Caroline  F.  Hotchkiss.  The 
father  was  a  native  of  Windsor,  N.  Y.,  and  his  business  was  that  of 
general  engineering.  He  was  of  an  inventive  turn  and  as  a  mechan- 
ical engineer  was  skillful  and  able.  During  the  Civil  war  he  was  con- 
nected with  the  construction  department  of  the  Union  army. 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  749 

Charles  W.  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  and  at  West  Wind- 
field  academy.  His  brother,  W.  E.  Hotchkiss,  having  taken  an  en- 
gineering course  at  West  Point  and  having  left  the  army  to  begin 
work  on  the  West  Shore  Railroad,  Charles  W.  joined  him  in  the 
capacity  of  rodman.  While  thus  engaged  and  afterward  he  learned 
the  business  of  mechanical  and  civil  engineering.  He  pursued  civil 
engineering  until  1900,  when  he  became  manager  on  the  Chicago, 
Indiana  &  Southern  Railway  and  is  now  general  manager  of  the 
same.  From  August,  1886,  to  May,  1896,  he  was  assistant  engineer 
of  the  Michigan  Central  Railway  and  from  May,  1896,  to  June,  1899, 
chief  engineer  of  the  Chicago  Junction  Railway.  From  August, 
1899,  to  June,  1900,  he  was  chief  engineer  of  the  Chicago  Union 
Transfer  Railway  company  and  consulting  engineer  of  the  Michigan 
Central  Railroad.  From  June,  1900,  to  October,  1905,  he  was  presi- 
dent of  the  Indiana  Harbor  Railway,  when  the  same  was  taken  over 
by  the  New  York  Central  Railway.  Since  then  he  has  been  general 
manager  of  the  former.  Mr.  Hotchkiss  has  devoted  twenty  years 
to  the  development  of  the  Calumet  manufacturing  district  and  the 
railroad  terminal  problems  of  Chicago  and  vicinity.  He  is  a  Repub- 
lican and  an  Episcopalian.  He  owns  valuable  property  in  Lake, 
Porter  and  LaPorte  counties,  Indiana,  as  well  as  in  Chicago.  His 
business  address  is  in  the  LaSalle  street  station.  His  residence  is 
the  Chicago  club,  of  which  he  is  a  member,  200  Michigan  avenue, 
as  well  as  the  Mid-Day,  Press  and  Engineer  clubs,  of  Chicago,  and 
the  Duquesne  club,  of  Pittsburg ;  the  American  Society  of  Civil  En- 
gineers and  the  Western  Society  of  Engineers.  He  is  unmarried. 

Thomas  S.  Rowland,  third  vice-president,  secretary  and  treasurer 
of  the  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy  Railroad  company,  was  born 
February  13,  1844,  at  North  Dartmouth,  Mass.,  a  son  of  William 
and  Louisa  (Packard)  Howland.  His  early  education  was  secured 
in  the  schools  of  New  Bedford,  and  later,  entering  Harvard  univer- 
sity, he  was  graduated  from  the  scientific  course  of  that  institution 
with  the  class  of  1868.  On  March  1,  1868,  he  embarked  on  his 
railroad  career  as  a  civil  engineer  in  Iowa  in  the  employ  of  the 
Burlington  &  Missouri  River  Railroad  company,  subsequently 
(1876)  becoming  secretary  to  C.  E.  Perkins,  who  was  then  vice- 
president  of  the  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy  Railroad  company. 
In  1884  he  was  elected  secretary  with  headquarters  in  Boston,  but 
in  1901  located  permanently  in  Chicago,  where  he  occupied  the 
positions  of  acting  treasurer  and  secretary.  In  1902  he  was  elected 
vice-president  and  treasurer.  Mr.  Howland  has  another  praise- 
worthy career  not  generally  known  to  the  public.  When  Civil  war 
threatened  the  destruction  of  the  Union,  he  volunteered  his  services 
for  the  integrity  of  the  nation,  and  from  1862  until  peace  was  de- 
clared, served  as  a  member  of  the  Thirty-third  Massachusetts  volun- 
teer infantry,  participating  in  the  battles  of  Chancellorsville,  Gettys- 
burg, Chattanooga  and  in  Sherman's  memorable  march  to  the  sea. 


750  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

Mr.  Rowland  is  a  member  of  the  Union  League,  University  and 
Exmoor  Country  clubs.  To  his  marriage  with  Miss  Eliza  Harbach 
four  children  have  been  born,  named  Abram  H.,  Mary  P.,  Elizabeth 
H.  and  Ruth  A. 

Dr.  John  Owen  Hughes  was  born  in  New  Brunswick,  N.  J., 
November  12,  1837,  and  was  left  an  orphan  in  childhood  by  the 
death  of  both  parents.  He  is  a  resident  of  Norwood  Park  and  is 
one  of  the  oldest  physicians  of  the  county.  He  received  a  common 
school  education  and  was  bound  out  to  a  farmer,  with  whom  he 
worked  until  he  reached  the  age  of  eighteen  years.  He  then  on  his 
own  account  hired  out  to  a  farmer,  but  at  the  same  time  began  the 
study  of  medicine,  buying  books  and  laboring  far  into  the  night. 
At  the  same  time  he  greatly  improved  his  education  by  private  read- 
ing and  effort. 

In  March,  1857,  he  came  to  Illinois,  and  reached  Chicago  at  the 
foot  of  Lake  street,  and  taking  a  bus,  was  mired  down  at  the  corner 
of  State  street  and  was  obliged  to  walk  from  there  to  the  hotel.  A 
few  days  later  he  went  to  Fulton  county  and  hired  out  to  a  farmer, 
and  while  thus  at  work  continued  his  studies  in  medicine.  Soon 
afterward  he  became  a  medical  student  under  Dr.  S.  S.  Buck,  a 
graduate  of  Rush  Medical  College.  While  thus  studying,  he  passed 
the  examination,  received  his  certificate,  and  taught  school  in  Fair- 
view  township,  Fulton  county,  Illinois. 

In  1862  he  enlisted  in  Company  D,  103d  Illinois  volunteers,  for 
three  years  or  during  the  war,  served  his  time  and  was  honorably 
mustered  out  in  June,  1865,  at  Louisville,  Ky.  Later  he  was  a  hos- 
pital steward  under  promotional  service,  but  was  finally  mustered 
out  with  honor  after  the  close  of  the  war.  During  this  period  Doc- 
tor Hughes  served  as  assistant  under  Dr.  S.  S.  Buck.  As  a  soldier 
he  participated  extensively  and  actively  in  the  hospital  service  for  a 
year  and  a  half  and  received  and  merited  distinguished  considera- 
tion. Not  only  was  he  active  in  the  hospital  service,  but  was  for- 
ward in  several  battles  and  skirmishes,  particularly  before  Atlanta, 
in  the  siege  of  Vicksburg  and  in  the  march  to  the  sea.  In  several  of 
these  campaigns  he  had  sole  charge  of  the  medical  supplies  and  hos- 
pital stores.  In  several  instances  he  had  sole  charge  of  the  regi- 
mental hospital  supplies  in  the  field.  During  this  historic  period 
Doctor  Hughes  gained  valuable  and  remarkable  experience  in  the 
field  of  surgery,  and  a  medical  practice  not  otherwise  to  be  gained 
in  a  life  time.  Doctor  Hughes  secured  from  the  southern  people  an 
extensive  practice  in  all  branches  and  particularly  received  experience 
of  the  most  valuable  character  in  the  field.  Practically  he  had  con- 
trol on  the  march  to  the  sea  of  the  medicines  and  hospital  supplies. 
During  the  latter  part  of  the  war  Doctor  Hughes  was  practical 
operator  of  the  surgeons'  table  and  there  gained  a  practical  and  re- 
markable experience  which  proved  of  great  service  to  him  in  after 
years.  After  the  war,  Doctor  Hughes  attended  Rush  Medical  Col- 
lege, from  which  he  received  his  diploma  of  Doctor  of  Medicine. 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  751 

He  first  began  the  practice  at  Gilson,  Knox  county,  but  upon  the 
completion  of  his  medical  course,  he  located  at  Fairview  and  re- 
mained there  two  years.  For  the  next  four  years  he  practiced  at 
Manito,  111.,  but  came  to  Norwood  Park  in  1873,  and  soon  had  a 
large  practice  and  a  good  reputation.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Chi- 
cago Medical  Society  and  a  patron  of  the  leading  medical  societies 
and  organizations.  He  married  Mary  Vandervere  Hartough,  the 
daughter  of  Henry  and  Catherine  Hartough,  who  were  among  the 
early  settlers  of  central  and  western  Illinois.  They  early  connected 
themselves  with  the  Dutch  Reformed  church  of  Fairview.  At  the 
time  the  church  was  organized  there  were  about  fifty  families  in  the 
village.  Dr.  Hughes  has  been  identified  with  the  village  for  thirty- 
six  years.  He  understands  its  wants,  expectations  and  hopes.  He 
and  wife  have  the  following  children :  Frank  Owen,  Kate  Hazel- 
tine,  Martha  Lillian  and  Edwin  Henry.  The  family  are  members 
of  the  Dutch  Reformed  church,  in  which  Mr.  Hughes  has  been 
deacon  for  many  years.  He  is  a  Republican.  He  has  the  entire 
confidence  of  the  community.  In  1882  he  built  a  spacious  two- 
story  and  basement  residence  and  is  pleasantly  situated  at  the  present 
time.  He  is  decidedly  a  self-made  man  by  sheer  effort  and  merit. 

Dr.  Charles  Edward  Humiston  of  Austin,  was  born  in  Marietta, 
Ohio,  on  March  17,  1868.  He  is  the  descendant  of  one  of  the  old 
colonial  families  of  Connecticut.  Originally  the  Humistons  lived  in 
England  and  probably  the  first  one  to  come  to  the  American  colonies 
was  Henry  Humiston  who  arrived  in  Connecticut  in  1644.  Henry 
Humiston  moved  to  New  Haven  early  in  1644,  from  Hertfordshire, 
England.  He  was  a  Puritan.  His  direct  descendants  were  John, 
the  father  of  James,  the  father  of  James  the  second,  the  father  of 
Jason.  Dr.  Charles  E.  is  the  son  of  Hiram  and  Margaret  (Null) 
Humiston.  The  mother's  people  are  of  Scottish-German  stock. 
Hiram  was  the  son  of  Lynds,  who  was  the  son  of  Jason,  a  minute 
man  in  the  Revolutionary  war. 

Dr.  Charles  E.  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Washington 
county,  Ohio.  Later  he  attended  Beverly  college  in  the  same  county 
and  after  completing  his  studies  there  became  assistant  principal  of 
the  high  school  at  Osceola,  Nebraska,  and  later  was  appointed  prin- 
cipal of  the  village  schools  of  Shelby,  Nebraska.  About  this  time, 
having  made  up  his  mind  to  become  a  doctor,  he  began  the  study  of 
medicine  in  1893  in  Jefferson  Medical  college,  Philadelphia.  Later 
he  came  to  Chicago,  entered  the  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons 
and  in  1896  was  graduated  therefrom  with  honor  and  with  the 
degree  of  Doctor  of  Medicine.  Succeeding  his  graduation  he  be- 
came interne  at  the  Cook  County  hospital  from  1896  to  1898  in- 
clusive, and  after  the  latter  date  began  independent  practice,  which 
he  has  continued  down  to  the  present  date.  He  located  in  Austin 
and  has  built  up  a  large  practice  and  a  most  enviable  reputation. 
For  seven  years  Dr.  Humiston  was  a  professor  in  the  Harvey  Med- 


752  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

ical  college  and  for  the  last  three  years  has  been  connected  as  pro- 
fessor of  surgery  with  the  University  of  Illinois  Medical  school. 
Since  1904  he  has  served  as  attending  surgeon  to  the  Cook  County 
hospital.  For  the  past  five  years  Dr.  Humiston  has  made  the  prac- 
tice of  surgery  a  specialty  and  has  acquired  great  skill  and  an  excel- 
lent reputation  in  this  difficult  branch  of  his  profession.  He  is  at 
present  attending  surgeon  to  St.  Ann's  hospital,  the  Oak  Park  hos- 
pital, and  Cook  County  hospital. 

The  doctor  takes  an  active  interest  in  municipal  affairs  and  in 
politics  is  a  stanch  Republican.  He  is  president  of  the  Aux  Plaines 
branch  of  the  Chicago  Medical  society  and  a  member  of  the  State 
Medical  society  and  also  of  the  American  Medical  association.  He 
is  a  contributor  to  numerous  medical  journals.  During  the  period 
when  the  annexation  of  Austin  to  Chicago  was  considered  the  doctor 
was  actively  interested  in  the  result  and  an  advocate  of  annexation. 
In  1901  he  married  at  Lincoln,  Nebraska,  Miss  Myrtle  Wheeler,  a 
graduate  of  the  University  of  Nebraska.  Mrs.  Humiston  received 
the  degrees  of  Bachelor  of  Arts,  1896,  and  Master  of  Arts,  1901, 
and  later,  in  1905,  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Medicine  from  Harvey 
Medical  college.  Dr.  Humiston  and  wife  have  the  following  chil- 
dren :  Margaret,  Homer,  Ruth  and  Charles  Edward,  Jr. 

Senator  John  Humphrey,  of  the  seventh  district  of  Illinois,  is  a 
native  of  England,  born  in  the  parish  of  Walpole,  St.  Peters,  County 
of  Norfolk,  June  20,  1838.  His  parents,  Thomas  and  Mary  (Dring) 
Humphrey,  were  also  natives  of  County  Norfolk,  England,  where 
the  father  died  in  March,  1841,  and  where  the  mother  subsequently 
married  John  Wells,  immigrating  with  him  to  America  in  1848  and 
settling  in  Orland  township,  Cook  county,  where  the  family  has  re- 
sided ever  since.  The  step-father,  Mr.  Wells,  died  in  December, 
1849,  and  the  mother  in  November,  1893. 

The  subject  of  this  memoir  was  brought  by  his  step-father  and 
mother  to  America  and  Cook  county  in  1848,  and  this  place  has 
been  his  home  down  to  the  present  time.  He  was  reared  on  a  farm 
and  followed  that  vocation  until  reaching  his  majority,  receiving  his 
education  in  the  public  schools  of  his  district  and  at  the  University 
of  Leoni,  Mich.  February  26,  1863,  he  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Amelia  A.  Patrick,  a  native  of  New  York,  and  a  daughter  of  Walter 
and  Hannah  A.  (Cowen)  Patrick,  early  pioneers  of  Cook  county. 
In  1870  Senator  Humphrey  began  reading  law  in  the  office  of  James 
P.  Root,  of  Chicago,  and  continued  thus  occupied  for  about  three 
years.  He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1874  and  soon  afterwards 
began  practicing  law  on  his  own  account  in  Chicago,  where  he  has 
kept  an  office  ever  since.  In  the  years  1870  and  1884  he  was  elected 
to  the  legislature,  and  in  1886,  to  the  state  senate,  where  he  has 
served  every  year  since.  Senator  Humphrey  lost  his  wife  by  death 
March  21,  1898,  to  them  having  been  born  eight  children,  of  whom 
the  following  three  are  living:  Wirt  E.,  prominent  lawyer  of  Chi- 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  753 

cago,  with  offices  at  1311  Ashland  building;  Clara,  wife  of  Peter 
Myers,  of  Wilmette,  Cook  county,  and  Maude  E.,  who  still  makes 
her  home  under  the  paternal  roof.  December  14,  1898,  Senator 
Humphrey  married  Ida  L.  Stuart,  a  native  of  Bellevue,  Jackson 
county,  Iowa,  and  the  daughter  of  John  and  Wilmuth  (Easley) 
Stuart,  and  to  this  union  has  been  born  one  child,  John  S.  The 
Senator  has  served  in  many  offices  of  trust,  among  which  are  the 
following:  Supervisor  of  Orland  township  in  1867,  and  with  the 
exception  of  two  years,  ever  since ;  school  treasurer,  at  present  time 
and  for  the  past  thirty-eight  years ;  president  of  the  village  of  Orland ; 
and  bailiff  under  sheriffs  Bradley  and  Agnew.  He  was  one  of  the 
organizers  of  the  village  of  Orland  and  has  been  its  president  ever 
since.  He  is  a  stanch  Republican  in  his  political  views  and  always 
takes  an  active  interest  in  party  affairs.  He  served  as  a  member  of 
the  Central  Republican  Committee  a  number  of  years  and  in  former 
years  "stumped"  his  district,  being  noted  as  a  good  speaker.  Sen- 
ator Humphrey  is  a  Mason,  being  identified  with  Home  Lodge  No. 
508,  of  Chicago.  He  is  one  of  the  most  enterprising  and  public 
spirited  men  of  his  county  and  is  always  willing  to  aid  in  any  move- 
ment for  the  betterment  of  his  village  and  county. 

William  Daniels  Hurlbut,  traffic  manager  of  the  Wisconsin  pulp 
and  paper  manufacturers,  with  offices  at  135  Adams  street,  was  born 
August  10,  1861,  at  Ogdensburg,  N.  Y.,  and  is  a  son  of  Nathan 
L.  and  Fannie  E.  (Daniels)  Hurlbut,  the  former  being  of  Welsh 
extraction  and  a  banker  by  occupation. 

William  D.  received  in  youth  a  fair  education  at  the  common 
schools  and  came  to  Chicago  in  1867.  At  the  age  of  fourteen  years 
he  began  as  office  boy  for  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad  and  later 
occupied  with  the  same  company  the  positions  of  clerk,  stenographer 
and  chief  clerk.  On  February  1,  1890,  he  became  assistant  general 
freight  agent  of  the  same  road  and  on  September  1,  1892,  assistant 
general  freight  agent  of  the  Illinois  Central  and  the  Yazoo  &  Mis- 
sissippi Valley  Railroads  with  headquarters  at  Memphis.  On 
August  1,  1896,  he  became  general  freight  agent  for  both  roads  with 
headquarters  at  Louisville.  In  December,  1899,  he  returned  to  Chi- 
cago and  became  general  coal  agent  for  both  roads.  On  May  1, 
1902,  he  became  traffic  manager  of  the  National  Hardwood  Lumber 
Association  and  two  years  later  traffic  manager  of  the  General  Paper 
company.  Later  he  became  associated  with  the  Wisconsin  paper 
interests  as  traffic  manager.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Beverly  Coun- 
try club  and  the  Chicago  Traffic  club.  He  is  a  Republican  and  an 
Episcopalian.  In  December,  1886.  he  married  Hattie  Deutsch  and 
they  had  two  children,  William  N.  and  Josephine.  His  wife  died 
in  September,  1902,  and  in  November,  1906,  Mr.  Hurlbut  married 
Kate  L.  Blade  and  they  reside  at  10822  Armida  avenue,  Morgan 
Park,  Illinois. 

Joseph  Husak,  a  prominent  real  estate  dealer  at  668  Milwaukee 


754  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

avenue,  is  one  of  the  best  known  Bohemians  in  this  city.  He  was 
born  near  Prague,  Bohemia,  Austria,  on  November  27,  1863,  and  is 
the  son  of  Vaclav  and  Frances  (Schlesinger)  Husak,  who  immi- 
grated to  the  United  States  in  1868  and  settled  in  Chicago.  Here 
the  father  still  resides.  Of  the  children  born  to  the  parents,  three 
grew  to  maturity — Joseph,  Frank  and  Leonora.  The  latter  is  the 
wife  of  Joseph  Markvart. 

Joseph,  of  this  family,  was  reared  in  Chicago  after  the  age  of 
five  years.  He  was  educated  principally  in  the  German  parochial 
schools  and  in  Bryant  &  Stratton  Business  college.  At  the  age  of 
twelve  years  he  began  business  for  himself  as  a  newsboy,  which 
stirring  occupation  he  followed  for  about  nine  months.  He  then  em- 
barked in  the  manufacturing  tailoring  business,  starting  with  one 
machine  which  he  operated  himself.  Gradually  he  advanced  and  en- 
larged until  at  the  age  of  fourteen  he  owned  four  machines,  at  the 
age  of  sixteen,  eleven  machines  and  at  the  age  of  eighteen  operated 
twenty-eight  machines  and  employed  one  hundred  and  sixty  persons. 
In  1885  he  engaged  in  the  retail  clothing  business  on  Milwaukee 
avenue  and  was  so  occupied  for  five  years.  He  then  began  a  whole- 
sale tailoring  business  at  the  corner  of  Madison  street  and  Fifth 
avenue  and  gave  employment  to  four  cutters,  forty  tailors,  four 
traveling  salesmen  and  for  five  years  did  an  annual  business  of 
$100,000.  On  January  1,  1900,  he  added  a  ladies'  tailoring  depart- 
ment, moving  to  the  corner  of  Jackson  boulevard  and  Wabash 
avenue,  and  doing  business  under  title  "Tailors  for  Men  and  Wom- 
en," which  he  continued  until  July,  1906,  when  he  engaged  in  his 
present  business  and  is  successfully  occupied.  His  self  reliance,  en- 
ergy and  intelligence  are  shown  by  the  fact  that  he  has  never  worked 
for  anyone  but  himself.  He  made  his  first  investment  in  real  estate  at 
the  age  of  thirteen  years.  Thus  he  has  always  been  his  own  boss  and 
has  never  failed  in  business.  On  May  12,  1885,  he  married  Mary, 
daughter  of  John  and  Anna  (Vones)  Stech,  who  were  pioneers 
of  Chicago  but  later  lived  at  Dyer,  Ind.,  where  the  father  operated 
a  tannery.  At  present  he  is  engaged  in  bee  culture,  having  a  large 
apiary.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Husak  are  the  parents  of  five  children :  Clara, 
Lucy,  Leon  and  Milton,  twins,  and  Edwin.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Husak 
are  Christian  Scientists.  He  is  a  member  of  Lodge  777,  A.  F.  &  A. 
M.,  of  Ravenswood,  and  Chapter  202,  R.  A.  M.,  of  the  same  place. 
He  is  also  a  member  of  the  C.  S.  P.  S.,  the  leading  Bohemian  society 
of  Chicago.  Politically  Mr.  Husak  is  a  pronounced  Republican  and 
has  resided  with  his  family  at  4712  Beacon  street,  Sheridan  Park, 
since  1896. 

William  Hyink,  one  of  the  well  known  and  highly  respected  citi- 
zens of  the  town  of  Palos,  now  living  a  quiet  retired  life,  was  born 
in  the  village  of  Wenterswyk,  Holland,  September  1.  1848.  Albert 
and  Jennie  (Rensink)  Hyink,  his  parents,  were  also  natives  of  Hol- 
land. They  immigrated  to  the  United  States  in  1862,  where  they 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY.  755 

continued  to  reside  until  their  respective  deaths.  They  were  the 
parents  of  a  family  of  five  sons,  all  of  whom  deserve  special  recog- 
nition. John,  the  eldest,  enlisted  for  the  preservation  of  the  Union 
during  the  Civil  war  and  now  resides  in  Muscatine;  Garrett,  a 
resident  of  Muscatine ;  Herman,  a  soldier  in  the  Union  army  during 
the  Civil  war,  also  lives  at  Muscatine ;  Henry,  who  bore  the  part  of 
a  martyr  in  the  great  American  conflict,  was  severely  wounded  and 
taken  prisoner  and  after  being  exchanged  died  from  the  effects  of 
his  service  while  on  the  way  home. 

William  Hyink,  the  youngest  of  the  family  and  the  immediate  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch,  came  with  his  parents  to  America  when  fourteen 
years  old.  He  learned  the  carpenters'  trade  at  Muscatine  and  was 
there  employed  for  a  number  of  years.  In  1868  he  went  to  Westfield, 
N.  Y.,  but  in  1870  came  to  Chicago,  where  for  many  years  he  was 
engaged  in  carpentering  and  contracting.  He  did  an  extensive  busi- 
ness, employed  a  large  number  of  men  and  built  some  important 
structures  in  Chicago  and  elsewhere.  Among  the  more  important 
buildings  erected  by  his  instruction  were  the  rebuilding  and  en- 
larging of  the  Nelson  Morris  establishment  at  the  Union  Stock 
Yards  in  1882-3,  the  building  for  the  Allen  Paper  Car  Wheel  works, 
the  ladies'  boarding  hall  at  Bauman  college,  Mt.  Vernon,  Iowa,  ex- 
tensive improvements  for  the  N.  K.  Fairbanks  company,  and  many 
others  too  numerous  to  mention.  It  should  not  be  omitted,  how- 
ever, to  state  that  he  began  the  erection  of  the  first  building  on  the 
present  site  of  the  suburb  of  Pullman,  since  grown  to  be  one  of  the 
most  important  in  connection  with  the  city  of  Chicago.  A  character- 
istic feature  of  all  his  business  undertakings  is  exemplified  in  the 
character  of  the  man.  As  a  boy  he  was  taught  honesty  as  one  of 
the  cardinal  virtues,  and  no  matter  how  small  or  large  the  under- 
taking, he  saw  to  it  that  full  value  was  given,  first-class  workman- 
ship and  material  being  necessary  for  the  completion  of  the  job. 
Now,  when  but  little  past  the  meridian  of  his  life,  he  has  retired  from 
active  business  pursuits  and  is  enjoying  the  fruits  of  a  well  spent  life. 

On  December  24,  1872,  Mr.  Hyink  married  Miss  Agnes  Eck- 
stein, and  to  their  union  twelve  children  have  been  born,  the  follow- 
ing named  nine  now  living:  Edward,  Ida,  Emma,  William,  Frank, 
Henry,  Benjamin,  Bertha  and  Cora.  Mrs.  Hyink  reared  her  chil- 
dren to  clean  wholesome  lives  and  died  March  2,  1902.  Mr.  Hyink, 
while  retired  from  active  business  pursuits,  takes  a  keen  interest  in 
public  affairs  and  in  the  welfare  of  the  community.  His  beautiful 
home  in  the  village  of  Palos  Park  is  where  his  happiest  hours  are 
spent  surrounded  by  his  children  and  commanding  the  respect  and 
esteem  of  all  who  know  him. 

William  John  Jackson  was  born  in  Toronto,  Canada.  December 
28,  1859,  and  is  the  son  of  John  and  Jane  Jackson,  the  former  a 
native  of  Scotland  and  the  latter  of  Ireland.  The  father  was  a  tin- 
smith by  trade.  William  J.  Jackson  was  compelled  by  necessity  to 


756  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

start  out  in  business  for  himself  at  the  age  of  sixteen  years.  In  1877 
he  began  as  a  machinist's  helper  in  the  Grand  Trunk  railway  shops 
in  Toronto  and  railroading  has  been  his  business  down  to  the  present 
time.  From  1877  to  1891  he  remained  in  the  service  of  the  Grand 
Trunk  Railway  company,  but  at  the  latter  date  secured  a  position 
with  the  Chicago  &  Eastern  Illinois  Railway  company  with  which 
he  has  since  continued.  By  hard  work  and  careful  attention  to  de- 
tails, he  has  been  advanced  step  by  step  until  he  occupies  his  present 
responsible  position  which  is  that  of  general  manager  of  the  road. 
As  he  was  forced  to  begin  life  for  himself  at  an  early  age,  the  edu- 
cation he  received  was  meager  and  was  secured  at  the  common 
schools.  However,  reading  and  observation  since  have  made  him 
one  of  the  well  informed  men  of  the  community.  He  takes  much 
interest  in  politics  and  is  a  staunch  Republican.  His  religious  affil- 
iation is  with  the  Presbyterian  church.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Masonic  fraternity  and  of  the  Union  League  and  Beverly  Country 
clubs.  He  was  induced  by  circumstances  to  engage  in  railroading, 
which  occupation  has  proved  congenial  and  has  therefore  been  since 
continued,  much  to  the  advantage  of  the  companies  with  which  he 
has  been  associated  and  to  his  credit.  In  August,  1884,  Mr.  Jack- 
son was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Eliza  Preston,  and  to  their 
union  have  been  born  four  children,,  all  of  whom  are  living. 

Philip  Jackson  was  born  July  28,  1857,  and  is  a  son  of  Max  and 
Anna  (Saalfield)  Jackson,  both  of  whom  were  natives  of  Golance, 
Germany,  and  came  to  Chicago  in  1849.  The  father  engaged  in  the 
retail  shoe  business  and  continued  the  same  for  forty  years.  He  first 
occupied  a  store  at  196  South  Clark  street,  long  before  the  great 
fire,  and  later  at  418  South  State  street.  He  was  sexton  (Kelith 
Aushe  Maariv)  of  the  church  at  Peck  Court  and  Wabash  avenue 
and  as  such  looked  after  the  financial  and  other  important  interests 
of  the  society  during  the  last  fifteen  years  of  his  life.  He  passed 
away  October  28,  1894.  He  and  wife  were  the  parents  of  the  fol- 
lowing children :  Simon,  Jacob  and  Harris,  all  three  deceased,  and 
Miss  Rachel  and  Philip,  living.  The  mother  died  October  8,  1875. 

Philip  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Chicago.  Immediate- 
ly after  the  great  fire  he  went  to  New  York  City  as  stock  keeper  for 
Kohn  Brothers,  but  returned  to  Chicago  in  eight  months  and  became 
stock  keeper  for  Cahn  Wampold  &  Company  at  204  Monroe  street. 
Later  he  resigned  and  accepted  a  position  with  the  Hamburg-Bremen 
Insurance  company,  at  174  LaSalle  street,  with  which  concern  he 
continued  for  twenty-five  years  in  various  capacities.  He  has  taken 
an  active  and  prominent  part  in  public  affairs.  In  1889-91  he  served 
as  alderman  from  the  14th  ward.  He  was  instrumental  in  securing 
the  high  school  buildings  at  Oakley  avenue  and  Potomac  avenue  and 
at  Augusta  and  Rockwell  streets.  He  also  secured  two  fire  engine 
houses,  fire  insurance  patrol,  a  better  lighted  district  and  better  paved 
streets  west  of  Hoyne  avenue.  Largely  through  his  efforts  the  ele- 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  757 

vated  railway  was  kept  off  of  Milwaukee  avenue.  In  1894  he  was 
candidate  for  congress  but  was  defeated  by  Foss  with  the  rest  of  his 
ticket.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  order,  Royal  League  and 
Royal  Arcanum.  On  January  11,  1881,  he  married  Bertha  Rosen- 
thai,  a  native  of  New  York  City,  and  they  have  the  following  chil- 
dren :  Edna  H.,  now  Mrs.  Charles  E.  Gould,  and  Ruth.  The  fam- 
ily resides  at  2152  Alice  Place. 

Rev.  Francis  J.  Jagielski,  rector  of  St.  Salomea's  Polish  Roman 
Catholic  church,  at  11816  Indiana  avenue,  was  born  in  Brighton, 
Washington  county,  Iowa,  October  5,  1870,  and  is  a  son  of  Thomas 
and  Josephine  (Benda)  Jagielski.  The  father  was  a  native  of  Ger- 
man Poland  and  the  mother  of  Bohemia.  The  paternal  grandparents 
were  Ignatz  and  Mary,  who  came  with  their  children  to  the  United 
States  in  1843  and  settled  in  Schuylkill  county,  Pennsylvania,  where 
they  engaged  in  mining  for  several  years.  Later  they  moved  to 
Michigan,  and  in  1868  to  Iowa.  There  they  engaged  in  farming 
and  there  they  finally  died.  They  had  seven  children :  Thomas, 
deceased;  John,  Stanislaus,  Anna,  Peter,  George  and  Mary,  de- 
ceased. Of  this  family  Thomas,  father  of  subject,  was  born  in  1839. 
He  lived  with  his  parents  in  Pennsylvania,  Michigan  and  Iowa,  and 
took  part  in  their  struggle  for  existence.  In  Iowa  he  engaged  in 
farming  and  died  in  that  state  March  22,  1909,  in  the  71st  year  of 
his  age.  He  and  wife  reared  a  family  of  seven  children :  Francis 
J.,  Paul,  Anna,  wife  of  John  Holihan;  Joseph,  Henry,  Mary  and 
Janie. 

Francis  J.  was  reared  on  his  father's  farm  in  Iowa  and  in  youth 
attended  the  public  schools.  In  1888  he  entered  St.  Mary's  Sem- 
inary, Detroit,  Mich.,  and  began  his  studies  for  the  priesthood.  He 
finished  his  theological  education  at  St.  Francis  Seminary,  Mil- 
waukee, Wis.,  and  was  ordained  to  the  priesthood  on  June  19,  1898, 
by  Archbishop  Katzer,  of  Milwaukee.  His  first  charge  was  as 
assistant  pastor  of  St.  Mary's  church,  South  Chicago,  where  he  re- 
mained for  three  years.  He  was  then  appointed  pastor  of  Holy 
Cross  church,  Joliet,  and  was  thus  associated  for  three  years.  In 
1904  he  was  appointed  pastor  of  his  present  parish.  It  now  has  a 
membership  of  325  families  or  about  1,350  souls.  The  school  in 
connection  has  175  pupils  under  four  sisters  of  St.  Joseph.  The 
church  property  is  valued  at  $40,000.  A  much  larger  church  will 
be  built  in  1910. 

Dr.  Charles  E.  Jones  is  one  of  the  pioneer  physicians  of  Austin, 
Chicago,  Cook  county.  He  has  been  in  continuous  practice  at  this 
place  longer  than  any  other  physician  except  one.  He  was  born  in 
Cincinnati  on  June  27,  1851,  and  is  a  son  of  John  and  Martha 
(Groom)  Jones.  John  Jones,  the  father,  was  born  near  Shrews- 
bury, England.  His  parents  were  Welsh.  Martha  Jones  was 
English.  The  grandfather  was  William  Jones,  a  prominent  builder 
and  contractor  of  that  country. 


758  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

John  Jones  and  his  wife  were  the  parents  of  six  children,  one 
of  whom  died  in  Liverpool,  another  died  on  the  passage  to  America 
and  the  third  is  the  subject  of  this  review.  The  family  crossed 
the  ocean  to  America  in  1848  and  were  59  days  in  making  the  pas- 
sage to  New  Orleans.  A  little  later  they  came  up  the  river  by 
steamer  to  Cincinnati  where  John  Jones  located  and  lived  the  re- 
mainder of  his  days.  He  reached  the  age  of  68  years  and  erected 
many  buildings  in  that  city.  His  widow  is  still  living  at  the  resi- 
dence of  her  son,  Doctor  Jones,  at  the  great  age  of  90  years.  Dr. 
Charles  E.  received  his  early  education  in  the  public  schools  of  Cin- 
cinnati. He  attended  the  Woodward  high  school  and  later  entered 
the  Ohio  Wesleyan  university.  He  was  graduated  therefrom  in 
1871.  He  then  entered  the  Miami  Medical  school,  took  the  full 
course  and  was  graduated  in  1874  with  the  degree  of  Doctor  of 
Medicine.  Soon  afterward  he  was  appointed  assistant  city  physi- 
cian of  Cincinnati,  which  position  he  occupied  for  two  years.  He 
then  continued  his  medical  studies  at  Bellevue  Hospital  Medical  col- 
lege, New  York  City,  and  was  graduated  therefrom  in  1876.  For 
one  year  the  doctor  was  assistant  superintendent  of  the  hospital  for 
the  insane  at  Cleveland. 

After  practicing  seven  years  with  success  in  Cincinnati  he  came 
to  Chicago  in  1884  and  located  at  Austin,  Chicago,  Illinois.  At  the 
present  date  he  is  one  of  the  prominent,  reliable  and  successful 
physicians  of  the  city.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Chicago  Medical  so- 
ciety, the  American  Medical  association,  the  Aux  Plaines  Medical 
society  and  the  Illinois  State  Medical  society.  He  is  a  Mason  and  a 
member  of  the  Royal  League.  He  is  medical  examiner  for  the 
New  York  Life  Insurance  company  and  several  other  organiza- 
tions. He  was  married  in  1877  to  Miss  Emma  Whitcomb  of 
Geauga  county,  Ohio.  They  have  one  daughter,  Maud,  now  Mrs. 
W.  W.  McFarland,  Jr.,  of  Chicago,  Illinois. 

William  Kaspar,  at  this  date  president  of  the  Kaspar  State  bank, 
623  Blue  Island  avenue,  was  born  in  Hollitz,  Bohemia,  on  September 
1,  1835,  and  is  a  son  of  Joseph  and  Anna  (Michalek)  Kaspar. 
William,  their  son,  was  reared  in  his  native  city,  receiving  at  the 
common  schools  a  good  education  and  continuing  therein  until  he 
had  attained  the  age  of  eighteen  years.  Having  determined  to  come 
to  America  where  he  believed  better  opportunities  were  open  for  ad- 
vancement, he  crossed  the  ocean  and  on  November  3,  1853,  landed 
in  New  York  City.  There  he  learned  the  baker's  trade  and  was  thus 
occupied  for  two  years.  In  1855  he  located  at  Kingston,  Mass., 
where  he  worked  as  a  journeyman  baker  until  September,  1862. 

He  then  enlisted  in  the  Union  army  as  a  private  in  Company  I, 
Fourth  Massachusetts  infantry,  and  was  mustered  into  the  service 
on  September  18,  1862.  On  September  23,  1862,  he  was  promoted 
to  sergeant.  During  his  military  career  he  saw  much  hard  service. 
On  one  occasion  he  showed  conspicuous  gallantry  by  volunteering 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  759 

as  an  artilleryman  in  Tune,  1863,  at  the  time  of  the  rebel  raid  upon 
Berwick,  La.  At  the  battle  of  Hudson,  La.,  June  14,  1863,  he  was 
wounded  in  the  leg  while  acting  as  sergeant.  On  August  28,  1863, 
he  was  honorably  mustered  out  of  the  service  with  his  regiment  at 
Lakeville,  Mass.,  but  in  the  fall  of  1864  came  West  and  settled  in 
Chicago  and  embarked  here  in  the  grocery  and  bakery  trade,  con- 
tinuing thus  successfully  occupied  until  October,  1871,  when  he  sold 
out.  He  then  for  a  time  returned  to  Bohemia  and  visited  the  scenes 
and  home  of  his  childhood. 

In  the  summer  of  1872,  after  his  return  to  Chicago,  he  engaged 
in  the  real  estate  and  insurance  business,  continuing  until  1888, 
when  he  established  a  private  bank  under  the  firm  name  of  Kaspar 
&  Karel,  which  partnership  existed  until  1893,  at  which  time  it  was 
dissolved.  Mr.  Kaspar  continued  the  business  alone  until  1902  when 
he  organized  the  Kaspar  State  bank,  at  623  Blue  Island  avenue,  with 
a  capital  of  $200,000,  and  of  this  institution  he  has  been  the  active 
head  ever  since.  The  institution  is  in  an  exceedingly  flourishing 
condition  and  has  the  confidence  of  the  entire  community.  He  is  a 

member  of  the  U.  S.  Grant  Post  No.  G.  A.  R.,  F.  &  A.  M., 

Royal  Arch  Masons  and  Shriners,  and  also  of  the  Odd  Fellows.  He 
served  two  terms  with  the  board  of  directors  of  the  public  library 
and  in  politics  is  a  Republican.  He  has  been  married  twice,  first 
in  1866  to  Julia,  daughter  of  John  Wondrejka,  of  Chicago,  by  whom 
he  had  six  children :  May  F.,  wife  of  Adolph  G.  Wiese;  Belle,  wife 
of  Joseph  Peshell ;  Otto,  vice-president  of  Kaspar  State  bank ;  Wil- 
liam, Jr. ;  Helen,  deceased,  and  George  W.  His  first  wife  died  in 
November,  1887,  and  in  1889  he  married  Paula,  daughter  of  Abram 
Mandl,  of  Bohemia,  by  whom  he  has  one  son,  Eugene. 

John  E.  Kavanagh  was  born  December  30,  1859,  and  is  a  son  of 
Charles  Henry  and  Elleanor  (Murphy)  Kavanagh,  both  of  whom 
were  natives  of  County  Wexford,  Ireland,  town  of  Comolen.  In 
that  vicinity  Charles  H.  had  charge  of  lands  which  were  sublet  to 
tenants;  in  fact,  the  same  lands  had  thus  been  managed  by  Darby 
Kavanagh,  father  of  Charles  H.,  for  many  years  before  this  date. 
Darby  Kavanagh  participated  in  the  famous  Irish  rebellion  of  1798. 
As  soon  as  the  leases  contracted  by  his  father  had  expired,  Charles 
H.  came  to  the  United  States,  locating  at  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  in  1840, 
and  there  began  the  manufacture  of  shoes  and  conducted  at  the  same 
time  a  retail  shoe  store.  Later  he  bought  a  farm  in  Wyoming  coun- 
ty, New  York,  and  located  on  the  same  and  there  passed  the  re- 
mainder of  his  days  engaged  in  farming.  He  died  February  4, 
1860,  and  his  widow  in  1886. 

John  E.  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  and  in  the  Normal 
school  at  Geneseo,  N.  Y.  In  1881  he  came  to  Chicago  and  accepted 
a  position  in  the  broom-corn  works  of  W.  L.  Hubbard  &  Company. 
This  business  had  been  established  in  1867  by  Mr.  Hubbard  on 
Franklin  street  near  the  lake,  later  on  Kinzie  street,  and,  after  the 


760  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

great  fire,  at  125  Kinzie  street.  M.  H.  Kavanagh,  brother  of  John 
E.,  came  to  Chicago  in  1872  and  was  at  first  in  the  employ  of  A.  D. 
Ferry  &  Company,  continuing  until  1878,  when  he  entered  the  em- 
ploy of  W.  L.  Hubbard  &  Company.  In  1885  the  two  brothers  ac- 
quired an  interest  in  the  business  and  in  1898  became  sole  owners 
of  the  concern.  Under  their  sound  management  the  business  has 
grown  vastly  and  become  very  profitable.  They  own  a  large  ware- 
house at  Tuscola,  111.,  in  the  heart  of  the  broom-corn  district,  and  in 
1908  built  a  modern  five-story  warehouse  at  1234  and  1236  West 
Kinzie  street,  the  building  being  40x117  feet.  They  ship  broom- 
corn  to  all  parts  of  the  country.  In  the  fall  they  have  a  large  num- 
ber of  men  in  the  broom-corn  fields  selecting,  sorting  and  buying. 
John  E.  is  president  of  the  Chicago  Auto  Lock  company;  vice- 
president  of  the  Chicago  Ferrule  company  and  a  director  in  Sheridan 
Trust  and  Savings  bank.  He  was  formerly  vice-president  of  the 
Ravenswood  club.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Catholic  church,  and  of 
the  Order  of  Foresters.  He  has  been  very  active,  influential  and 
prominent  in  local  improvements.  In  his  club  he  is  a  member  of  the 
committee  on  Sheridan  Park  and  Ravenswood  Protective  associa- 
tion. On  January  9,  1889,  he  married  Sarah  L.  Loughren,  of  New 
York,  and  they  have  the  following  children :  Clarence  H.,  Marie 
Ethel  and  Beatrice,  deceased.  The  family  resides  at  4732  North 
Ashland  avenue. 

Albert  W.  Keller  was  born  September  14,  1869,  the  son  of  Alex- 
ander and  Justine  (Schlicht)  Keller,  natives  of  Switzerland  and  the 
Alps.  They  were  married  in  Chicago  in  1864,  where  the  father  en- 
gaged in  the  milk  business  on  Blue  Island  avenue  and  Twelfth  street 
until  1869,  then  removing  to  Fifteenth  and  Jefjferson  streets  till 
1877,  when  he  leased  the  "Silver  Leaf  Grove"  ground  for  two  years. 
In  1879  he  moved  back  to  Fifteenth  and  Jefferson  streets  and  estab- 
lished a  feed  and  flour  business.  He  retired  in  1886  and  is  still  active 
at  the  age  of  seventy-three  years.  The  mother  is  also  still  living 
and  resides  with  her  husband  at  3214  West  Twelfth  street. 

The  education  of  Albert  W.  Keller,  our  subject,  was  received  in 
public  and  private  schools  and  at  Bryant  &  Stratton's  Business  col- 
lege. He  was  employed  two  years  as  clerk  for  W.  R.  Mumford, 
board  of  trade,  and  later  became  bookkeeper  for  the  Temple  Pump 
company.  He  next  became  manager  for  the  Fisher  Livery,  Michi- 
gan avenue  and  Sixteenth  street,  and  in  1889  became  salesman  and 
had  charge  of  the  renting  department  for  Hammell  &  Lange.  He 
then  went  with  Wilson  Bros.,  real  estate  dealers,  having  charge  of 
their  West  side  property.  He  next  embarked  in  the  grocery  busi- 
ness for  nine  years  and  in  1904  entered  his  present  line  of  business — 
general  real  estate,  loans  and  insurance — at  3214  West  Twelfth 
street.  Mr.  Keller  is  a  Republican  in  politics  and  active  locally.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Improvement  club  of  South  Oak  Park,  the  Odd 
Fellows  and  the  Knights  of  Pythias.  November  28,  1901,  he  mar- 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  763 

ried  Minnie  Parthiers,  of  Chicago,  and  they,  with  their  one  daughter 
Edna,  reside  in  Oak  Park,  Illinois. 

John  Kikulski,  a  successful  and  prominent  real  estate  and  in- 
surance operator  at  3350  Diversey  avenue,  was  born  in  the  village  of 
Okinin,  Province  of  Graucleuc,  German  Poland,  on  August  29,  1876, 
and  is  a  son  of  Ludwig  and  Catherine  (Graf)  Kikulski.  He  is  of 
mixed  Polish  and  French  descent.  His  father  died  in  1882  from 
the  effects  of  wounds  received  in  the  revolution  of  1863  between 
Poland  and  Russia. 

John  Kikulski  received  his  elementary  education  in  the  schools  of 
his  native  land,  and  in  1889  at  the  age  of  thirteen  years,  crossed  the 
Atlantic  and  located  in  Chicago,  where  he  has  ever  since  resided.  He 
attended  night  schools  upon  his  arrival  here  to  fit  himself  to  meet 
the  new  conditions.  At  the  end  of  about  two  years  he  had  so  far 
mastered  the  English  language  as  to  be  able  to  speak  and  under- 
stand it  fairly  well.  Upon  his  arrival  here  he  apprenticed  himself  to 
the  woodmakers'  trade,  and  later  followed  that  occupation  up  to 
1901,  at  which  date  he  was  elected  labor  official  of  the  Wood 
Workers'  Union,  a  position  he  filled  acceptably  for  five  and  a  half 
years.  When  the  union  became  amalgamated  with  the  Mills  and 
Factory  Carpenters'  District  Council,  he  was  elected  president  and 
served  in  that  trying  and  responsible  position  for  one  and  a  half 
years.  In  1907  he  embarked  in  the  real  estate  business,  adding  in- 
surance. He  has  been  successfully  thus  occupied  ever  since.  He  is 
a  member  of  St.  Hyacinth's  Polish  Roman  Catholic  church,  Polish 
National  Alliance,  Polish  Turners'  Alliance  and  Amalgamated  Car- 
penters' union.  In  politics  he  is  a  Republican.  He  is  president  of 
the  Republican  club  of  Avondale.  On  October  8,  1898,  he  married 
Miss  Mary  Wajert,  of  Chicago,  and  has  two  children  living:  John 
and  Mary.  John  is  a  member  of  the  Polish  Singers  of  America. 

Vincent  J.  Klaus,  mortgage  banker,  real  estate  dealer  and  fire  in- 
surance operator,  at  West  48th  and  Ada  streets,  was  born  in  Kozlany, 
Bohemia,  Austria,  on  July  19,  1862.  He  was  reared  in  his  native 
land  until  the  age  of  eighteen  years,  receiving  during  that  period  a 
common  school  education  and  learning  the  weaver's  trade.  In  1880 
he  crossed  the  Atlantic  to  the  United  States  and  located  in  Chicago, 
where  he  has  since  resided.  In  order  to  learn  the  English  language 
he  attended  evening  school.  Up  to  1887  he  secured  employment  in 
various  capacities  in  the  Stock  Yards.  He  then  engaged  in  the  re- 
tail liquor  business,  continuing  the  same  for  fourteen  years,  during 
which  period  he  likewise  engaged  in  the  real  estate  business,  adding 
insurance.  To  the  latter  two  pursuits  he  has  devoted  his  whole  at- 
tention since  1901.  Mortgage  banking  was  added  in  1908.  Mr. 
Klaus  is  doing  a  successful  and  prosperous  business  and  has  the  con- 
fidence of  the  community.  He  has  modern,  up-to-date  offices  at 
4800  Ada  street.  On  November  1 1.  -1884,  he  married  Anna,  daugh- 
ter of  Anton  Kostka,  of  Bohemia,  and  has  four  living  children : 

Vol.   1—44. 


-HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

Louise,  wife  of  James  Topinka;  Antoinette,  wife  of  Frank  J.  Dub- 
sky;  Robert  and  Libuse.  Mr.  Klaus  and  his  son  Robert  are  mem- 
bers of  John  B.  Sherman  Lodge,  No.  880,  A.  F.  &  A.  M. ;  No.  142 
Cesko  Slovansky  Podporujici  Spolek;  Jednota  Taboritu  No.  6  and 
Sokol  Praha.  Politically  Mr.  Klaus  is  a  Democrat. 

Emil  Klicka,  president  and  general  manager  of  the  Joseph  Klicka 
company,  manufacturers  of  moldings  at  California  avenue  and  20th 
street,  was  born  in  this  city  on  May  26,  1879,  and  is  the  eldest  son 
of  Joseph  and  Emily  (Bernhardt)  Klicka,  both  of  whom  were 
natives  of  Bohemia.  The  paternal  grandparents,  Joseph  and  Kate 
(Wolf)  Klicka,  immigrated  from  Bohemia  to  this  country  in  1863, 
settled  in  Chicago,  and  resided  there  until  their  respective  deaths. 
They  had  five  children :  John,  Joseph,  deceased ;  Kate,  wife  of 
Frank  LeGros ;  Rose,  wife  of  Harry  Shannan,  and  Frank,  deceased. 
The  maternal  grandfather  was  John  Bernhardt,  a  native  of  Bohemia 
and  of  Austrian  parentage.  He  was  a  pioneer  of  Chicago  and  a  mer- 
chant tailor  by  occupation.  Joseph  Klicka,  father  of  Emil,  was 
reared  in  Chicago  after  the  age  of  nine  years,  and  was  educated  in 
the  public  schools.  He  learned  the  silver  gilding  trade  with  Ex-Chief 
of  Police  Joseph  Kipley,  and  in  1877  founded  the  business  of  the 
present  Joseph  Klicka  company  on  Lake  street  near  Franklin.  He 
died  in  1899,  his  two  eldest  sons  having  joined  him  in  business,  the 
firm  having  occupied  several  locations.  Since  his  death  the  sons 
have  conducted  the  business.  In  1909  they  erected  a  three-story 
brick  factory  at  their  present  location  and  now  give  employment  to 
from  125  to  175  hands.  The  officers  of  the  company  are  Emil 
Klicka,  president  and  general  manager ;  J.  H.  Novak,  first  vice- 
president;  George  Klicka,  second  vice-president;  Joseph  Klicka, 
treasurer  and  general  superintendent,  and  Fred  Klicka,  secretary. 
The  sons  are  thus  Emil,  George,  Joseph  and  Fred. 

Emil  was  reared  in  Chicago  and  here  he  has  ever  resided  except 
two  years  when  he  was  in  California.  He  was  educated  in  the  public 
and  grammar  schools,  and  graduated  from  Bancroft  Grammar  school 
in  1895  and  subsequently  attended  Bryant  &  Stratton  Business 
college.  He  learned  the  molding  business  under  his  father,  master- 
ing all  its  details  and  problems  from  the  lumber  yard  up,  and  be- 
came associated  with  his  father  in  1895.  Since  1906  he  has  been 
president  and  general  manager  of  the  Joseph  Klicka  company.  He 
is  one  of  the  wide  awake,  progressive  and  prominent  citizens  of  the 
city.  He  is  a  member  of  Ben  Hur  Lodge,  A.  F.  &  A.  M. ;  Wiley 
M.  Egan  Chapter,  R.  A.  M. ;  and  Chicago  Commandery,  Knights 
Templar,  and  is  a  Mystic  Shriner.  In  politics  he  is  a  Republican 
and  takes  much  interest  in  the  success  of  his  party  and  in  the  public 
welfare  generally.  On  September  10,  1907,  he  married  Jessie, 
daughter  of  E.  H.  Weegar,  of  San  Diego,  California. 

William  Kolacek,  merchant  and  president  of  the  West  Park  board, 
was  born  February  28,  1867,  in  Bohemia.  His  parents,  William 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  765 

and  Mary  (Chaoul)  Kolacek,  immigrated  to  the  United  States  in 
1869,  and  coming  to  Chicago  located  on  the  West  side.  The  father 
worked  at  his  trade  of  bricklaying  and  later  embarked  in  mercan- 
tile pursuits,  continuing  until  his  death  in  1898.  Their  children  were 
William,  Emil,  Joseph  and  Rose,  wife  of  Joseph  Dedouch. 

Early  in  life  the  subject  of  this  sketch  attended  the  public  schools, 
but  in  his  twelfth  year  became  a  cash  boy  in  a  dry  goods  store  be- 
longing to  John  York.  He  continued  with  Mr.  York  until  1889, 
then,  in  a  small  way,  embarked  in  business  for  himself  at  548  Blue 
Island  avenue.  By  good  business  management  and  courteous  at- 
tention he  prospered,  and  in  1891  moved  to  576-78  Blue  Island 
avenue.  In  order  to  meet  the  demands  of  his  growing  business,  he 
removed  to  his  present  commodious  quarters,  559-565  Blue  Island 
avenue,  where  his  four  floors  and  basement  75x80  feet  enable  him  to 
operate  one  of  the  best  department  stores  in  Chicago  outside  the 
down  town  district. 

While  in  no  sense  a  politician,  Mr.  Kolacek  is  deeply  interested 
in  civic  prosperity  and  his  money  and  time  have  been  freely  con- 
tributed to  the  general  good  of  the  community.  Early  in  1908  he 
was  appointed  a  member  of  the  West  Park  board,  of  which,  on  March 
16,  1909,  he  became  president  to  succeed  John  F.  Smulski  who  had 
resigned.  In  politics  he  is  a  Republican.  He  is  a  thirty-second  de- 
gree member  of  Oriental  Consistory,  A.  A.  S.  R.  Masons  and  a 
Knight  Templar  of  St.  Bernard  Commandery  No.  35  and  a  member 
of  the  Mystic  Shrine.  He  also  belongs  to  the  Bohemian  Turners, 
the  Odd  Fellows,  the  Illinois  club  and  the  Chicago  Association  of 
Commerce.  September  12,  1888,  he  married  Celia,  daughter  of  John 
and  Ann  (Lukes)  Mellichar,  pioneer  Bohemians  of  Chicago,  and  he 
and  wife  are  the  parents  of  two  children :  William  J.  and  Celia. 

Joseph  M.  Kolkema  was  born  at  Muskegon,  Mich.,  on  Novem- 
ber 5,  1869,  and  is  a  son  of  Maurice  and  Henrietta  (Valk)  Kolkema. 
The  father  was  a  native  of  Holland  and  came  to  the  United  States 
in  the  thirties  with  his  parents,  locating  at  Muskegon  when  he  was  a 
small  child  and  when  that  place  was  a  small  but  active  village  in  the 
great  lumber  region  of  that  vicinity.  There  he  is  yet  alive  at  the 
age  of  seventy-five  years,  one  of  the  oldest  residents  and  prominent 
men  of  that  prosperous  city.  In  early  manhood  he  engaged  there  in 
the  business  of  mill-wrighting  and  carpentering  and  later  in  con- 
tracting. Many  of  the  best  of  the  early  houses  there  were  built  by 
him.  From  1885  to  1892  he  was  in  the  Dakotas,  where  he  took  up 
a  government  claim,  but  upon  the  death  of  his  wife  returned  to 
Muskegon,  where  he  is  yet  active  in  his  business. 

Joseph  M.,  his  son,  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Mus- 
kegon, and  at  the  age  of  eighteen  years  went  to  Dakota  with  his 
parents  and  remained  there  for  two  years.  He  then  went  to  the 
upper  peninsula  of  Michigan  and  worked  in  the  lumber  camps  and 
on  the  drive  for  two  years.  Then  after  a  short  time  at  Muskegon 


766  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

he  returned  to  North  Dakota  and  went  to  work  on  his  father's  farm. 
For  three  months  in  the  winter  of  1891-92  he  was  stage  driver  over 
the  sixty-five  miles  from  Eureka,  South  Dakota,  to  Winchester, 
North  Dakota — forty  miles  from  any  railroad.  In  1892  he  re- 
turned to  Michigan,  and  in  1895  came  to  Chicago  and  accepted  a 
position  as  laundry  driver  for  a  cousin — Joseph  Banning.  In  this 
business  he  has  steadily  worked  his  way  upward  and  is  now  general 
manager,  secretary  and  treasurer,  and  owns  a  half  interest  in  the 
business.  Recently  he  erected  a  large  modern  building  and  now 
employs  sixty  people.  In  1900  the  concern  was  incorporated  as  the 
Bee  Hive  Laundry  company.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Laundry 
National  Association,  Illinois  State  Laundry  Association,  Chicago 
Laundry  club,  Chicago  Laundry  Owners'  Association,  and  the 
Masonic  and  Odd  Fellows  orders.  He  was  married  November  2, 
1898,  to  Mary  Hessenius,  of  Chicago,  and  they  have  Anna  H.,  Ruth 
J.,  Joseph  M.,  and  Mary  G.  They  reside  at  104  South  Robey  street. 

Joseph  Kopecky,  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Salat,  Polak  & 
Kopecky,  proprietors -of  the  Lawndale  Savings  bank,  at  3113  West 
22d  street,  was  born  in  Kalist,  Bohemia,  on  August  24,  1877,  and 
is  a  son  of  Anton  and  Frances  (Svehlik)  Kopecky.  The  parents 
immigrated  to  the  United  States  in  1887  and  settled  in  Chicago 
where  the  father,  a  stone  cutter  by  trade,  worked  at  that  occupation 
until  his  death  in  1894.  He  left  a  widow  and  six  children — Joseph, 
Mary,  Frances,  Antoinette,  Sophia  and  Rose. 

Joseph  was  reared  in  Chicago  after  the  age  of  ten  years.  He  was 
educated  in  the  public  schools  and  began  his  business  career  at  the 
age  of  fourteen  years  as  errand  boy  in  one  of  the  large  wholesale 
clothing  establishments  of  the  city.  He  steadily  worked  his  way  up- 
ward through  sheer  merit  to  the  responsible  position  of  traveling 
salesman,  and  in  all  remained  with  this  house  for  fourteen  years. 
In  1904,  in  partnership  with  Joseph  J.  Salat  and  Joseph  F.  Polak, 
he  embarked  in  the  banking  business  and  their  institution  since  Jan- 
uary 1,  1909,  has  been  conducted  under  the  name  of  the  Lawndale 
Savings  bank.  Mr.  Kopecky  is  a  member  of  St.  Ludinilas  Bohemian 
Roman  Catholic  church,  the  Elks,  Catholic  Order  of  Foresters,  North 
American  Union,  Columbian  Knights,  and  in  politics  is  a  Republican. 
On  January  29,  1902,  he  was  united  in  marriage  with  Rose,  daugh- 
ter of  Joseph  and  Marie  (Pregler)  Novak,  of  Chicago,  and  they  have 
three  children  :  Helen,  Rose  and  Anton. 

Vladimir  C.  Kornaszewski,  a  successful  mechanical  engineer  at 
1764  North  Monticello  avenue,  was  born  in  Lomza,  Poland,  on 
November  8,  1878,  and  is  a  son  of  Marion  and  Mary  (Struzynski) 
Kornaszewski,  who  came  to  the  United  States  in  1892.  The  parents 
settled  in  Chicago  and  here  they  still  reside.  Previous  to  coming 
to  America,  the  father  served  in  the  Russian  army,  holding  the  rank 
of  military  surgeon  for  ten  years.  After  coming  to  Chicago  he  con- 
ducted a  barber  shop  for  seven  years  and  then  retired  from  active 
business.' 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  767 

His  son,  Vladimir  C.,  was  the  only  child  born  to  these  parents. 
He  attended  the  technical  schools  of  his  native  land  until  the  age  of 
fourteen  years,  after  which  he  attended  the  public  schools  of  Chi- 
cago, finishing  in  the  Chicago  English  High  and  Manual  Training 
school,  also  completing  a  course  in  metal  mining  under  the  instruc- 
tion of  the  International  Correspondence  school  of  Scranton,  Penn. 
His  first  employment  was  with  the  Gates  Iron  Works  of  Chicago, 
under  whom  he  served  an  apprenticeship  in  mechanics,  and  upon 
completing  the  same  was  appointed  to  the  position  of  draftsman  in 
1903,  at  which  date  the  firm  became  consolidated  with  the  Allis- 
Chalmers  company.  After  six  months'  of  service  he  went  west  and 
prospected  for  one  year,  returning  to  Chicago  in  1906.  He  then 
secured  employment  as  mechanical  engineer  with  Caldwell  &  Son, 
continuing  thus  engaged  for  about  fourteen  months.  Since  then  he 
has  been  operating  on  his  own  responsibility.  Already  he  has  shown 
an  inventive  turn,  being  the  inventor  of  a  scouring  and  brushing 
machine  for  cleaning  clothes;  also  a  gas  engine  for  automobiles  and 
marine  purposes.  He  has  other  important  patents  under  considera- 
tion. He  is  a  member  of  the  Polish  Roman  Catholic  church,  Polish 
National  Alliance,  Royal  League,  and  is  a  Republican.  On  May  5, 
1902,  he  married  Mary,  daughter  of  Frank  and  Florentina  Gratza, 
of  Chicago,  and  has  two  sons :  Victor  and  Girard. 

Very  Rev.  John  J.  Kosinski,  president  of  St.  Stanislaus  college, 
140  West  Division  street,  was  born  in  the  province  of  Posen,  Prus- 
sian-Poland, on  July  5,  1870,  and  is  a  son  of  James  and  Veronica 
(Kolpacki)  Kosinski.  He  was  brought  to  Chicago  in  1871,  and 
there  the  father  still  resides.  For  several  years  the  father  was  fore- 
man of  a  factory  in  the  city  and  at  present  occupies  a  political  office 
under  the  Busse  administration.  The  Kosinski  family  are  of  noble 
birth  and  were  driven  from  Russia  on  account  of  their  participation 
in  an  insurrection  against  the  government.  His  great  grandfather, 
had  all  his  property  confiscated  on  that  account  and  was  compelled  to 
cross  the  frontier  in  a  hurry  in  order  to  save  his  life.  James 
Kosinski,  his  son  and  the  father  of  Rev.  John  J.,  was  left  upon 
his  own  resources  at  the  age  of  fifteen  years.  He  enlisted  in  the 
Prussian  army  and  took  part  in  the  Franco-Prussian  war  and  held 
minor  command  in  the  Prussian  Black  Hussar  cavalry.  The  subject 
of  this  sketch  John  J.  is  the  only  survivor  born  to  the  first  marriage 
of  his  father  James ;  the  second  wife  of  the  latter  was  Victoria 
Kaczmarek,  to  whom  he  was  married  in  1876  and  by  whom  he  had 
nine  children,  six  of  whom  are  yet  living;  Felix,  a  veteran  of  the 
United  States  navy  and  late  of  the  Asiatic  squadron ;  Stanislaus, 
in  business  in  Chicago ;  Frances,  an  organist  and  school  teacher ; 
Martha,  wife  of  John  Kowalski,  a  prominent  real  estate  dealer  of 
Chicago ;  Clara,  a  stenographer,  and  Eugenia,  a  student. 

Very  Rev.  John  J.  Kosinski  was  reared  in  Chicago  and  was  gradu- 
ated with  distinction  from  St.  Stanislaus  parochial  school  in  1882.  He 


768  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

took  a  classical  course  at  St.  Jerome's  college,  Berlin,  Ontario,  Can- 
ada, graduating  therefrom  in  1887.  In  the  fall  of  the  same  year  he 
went  to  Rome,  Italy,  to  join  the  congregation  of  the  Resurrection 
Fathers  and  attended  the  school  of  oratory  at  the  Propaganda  De 
Fide  and  in  due  time  received  his  degree  of  Philosophy  at  the 
Gregorian  university  in  Rome.  On  account  of  poor  health  he  was 
thereafter  transferred  to  Lemberg,  Austria-Poland,  to  continue  his 
theological  studies.  By  this  time  he  had  exhibited  such  exceptional 
talent  and  aptitude  for  his  life's  duties  that  he  was  summoned  to 
occupy  the  chair  of  literature  and  classics  at  St.  Jerome's  college, 
Ontario,  Canada.  There  by  a  special  dispensation  of  the  Holy  Father 
he  was  ordained  to  the  Holy  priesthood  before  reaching  the  age  of 
twenty-three  years,  by  the  Rt.  Rev.  Bishop  Bowling,  D.  D.,  of  Ham- 
ilton, Canada. 

After  having  taught  two  years  he  was  transferred  by  the  author- 
ities to  St.  Mary's  college,  St.  Mary's,  Kentucky,  and  held  the  office 
of  disciplinarian  there  for  two  years.  He  then  served  as  vice-presi- 
dent of  the  college  for  the  succeeding  two  years  and  in  1899  was 
summolned  to  his  home  city  to  take  charge  of  the  newly  erected 
Polish  college  of  Chicago,  and  here  until  very  recently  he  served  as 
president  of  this  important  educational  institution.  He  devoted  his 
talent,  energy  and  heart  to  the  cause  of  the  people  of  his  parish  and 
can  look  with  pride  and  gratification  on  the  good  that  has  been  ac- 
complished. The  college  was  first  started  as  a  high  school  in  1890 
but  its  importance  and  usefulness  have  been  immensely  extended  by 
Father  Kosinski,  who  is  recognized  as  one  of  the  foremost  educators 
in  the  United  States.  He  is  particularly  distinguished  for  his  rare 
powers  of  oratory  and  persuasive  speech.  He  is  a  talented  linguist 
and  in  addition  to  his  native  tongue,  speaks  English,  German,  French 
and  Italian.  On  January  6,  1909,  orders  came  from  head- 
quarters of  the  Resurrectionist  Fathers  at  Rome,  Italy,  appointing 
him  superior  and  at  the  same  time  placing  him  in  charge  of  St.  John 
Cantius  Parish,  on  Carpenter  and  Front  streets,  Chicago,  111.  Not- 
withstanding this  change,  he  still  is  connected  with  the  project  of 
erecting  new  college  buildings  at  Avondale  for  the  education  of  the 
Polish  American  youth,  he  being  secretary  and  treasurer  of  the  new 
corporate  body,  "The  Polish  American  Educational  Institute." 

John  Kreft.  one  of  the  prosperous  and  well  known  farmers  of 
Palatine  township,  was  born  August  18,  1849,  in  Schaumburg  town- 
ship, this  county.  Henry  and  Mary  Dorothea  Kreft,  his  parents, 
immigrated  from  Hanover,  Germany,  to  America  in  1846,  and 
coming  direct  to  Cook  county,  Illinois,  entered  land  from  the  gov- 
ernment in  Schaumburg  township,  erected  a  home  thereon  and  began 
farming  after  the  methods  in  vogue  at  that  pioneer  period.  They 
there  made  their  home  until  1882,  when  the  old  home  place  was  sold 
to  a  Mr.  Winkelhake,  and  the  family  removed  to  a  farm  owned  by 
Mrs.  Harriet  Comfort,  which  they  later  bought,  and  there  the  parents 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  769 

continued  to  reside  the  remainder  of  their  days.  The  father  died  in 
1885  and  the  mother  in  1888.  They  were  the  parents  of  six  chil- 
dren as  follows :  Henry,  Dorothea,  Carolina,  Frederick,  Anna  and 
John.  All  these  are  dead  except  Carolina  and  John.  Frederick 
served  the  Union  cause  during  the  Civil  war,  enlisting  when  only 
eighteen  years  old  and  being  killed  in  battle  two  years  later. 

John  Kreft  is  the  youngest  of  the  family.  He  received  a  limited 
education  in  the  district  schools  owing  to  the  fact  that  his  services 
were  required  to  help  support  the  family  and  carry  on  the  farm  work. 
His  life  has  been  passed  at  hard  work  on  the  farm  and  he  is  now  one 
of  the  substantial  land  owners  of  northern  Cook  county.  October 
28,  1869,  he  married  Mary  Mensching,  and  to  them  nine  children 
have  been  born:  Henry  (died  when  nine  years  old);  Minnie 
(died  at  the  age  of  seven  years)  ;  Louis  (now  and  for  the  past  twelve 
years  an  electrician  in  the  employ  of  the  Edison  Electric  company)  ; 
Emma  (wife  of  Henry  Schultze  who  is  a  representative  of  the  Busch- 
Gertz  Piano  company  of  Chicago)  ;  William  C.  (married  Clara 
Dierking,  resides  in  Palatine  and  is  in  the  employ  of  Marshall  Field 
&  Co.)  ;  Herman,  Martin,  John  and  Millie.  In  politics  Mr.  Kreft 
is  a  Republican  and  for  several  years  served  as  commissioner  of 
highways.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Lutheran  church  of  Palatine. 

Anthony  Krygowski,  M.  D.,  a  prominent  and  successful  prac- 
titioner of  medicine  at  2854  Racine  avenue,  Lake  View,  was  born 
in  the  Province  of  Posen,  German- Poland,  on  January  1,  1870,  and 
is  a  son  of  John  and  Lucy  (Furman)  Krygowski.  The  parents  im- 
migrated to  the  United  States  in  1870  and  located  in  Chicago,  where 
the  father  embarked  in  the  retail  grocery  and  butcher  business  which 
he  made  highly  successful.  He  was  distinguished  for  his  excep- 
tional musical  talent  and  generally  for  his  high  character.  He  died 
in  1884  at  the  age  of  thirty-five  years,  leaving  his  widow  and  one 
son,  Anthony,  named  above.  After  his  death  his  widow  married 
Sebastian  Noger,  by  whom  she  has  one  son,  Dr.  George  J.  Noger, 
now  living.  He  is  a  prominent  practicing  physician  and  is  physician 
of  the  Alexian  Brothers'  hospital. 

Dr.  Anthony  Krygowski  was  reared  in  Chicago  and  was  educated 
jn  the  public  schools  of  the  city,  at  St.  Jerome  college,  Berlin,  On- 
tario, from  which  latter  institution  he  was  graduated  with  credit  in 
1884.  In  1894  he  was  graduated  from  Chicago  Homeopathic  Med- 
ical college,  and  two  years  later  from  Harvey  Medical  college.  Since 
the  latter  date  he  has  been  in  the  active  and  successful  practice  of 
his  profession.  Since  commencing  he  has  taken  post  graduate 
courses  in  the  famous  medical  schools  of  Vienna,  Berlin,  London, 
Dublin.  Bonne  on  the  Rhine  and  Heidelberg.  He  is  eminently  fitted 
for  the  most  difficult  tasks  of  his  profession.  He  has  amassed  con- 
siderable property,  owning  valuable  real  estate  on  which  he  has 
erected  flat  buildings  and  stores  in  Lake  View  and  on  the  North  and 
the  South  sides.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Illinois  Homeopathic  Med- 


770  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

ical  Society,  Chicago  Medical  Society,  Knights  of  Columbus,  Cath- 
olic Order  of  Foresters  and  in  politics  is  a  Democrat.  In  1899  he 
was  candidate  for  alderman  from  the  24th  ward,  and  in  1908  was 
a  candidate  for  county  commissioner. 

Rev.  Bartholomew  Kvitek,  pastor  of  St.  Michael's  Slovak  Roman 
Catholic  church,  at  1950  West  48th  street,  was  born  in  Bohemia, 
August  18,  1872.  He  received  his  classical  education  in  the  Gym- 
nasium of  Taus,  Bohemia,  and  upon  coming  to  the  United  States 
took  up  his  philosophical  studies  at  St.  Vincent's  college,  Latrobe, 
Penn.  In  1897  he  was  graduated  with  honor  in  theology  from  St. 
John's  university,  Minnesota,  and  was  duly  ordained  to  the  priest- 
hood in  Chicago  on  November  14  of  the  same  year.  His  first  holy 
calling  was  as  assistant  pastor  of  St.  Vitus  Bohemian  Catholic 
church  of  Chicago,  in  which  capacity  he  served  with  high  credit  for 
six  years  and  one  year  as  pastor.  In  1905  he  was  appointed  to  his 
present  position.  Since  his  connection  with  this  parish  Father  Kvitek 
has  purchased  property  worth  $14,000  and  has  erected  a  combined 
church  and  school  house  at  a  cost  of  $67,000.  The  church  property 
is  now  worth  $100,000.  When  he  took  charge  of  the  school  there 
were  but  thirty  pupils;  now  there  are  320,  all  under  the  instruction 
of  five  sisters  of  the  Benedictine  Order.  This  is  the  first  Slovak 
church  in  Chicago.  It  has  a  membership  of  700  families  or  nearly 
4,000  souls.  Father  Kvitek  is  a  member  of  the  St.  Benedict  Order. 
He  has  one  assistant,  Rev.  Cyrill  Zenisek. 

Thomas  D.  Kyle,  president  of  the  Kyle  Bottle  Washing  Machine 
company,  was  born  in  Ireland,  on  October  9,  1863,  and  is  a  son  of 
John  and  Margaret  (McKeown)  Kyle.  Both  parents  were  born  in 
Ireland  and  were  of  Scotch-Irish  descent.  The  father  moved  to 
County  Antrim,  Ireland,  and  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  linen. 
He  died  at  Belymena,  Ireland,  in  1902,  and  the  mother  in  1873. 

Thomas  D.  was  educated  in  the  public  schools,  and  owing  to  the 
death  of  his  mother  when  he  was  yet  quite  young,  he  was  forced  to 
assist  in  caring  for  his  younger  brothers  and  sister.  At  the  age  of 
thirteen  years  he  was  set  at  work  in  his  father's  linen  mills,  and  so 
continued  until  his  father  remarried,  when  he  came  in  1881  to  the 
United  States  and  for  two  years  worked  in  Wisconsin  on  a  farm. 
He  then  came  to  Chicago  and  for  about  one  year  was  engaged  in 
railroading  for  the  Chicago,  Milwaukee  &  St.  Paul  company.  Suc- 
ceeding this  employment  he  secured  a  position  in  the  city  hall,  Chi- 
cago, and  was  there  engaged  for  about  eleven  years.  He  then  ac- 
cepted a  position  as  traveling  salesman  for  Charles  O.  Sethness, 
dealer  in  extracts,  essential  oils,  etc.,  and  while  thus  engaged  was 
forcibly  impressed  with  the  importance  of  an  invention  that  would 
wash  rapidly  and  thoroughly  all  makes  of  bottles.  He  began  to 
study  with  this  idea  in  view  and  soon  invented  the  most  complete 
machine  of  the  kind  in  the  world.  Not  only  did  he  devise  a  perfect 
bottle  washer,  but  accomplished  the  result  of  inventing  a  bottle  soaker 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  771 

as  well.  The  soaker  was  designed  to  attach  to  the  washer,  so  that 
the  whole  machine  soaks,  washes,  rinses  and  conveys  the  bottles  to 
the  filler  where  they  are  sterilized.  Mr.  Kyle  spent  four  years  in 
perfecting  this  machine  which  will  wash  from  10,000  to  100,000 
bottles  per  day.  He  quit  the  road  wholly  in  1904  and  devoted  all  his 
time  and  attention  to  the  perfection  of  the  machine.  The  cost  of 
washing  bottles  is  thus  enormously  reduced.  Mr.  Kyle  is  prominent 
in  Republican  circles  and  is  now  one  of  the  judges  of  election  in  the 
25th  ward.  He  is  a  charter  Mason,  Union  Park  lodge,  and  Irving 
Park  Chapter.  In  1902  he  married  Bertha  Wacht,  of  Chicago,  and 
lives  at  1511  Rosemont  avenue,  where  he  resides  in  his  own  home. 

William  H.  Lake,  senior  partner  of  the  firm  of  W.  H.  Lake  & 
Company,  commission  merchants,  is  a  successful  board  of  trade 
broker  and  was  born  in  Chicago  in  1861.  In  1877  he  embarked  in 
the  commission  business  with  Dwight  &  Gillette,  but  later  accepted 
a  position  with  Charles  Counselman  &  Company  and  still  later  with 
Bartlett,  Frazer  &  Company,  and  held  the  latter  until  1901.  In  that 
year  he  established  an  independent  business  on  his  own  account  under 
the  name  of  W.  H.  Lake  &  Company.  They  have  done  an  immense 
business,  and  Mr.  Lake  is  considered  a  representative  commission 
leader  of  the  middle  West.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Chicago  Board 
of  Trade,  New  York  Produce  Exchange,  Baltimore  Chamber  of 
Commerce,  St.  Louis  Merchants'  Exchange  and  the  Minneapolis 
Chamber  of  Commerce.  He  is  a  life  member  of  the  Chicago  Ath- 
letic Association.  On  September  8,  1885,  he  married  Ida  Church, 
who  died  April  27,  1892.  One  child  was  born  to  this  union,  Violet 
C.  August  18,  18%,  Mr.  Lake  remarried,  and  to  him  and  wife,  Mary 
Grace  Wirt,  one  daughter,  Mary,  and  one  son,  William  .W.,  have 
been  born.  His  parents  were  Marcus  and  Julia  (Helmer)  Lake,  the 
father  coming  here  from  Conneaut,  Ohio,  in  the  early  fifties.  Wil- 
liam H.  received  a  common  school  education  and  began  the  battle 
of  life  at  the  age  of  thirteen  years.  He  is  a  Republican  and  lives  at 
Kenesaw  Terrace,  Buena  Park. 

Adolph  Lakemeyer,  M.  D.,  was  born  in  Germany,  June  14,  1872, 
and  is  a  son  of  Charles  and  Augusta  (Lindemann)  Lakemeyer,  both 
of  whom  were  natives  of  the  same  country.  The  father  was  a  farmer 
and  also  held  real  estate  interests  in  that  vicinity.  He  died  in  1874 
and  his  widow  in  1882.  Five  of  their  children  are  yet  residing  in 
the  fatherland. 

Doctor  Adolph  was  educated  in  the  schools  of  Germany  and  served 
one  year  in  the  army.  In  1897  he  came  to  Chicago  and  entered 
Rush  Medical  college,  took  a  full  course  and  was  duly  graduated 
therefrom  with  the  class  of  1902.  He  began  the  practice  at  the 
corner  of  North  avenue  and  Western  avenue  and  is  still  located 
there,  having  secured  a  good  practice  and  standing.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  American,  Chicago  and  Illinois  State  Medical  organiza- 
tions, and  also  of  the  Royal  Arcanum. '  He  is  independent  in  politics. 


772  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

On  April  24,  1901,  he  married  Clare  Muehlhaus,  of  Chicago,  and 
they  have  the  following  children:  Adolph,  Jr.,  Elsie  and  Irmgard. 
The  family  resides  at  2353  North  avenue. 

Rev.  Francis  Lange,  pastor  of  St.  Josaphat  Polish  Roman  Cath- 
olic church  at  2311  Southport  avenue,  was  born  in  German  Poland, 
West  Prussia,  on  December  13,  1857,  and  was  reared  to  manhood  in 
his  native  land.  He  received  his  primary  education  in  the  village 
schools  of  Domatowo  and  his  classical  education  in  the  Gymnasium 
of  the  City  of  Neustadt.  He  came  to  the  United  States  in  1884, 
landing  at  New  York  on  November  1.  Immediately  thereafter  he 
began  the  study  of  philosophy  in  St.  Francis  seminary  near  Milwau- 
kee, and  in  1885  began  the  study  of  theology  at  St.  Mary's,  Balti- 
more. In  1888  he  was  ordained  to  the  priesthood  in  Chicago  in  the 
cathedral  of  the  Holy  Name  by  the  late  Archbishop  Feehan  on  Sep- 
tember 28  of  the  same  year.  His  first  duty  was  as  assistant  priest 
of  the  Church  of  St.  Mary  of  Perpetual  Help,  of  Chicago,  where  he 
remained  for  a  period  of  ten  months.  On  September  14,  1889,  he 
was  appointed  pastor  of  St.  Josaphat's  Parish,  an  irremovable  rec- 
torship. He  built  the  present  church,  a  fire-proof  structure  costing 
$140,000.  The  parish  now  has  a  membership  of  850  families  or  a 
total  of  about  5,000  souls.  The  excellent  school  in  connection  with 
the  church  is  conducted  by  fifteen  sisters  of  the  Holy  Family  of 
Nazareth  and  numbers  900  pupils.  Connected  with  the  church  are 
ten  beneficent  societies  and  the  Sodality  of  St.  Joseph  consisting  of 
95  members,  all  of  whom  have  the  name  Joseph ;  one  men's  Tem- 
perance Sodality,  480  members;  one  married  ladies'  Sodality,  855 
members,  and  one  young  ladies'  Sodality,  405  members.  The  parish 
was  organized  in  1884.  This  year,  i.  e.,  1909,  they  celebrated  the 
25th  anniversary  on  November  14th,  when  Right  Rev.  Paul  P. 
Rhode  pontificated. 

Henry  Horace  Latimer,  M.  D.,  was  born  at  Metcalf,  Ontario,  on 
the  7th  of  February,  1854,  and  is  the  son  of  Henry  and  Mary 
Latimer.  His  father  followed  agricultural  pursuits,  and  led  a  quiet, 
uneventful  life,  dying  in  1904  at  the  age  of  86  years.  His  mother 
attained  the  age  of  78  years.  Doctor  Latimer  was  educated  in  the 
public  and  high  schools  of  Metcalf,  Ontario.  In  the  early  '70s  he 
came  to  the  United  States  and  settled  in  Will  county,  111.  In  1880 
he  took  up  the  study  of  pharmacy  and  in  1883  began  the  study  of 
medicine  at  Bennett  Medical  college  in  Chicago,  and  graduated  in 
the  class  of  1885.  Since  then  he  has  practiced  in  Chicago.  For 
four  years  he  was  attending  physician  to  Cook  County  hospital,  and 
for  same  length  of  time  was  professor  of  dermatology  at  the  Ameri- 
can Medical  College  (now  the  Chicago  College  of  Medicine  and 
Surgery).  He  is  a  member  of  the  Chicago  and  State  Medical 
societies :  at  present  he  is  head  of  the  department  of  dermatology  at 
Bennett  Medical  College. 

In  1884  Doctor  Latimer  was  married  to  Miss  Ida  B.  Harris,  of 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  773 

Decatur  county,  la.,  and  to  them  were  born  three  children :  Bertha 
J.,  now  the  wife  of  J.  Leonard  Undem ;  Doctor  Milton  J.,  and  Olive 
Pearl,  all  of  whom  reside  in  Chicago.  Doctor  Latimer's  residence 
is  at  2728  Haddon  avenue,  and  his  office  is  at  1058  North  California 
avenue. 

Edward  Baker  Leigh,  president  of  the  Chicago  Railway  Equip- 
ment company,  and  for  the  past  twenty-one  years  a  resident  of  the 
city  of  Chicago,  was  born  at  Townsend,  Mass.,  April  13,  1853,  a 
son  of  Edwin  and  Suzan  Leigh,  his  mother's  maiden  name  being 
Scollay.  Humphrey  Chadbourn,  one  of  his  maternal  ancestors, 
was  of  Scotch  lineage;  came  to  America  in  1640  and  settled  in  the 
vicinity  of  South  Berwick,  Me.  Captain  Thomas  Leigh,  his  paternal 
great  grandfather,  immigrated  to  this  country  from  England  in 
1773.  During  the  earlier  part  of  his  life  Edwin  Leigh  practiced 
medicine,  subsequently  engaging  in  literary  work  and  becoming  an 
author  of  note.  He  was  the  originator  of  the  new  phonetic  system 
of  teaching  pupils  how  to  spell,  and  also  of  a  system  of  notation.  He 
died  in  1891,  and  his  widow  in  1894. 

Edward  Baker  Leigh,  the  immediate  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  a 
student  at  the  City  university  at  St.  Louis  from  1862  to  1867,  and 
from  1867  to  1868  attended  Washington  university,  St.  Louis. 
Owing  to  ill  health  he  was  compelled  to  forego  his  career  at  the 
latter  institution,  and  in  1869  became  a  clerk  in  the  Pennsylvania 
railroad  offices  where  he  continued  until  1874.  From  that  date 
until  1882  he  was  assistant  secretary  of  the  St.  Louis  Grain  Elevator 
company  and  secretary  of  the  East  St.  Louis  Grain  Elevator  com- 
pany, and  from  then  until  1887  was  manager  of  the  American  Brake 
company.  He  came  to  Chicago  in  1888,  organized  the  National 
Hollow  Brake  Beam  company,  was  elected  its  vice-president  and 
manager  and  thus  continued  until  January,  1903,  when  he  organized 
the  Chicago  Railway  Equipment  company  to  succeed  the  National 
Hollow  Brake  Beam  company.  From  the  date  of  its  organization 
until  January,  1906,  he  was  vice-president,  treasurer  and  general 
manager  of  the  Chicago  Railway  Equipment  company,  and  since 
then  has  been  its  president  and  general  manager. 

Mr.  Leigh  belongs  to  the  Union  League,  Hamilton  and  Press 
clubs,  Chicago  Athletic  club,  Illinois  Athletic  association,  St.  Louis 
club  and  Detroit  club,  and  is  a  member  of  the  Benevolent  and  Pro- 
gressive Order  of  Elks.  He  is  a  Republican  in  politics.  November 
15,  1876,  he  married  Miss  Clara  Norton  Furness,  of  Furnessville, 
Ind.,  by  whom  he  is  the  father  of  three  children:  Edwin  Furness, 
Paul  and  Louise  Atherton,  the  last  two  named  being  dead.  The 
family  home  is  at  3838  Calumet  avenue  and  the  business  location 
of  Mr.  Leigh  is  at  Forty-sixth  street  and  Winchester  avenue. 

David  Rose  Levy  was  born  in  Kansas  City,  Mo.,  April  27,  1867, 
and  is  a  son  of  Zadig  and  Rose  (Benjamin)  Levy.  He  was  edu- 
cated in  the  public  and  high  schools  of  Springfield,  111.,  and  in  1885-6 


774  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

taught  school  in  that  city.  From  1887  to  1893  he  found  employ- 
ment in  the  claim,  engineering  and  transportation  department  of 
the  Wabash  Railroad  company.  In  the  meantime  he  studied  law  and 
in  1893  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  Indiana  and  in  Illinois  in  1896. 
From  1893  to  1895  he  was  assistant  secretary  of  the  Illinois  Rail- 
road and  Warehouse  commission  and  in  1895-6  was  secretary  to 
Governor  John  P.  Altgeld.  Since  the  latter  year  he  has  been  in  the 
active  and  successful  practice  of  his  profession,  having  made  a 
specialty  of  corporation  law.  He  has  been  connected  with  several 
very  important  cases,  and  served  as  assistant  corporation  counsel 
of  Chicago  for  several  years.  He  is  a  Democrat.  He  belongs  to 
the  Metropolitan,  Iroquois,  Illinois  Athletic  and  Jefferson  clubs. 
His  office  location  is  at  143  Dearborn  street  and  his  residence  at  4621 
Michigan  avenue. 

Willoughby  Starr  Lockwood  was  born  in  Annapolis,  Nova  Scotia, 
on  January  29,  1864,  and  is  a  son  of  Edward  of  that  Province.  His 
mother  was  a  Fullerton  and  both  parents  were  well-to-do  and  re- 
spected citizens  of  Canada.  The  father  owned  and  conducted  a 
saw  mill  there,  held  public  office  with  credit,  and  was  distinguished 
for  his  interest  and  work  in  the  broad  field  of  religion.  Both  parents 
were  of  mixed  English  and  Dutch  descent. 

Their  son,  Willoughby  S.,  was  reared  with  strong  religious  and 
moral  surroundings  and  tendencies.  He  loved  nature  in  the  woods 
and  under  strong  spiritual  guidance  early  sought  the  truth  and 
adopted  honest  business  methods.  In  youth  he  secured  a  grammar 
school  education  and  worked  in  part  to  obtain  the  same.  He  at- 
tended the  village  school  in  Nova  Scotia  and  after  coming  here 
continued  his  studies  at  the  old  Moseley  school  at  Twenty-fourth 
street  and  Michigan  avenue.  He  also  attended  night  school  for 
about  five  years,  thus  greatly  adding  to  his  education.  At  the  age 
of  thirteen  years  he  began  business  for  himself  as  office  boy  and 
rose  steadily  in  position  until  he  became  a  man.  In  1888  he  became 
a  member  of  the  firm  of  Lockwood  &  Strickland,  operators  in  mill 
work  and  interior  trimming,  and  has  continued  a  member  of  this 
organization  ever  since.  The  company  was  incorporated  in  1894. 
Their  business  is  large  and  lucrative  and  is  located  at  Halsted  and 
Forty-ninth  streets.  Mr.  Lockwood  is  president  of  the  company. 
Early  in  life  he  determined  to  be  a  merchant  or  a  manufacturer,  and 
his  success  has  proved  the  soundness  of  his  boyhood  judgment.  He 
has  served  as  secretary  and  treasurer  in  the  Methodist  church  and 
as  trustee  in  the  Congregational  church,  of  which  latter  he  is  a 
member.  He  is  a  Republican  in  politics.  In  April,  1886,  he  married 
Jennie  Ebersole  and  they  have  five  children,  all  of  whom  are  living, 
as  follows :  Willoughby  Chester,  Edith  Marie,  Irene  Jessie,  Arthur 
Ebersole  and  Beatrice  Anita. 

In  the  year  1873,  there  came  to  Chicago  a  young  man  practically 
penniless,  handicapped  with  an  imperfect  knowledge  of  the  English 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  775 

tongiie  and  with  but  slight  familiarity  with  the  American  customs. 
This  young  man  was  destined  to  make  his  mark  in  the  commercial 
and  political  history  of  Chicago.  Born  at  Domazlice,  Bohemia, 
January  1,  1857,  William  Loeffler  finished  his  education  at  a  Latin 
school  at  Prague,  in  1872.  At  the  age  of  16  years  he  left  the  land 
of  his  nativity  and  came  to  America.  From  the  date  of  his  landing 
in  New  York  city  his  career  was  one  of  romance,  often  verging  on 
tragedy.  His  ambition  was  to  get  ahead  in  the  world  and  win  an 
honored  recognition  in  the  land  of  his  adoption.  Any  honorable 
employment  that  presented  itself,  no  matter  how  humble,  was  gladly 
accepted.  Many  times  practically  penniless  his  early  career  was 
one  of  hardship  and  self-denial. 

The  fall  of  the  year  succeeding  his  arrival  in  New  York,  he  came 
to  Chicago  and  for  a  time  was  employed  selling  bread  for  Joseph 
Tachett.  In  partnership  with  a  Mr.  Sunfeld  he  subsequently  started 
in  the  bakery  business.  This  venture  proved  disastrous  and  every 
penny  of  his  savings  was  swept  away.  After  this  for  six  months  he 
worked  for  $5  a  week  for  S.  Klein  as  clerk.  This  period  was  one  of 
the  darkest  in  his  career  and  to  one  of  less  determination  would  have 
completed  his  ruin.  So  complete,  was  his  downfall  that  it  very  often 
was  a  problem  to  provide  means  whereby  the  next  meal  was  to  be 
secured.  Eventually  he  secured  employment  selling  sausages  for 
A.  Bondy.  About  a  year  later  he  started  a  butcher  shop  which  he 
conducted  with  varying  fortune  for  about  three  years,  then  failed, 
every  dollar  in  his  possession  having  been  lost  in  the  venture.  The 
privations  and  hardships  previously  experienced  were  again  en- 
countered, and  what  added  to  his  anxieties  and  perplexities  was  the 
fact  that  he  had  a  young  wife  and  one  young  boy  to  support.  In- 
stead of  breaking,  this  perhaps,  was  the  ultimate  cause  of  his  suc- 
cess. He  next,  in  a  -small  way,  began  buying  meats  from  Underwood 
and  subsequently  from  wholesale  houses  and  this  he  retailed  to  the 
public,  reinvesting  his  profits,  expanding  his  business,  adding  a  team 
and  wagon  now  and  then  and  in  this  way  laying  the  foundation  of 
a  permanent  success.  At  one  time  he  had  eighteen  wagons  em- 
ployed and  was  doing  a  business  second  to  none  in  that  line,  finally 
devoting  his  energies  along  this  branch  of  business  to  the  whole- 
saling of  pork. 

In  1894  he  engaged  in  the  real  estate  business  and  thus  continued 
up  to  the  time  of  his  death.  Possessing  a  natural  aptitude  for  business 
Mr.  Loeffler  prospered  and  took  rank  among  the  solid,  substantial 
business  men  of  the  city.  His  forcefulness  of  character  caused  him 
to  be  looked  upon  as  a  leader  among  those  of  his  nativity,  and  he 
was  very  often  consulted  by  those  less  well-informed  on  various 
matters  of  public  policy. 

In  this  way  he  gradually  drifted  into  politics,  and  in  time  his  in- 
fluence extended  to  men  in  all  walks  of  life  regardless  of  nativity. 
Particularly  was  his  influence  felt  in  the  old  Seventh,  Eighth, 


776  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

Ninth,  Tenth  and  Eleventh  wards.  He  had  much  to  do  with  the 
election  of  DeWitt  C.  Cregier  for  Mayor  in  1889,  and  subsequently 
was  a  potent  factor  in  the  election  of  Carter  H.  Harrison  for  the 
same  office.  He  was  elected  to  the  City  Council  from  the  old  Eighth 
ward  in  1893,  and  in  1895  was  defeated  for  the  office  of  Assessor 
of  the  old  West  Town — the  only  time  he  was  ever  defeated  for  an 
elective  office.  Much  of  the  success  of  his  party  in  recent  years 
was  largely  through  his  sagacious  counsel  and  wise  direction.  In 
1897  he  was  elected  City  Clerk  and  he  was  twice  re-elected  to  this 
position.  As  a  Democrat  in  politics  he  was  alert,  aggressive,  ardent 
and  always  to  be  feared  by  an  opposing  faction.  As  a  man  he  was 
lovable,  respected  for  his  sterling  worth,  and  his  friends  were  to  be 
found  among  all  classes  regardless  of  politics  or  religion.  In  busi- 
ness matters  he  was  far-seeing,  wise  and  he  had  sufficient  force  and 
will  to  wrest  success  when  many  another  would  have  fallen  by  the 
wayside.  In  all  ways  his  was  a  potent  influence  for  good,  for  pro- 
gressive citizenship.  Before  he  had  reached  the  zenith  of  his  career 
his  sun  of  life  went  down  and  his  light  was  extinguished.  He  died 
June  22,  1909,  but  the  world  is  better  for  William  Loeffler  having 
lived  in  it.  In  the  month  of  June,  1877,  he  married  Miss  Frances 
Havl  who,  with  their  only  son,  Frank,  survives  him. 

Albert  C.  Loebe,  one  of  the  firm  of  Loebe  Brothers,  dealers  in  gen- 
eral merchandising  and  coal  at  Orland,  is  a  native  of  Wisconsin, 
born  in  Washington  county  on  December  13,  1869.  His  parents 
were  Michael  and  Johannah  (Zschiegner)  Loebe,  both  of  whom 
were  natives  of  Saxony,  Germany,  his  father  born  in  1831,  and  his 
mother  in  1839.  They  came  to  America  in  their  youth  and  settled 
in  Washington  county  where  they  became  acquainted,  married  and 
afterwards  made  their  homes  until  their  respective  deaths.  The 
mother  passed  away  in  1877  and  the  father  in  1883.  The  latter  was 
an  enterprising  citizen  and  served  as  treasurer  of  his  township. 
During  the  Rebellion  he  served  in  the  Sixth  Wisconsin  Infantry. 
He  and  wife  were  the  parents  of  eight  children,  Amelia,  Frank  H., 
Ida  A.,  Bernhardt  J.,  Emma  H.,  Albert  C.,  Robert  (deceased)  and 
John  G.  Albert  C.  was  reared  on  a  farm  and  educated  in  the  dis- 
trict schools,  and  was  greatly  assisted  by  his  father  who  had  received 
in  Germany  a  good  education  and  who,  after  coming  to  America, 
taught  night  schools  in  Wisconsin.  In  February,  1886,  Albert  C. 
went  to  Chicago  and  became  distributing  agent  for  the  various  city 
newspapers  and  other  periodicals.  He  was  thus  engaged  actively 
and  successfully  for  over  eleven  years.  Later  he  attended  the  night 
schools  of  Chicago.  In  1889  he  was  joined  in  the  same  business 
by  his  brother,  John  G.,  and  the  two  continued  until  December,  1897, 
when  they  moved  to  Orland  and  in  January,  1898,  engaged  in  busi- 
ness in  that  village.  This  they  have  since  continued  with  increasing 
success.  They  began  in  a  small  way,  their  first  store  room  being 
22x56  feet.  Gradually  they  enlarged  and  expanded  and  added  an 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  777 

additional  story  and  a  large  basement.  They  now  have  3520  feet 
of  flooring  and  they  carry  a  large  stock  of  superior  goods  and  have 
the  leading  establishment  of  the  kind  in  the  place.  In  addition  they 
have  a  stock  room  one  and  a  half  stories  high,  18x24  feet.  Here  are 
kept  flour,  sundries,  etc.  They  also  have  another  store  house  18x30 
feet,  one  and  a  half  stories  high  where  they  keep  their  surplus  stock 
of  hardware  and  wooden  ware.  Their  large  coal  sheds  are  stocked 
with  both  hard  and  soft  coal.  Mr.  Loebe  married  June  14,  1900, 
Ella  M.  Mahaffay,  who  was  born  in  Palos  township,  February  10, 
1876,  and  is  the  daughter  of  Winslow  C.  and  Alice  M.  (Grange) 
Mahaffay,  who  were  among  the  pioneers  and  highly  respected 
citizens  of  Palos  township.  The  mother  died  in  1908,  but  the  father 
is  still  living.  To  Mr.  Loebe  and  wife  one  child  was  born,  Roy 
Albert,  on  January  28,  1902.  Mr.  Loebe  is  a  member  of  the  Modern 
Woodmen  of  America,  Orland  Camp  No.  4951,  and  the  family  are 
members  of  the  M.  E.  church  of  Orland.  Mr.  Mahaffay,  the  father 
of  Mrs.  Loebe,  was  born  in  Palos  township  in  1847,  and  was  the  son 
of  Samuel  and  Betsy  (Churchill)  Mahaffay,  who  were  among  the 
early  settlers  of  Cook  county.  Mrs.  Loebe's  mother  was  a  native 
of  Lincolnshire,  England,  and  was  born  in  1847.  Mrs.  Loebe  is 
the  third  in  order  of  birth  of  ten  children  as  follows:  Ida  N.  (de- 
ceased), Jennie  S.,  Ella  M.,  William  J.,  George  E.  (deceased), 
Frank  C.,  Mabel  B.,  Maude  M.  and  Walter  G.,  and  an  infant  son 
that  died  unnamed. 

John  G.  Loebe  of  the  well  known  firm  of  Loebe  Brothers  of  Or- 
land, was  born  in  Wisconsin,  Washington  county,  February  6,  1875, 
and  is  the  son  of  Michael  and  Johannah  (Zschiegner)  Loebe.  John 
G.  was  reared  on  his  father's  farm  and  continued  that  occupation 
until  the  age  of  about  14  years,  receiving  in  the  meantime  a  fair 
education  at  the  district  schools  and  in  the  night  schools  of  Chicago. 
In  1889  he  entered  into  partnership  with  his  brother  in  Chicago  in 
the  work  of  distributing  newspapers  and  other  publications  and  con- 
tinued thus  engaged  until  1897,  when  he  came  to  Orland  and  in 
January  of  the  following  year  engaged  in  merchandising  in  partner- 
ship with  his  brother,  Albert  C.,  under  the  firm  name  of  Loebe 
Brothers.  Here  the  brothers  have  been  successful,  profitably  and 
permanently  occupied  ever  since.  They  have  built  up  a  large  and 
lucrative  business  and  are  recognized  as  among  the  most  substantial, 
fair-minded,  liberal  and  honorable  citizens  in  this  portion  of  the 
county. 

On  June  7.  1899,  Mr.  Loebe  married  Olive  C.  Martin,  who  was 
born  in  Grand  Rapids,  Mich.,  July  4,  1875,  and  is  the  daughter  of 
Orrin  C.  and  Isadore  (Stewart)  Martin,  both  of  whom  were  natives 
of  Michigan  and  came  to  Cook  county  in  1889,  though  now  they 
reside  in  Mississippi.  To  Mr.  Loebe  and  wife  two  children  have  been 
born  as  follows:  Stewart  M.,  born  September  17,  1901,  and  Frank- 
lin E.,  born  April  18,  1906.  Mr.  Loebe  is  a  member  of  Calumet 


778  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

Lodge  No.  716  Masonic  Order;  also  a  member  of  the  Woodmen  of 
the  World,  Orland  Camp  No.  136.  He  and  family  are  members  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  of  Orland.  In  1903  Mr.  Loebe  was 
elected  to  the  office  of  trustee  of  Orland,  and  re-elected  in  1905,  and 
again  re-elected  in  1907.  His  services  have  been  acceptable  to  his 
constituency. 

Emilio  Longhi  is  a  native  of  Bobbio,  Province  of  Pavia,  Italy, 
and  was  born  August  4,  1868,  being  the  son  of  Frank  and  Matilde 
(Brignardelli)  Longhi.  The  father  was  engaged  in  general  mer- 
chandising, having  the  largest  establishment  in  his  line  in  that  city. 
After  an  active,  honorable  and  useful  life  he  passed  away  in  1887, 
and  after  his  death  his  extensive  business  was  continued  by  his  son, 
Peter. 

Emilio  was  educated  in  the  schools  of  Bobbio,  in  the  local  gym- 
nasium and  finished  with  a  course  in  a  Polytechnical  school  near  his 
home.  After  serving  three  years  in  the  army  of  Italy,  he  came  to 
the  United  States  in  1892  and  first  was  employed  by  his  brother-in- 
law  as  manager  in  an  artificial  flower  factory  in  New  York.  One 
year  later  he  came  to  Chicago  and  established  a  wholesale  and  retail 
grocery  and  handled  mainly  Italian  products  which  were  imported. 
He  began  this  business  in  a  small  way  on  Polk  street,  and  by  good 
management  and  excellent  judgment  soon  had  a  profitable  business. 
The  imported  products  were  supplied  by  his  brother-in-law,  in  New 
York  City.  Later  he  imported  all  his  own  Italian  products.  So 
successful  was  he  and  so  large  had  grown  his  business,  he  was  forced 
in  1900  to  seek  new  and  larger  quarters  which  he  found  at  378-80 
South  State  street.  At  the  present  time  he  is  importing  annually 
over  50,000  cases  of  macaroni  and  15,000  gallons  of  olive  oil,  be- 
sides large  quantities  of  fancy  Italian  wines,  cordials,  champagnes, 
etc.  He  deserves  the  greatest  credit  for  his  efforts,  honesty  and  good 
citizenship.  He  is  a  Democrat  and  a  Catholic.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Italian  Chamber  of  Commerce,  of  which  he  at  present  is  presi- 
dent of  the  committee  on  imports  and  exports.  He  is  wide  awake, 
up-to-date  and  prominent  in  the  industrial  circles  of  this  city.  In 
1893  he  married  Johanna  Rau.  of  Riverdale,  111.,  and  they  have  two 
children  as  follows:  Inez  and  Francis.  The  family  resides  at  5317 
Ellis  avenue. 

William  Lorimer  was  born  at  Manchester,  England,  April  27, 
1861,  a  son  of  William  and  Sarah  (Harley)  Lorimer.  The  family 
immigrated  to  America,  coming  to  Chicago,  where  the  father  was 
engaged  in  merchandising  until  his  death  in  1871.  From  this  time 
the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  deprived  of  schooling  advantages, 
his  services  being  required  in  helping  to  maintain  the  family.  For 
about  a  year  he  was  a  helper  in  a  sign  painting  shop,  then  joined  the 
army  of  newspaper  boys  and  bootblacks  of  the  city,  and  subsequently 
was  employed  in  the  packing  houses  of  the  Union  Stock  Yards. 
Following  this  he  became  a  street-car  driver  and  conductor,  then 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  781 

resumed  the  sign  painting  business  as  a  contractor,  and  still  later 
embarked  in  real  estate  operations,  also  being  associated  with  Alder- 
man William  J.  Murphy  in  the  manufacture  of  bricks.  A  charac- 
teristic trait  of  Mr.  Lorimer  developed  during  this  varied  career  was 
to  know  the  details  of  whatever  he  took  upon  himself  to  do  and  this 
quality  has  been  a  predominant  quality  of  his  whole  life.  In  1887 
he  was  appointed  assistant  superintendent  of  the  city  water  main 
extension  department  and  had  charge  of  the  water  system  of  all  the 
territory  south  of  Madison  street.  In  1891,  by  appointment  of 
Mayor  Hempstead  Washburne,  he  became  superintendent  of  the 
Water  Department,  a  position  he  resigned  in  1892  in  order  to  de- 
vote his  time  to  the  furtherance  of  his  candidacy  for  clerk  of  the  Su- 
perior court.  In  the  November  election  of  that  year  he  was  defeat- 
ed for  the  office.  In  1894  he  became  the  Republican  nominee  for 
Congress  from  his  district  and  was  elected.  He  was  re-elected  in 
1896  and  1898,  was  defeated  in  1900,  but  until  1909  was  a  member 
of  Congress  by  re-election.  In  the  latter  year  he  was  elected  United 
States  senator. 

Mr.  Lorimer  is  president  of  the  Federal  Improvement  company, 
of  the  Murphy-Lorimer  Brick  company,  of  the  Lorimer  &  Gallagher 
company,  and  is  a  member  of  the  Chicago  Athletic  association  and 
the  Lincoln  and  Illinois  clubs.  July  15,  1884,  he  married  Miss  Suzie 
Mooney,  and  to  them  have  been  born  nine  children :  William,  Jr., 
Leonard,  Suzie,  Ethel,  Lauretta.  Laurine,  Marjorie,  Helen  and 
Lenore.  The  family  home  is  at  903  Douglas  boulevard. 

Rev.  Norbert  I.  Lukoszius,  pastor  of  St.  Michael's  Lithuanian 
Roman  Catholic  church  at  1644  Wabansia  avenue,  is  a  native  of 
Telszi,  Lithuania,  Russia,  and  is  a  son  of  Anton  and  Mary 
(Ginczewska)  Lukoszius,  who  immigrated  to  the  United  States  in 
1893  and  settled  in  Chicago.  Here  they  resided  until  their  re- 
spective deaths.  They  left  a  family  of  three  sons  as  follows: 
Kasimir,  Norbert  I.  and  Anton — all  of  whom  reside  in  this  city. 

Norbert  attended  the  schools  of  his  native  land  for  four  years  and 
then  accompanied  his  parents  to  the  United  States  in  1893.  For 
five  years  thereafter  he  attended  the  Polish  Seminary  at  Detroit 
where  he  pursued  a  rigid  course  of  studies  in  the  classics.  He  then 
spent  six  months  at  the  University  of  Baltimore,  taking1  a  course 
in  philosophy.  He  then  returned  to  Detroit  and  finished  his  phil- 
osophical studies  and  also  began  the  study  of  theology,  continuing 
for  six  months.  He  then  went  to  St.  Louis  and  finished  his  theo- 
logical education  in  Kendrick  college,  and  was  ordained  to  the 
priesthood  in  Chicago  by  Archbishop  Quigley  on  July  1,  1905.  His 
first  appointment  was  as  assistant  pastor  of  St.  George  Lithuanian 
church,  Chicago,  which  he  served  for  a  period  of  seven  months.  On 
January  28,  1906,  he  was  appointed  pastor  of  his  present  parish 
which  under  his  able  ministration  is  growing  rapidly  and  is  in  a 
most  prosperous  condition.  It  now  has  a  membership  of  about  200 
families  or  850  souls. 

Vol.   1—45. 


782  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

The  Chicago  of  today  is  characterized  by  the  aggressiveness  of 
the  great  West  and  the  conservatism  of  the  East.  From  its  early 
days  the  city  was  famous  for  its  great  mercantile,  packing  and  other 
establishments.  Its  physicians  were  renowned  for  advanced  thought 
and  skill;  the  legal  fraternity  for  ability  was  second  to  none;  all 
the  other  avenues  of  human  endeavor  were  equally  active  and  great. 
The  present  Chicago  is  in  no  sense  less  eminent  than  the  Chicago  of 
the  past.  The  present  bar  of  the  city  is  largely  composed  of  men 
not  yet  past  the  meridian  of  life  and  they  have  sustained  the  reputa- 
tion of  the  distinguished  lawyers  who  preceded  them. 

Max  Luster,  born  in  New  York,  June  27,  1873,  is  one  of  the 
younger  members  of  the  legal  fraternity.  Isaac  and  Lena  (Lincoln) 
Luster,  his  parents,  came  to  Chicago  in  1873,  and  here  the  father 
is  now  engaged  in  the  contract  express  business.  Max  Luster,  at 
the  age  of  13  years,  began  his  business  career  as  a  helper  in  a 
carriage  paint  shop,  but  three  months  later,  and  for  one  year  there- 
after, drove  an  express  wagon  for  his  father.  Until  1897  he  was 
then  employed  in  the  wholesale  cloth  cutting  and  trimming  business. 
Having  received  a  practical  education  in  the  public  schools,  he  de- 
cided at  this  time  to  begin  the  study  of  law  and  as  opportunity 
afforded  diligently  pursued  such  studies  as  would  give  the  proper 
foundation  for  the  profession  he  had  elected  to  follow.  In  the 
meantime  he  was  an  assistant  in  the  office  of  the  county  clerk  for  a 
short  time;  then  worked  as  trimmer  for  Ederheimer  &  Stein;  was  a 
fire  insurance  solicitor;  then  successively  served  as  deputy  collector 
of  internal  revenue  and  as  a  sixty-day  appointee  in  the  office  of  the 
county  clerk.  In  1900  he  rented  desk- room  at  79  Dearborn  street 
in  order  to  devote  more  time  to  his  legal  studies,  and  prior  to  re- 
ceiving his  license  to  practice  served  six  months  as  investigator 
under  John  F.  Smulski,  who  was  then  city  attorney.  Having  com- 
pleted the  prescribed  course  in  the  Illinois  College  of  Law  in  1902 
with  the  degree  of  L.L.  B.,  and  being  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1903,  he 
then  at  once  engaged  in  the  general  practice  of  his  profession  at 
which  he  has  ever  since  continued  with  marked  success.  Mr.  Luster 
is  a  member  of  the  Illinois  Athletic  association,  the  Royal  Arcanum, 
the  Knights  and  Ladies  of  Security,  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  and  in 
politics  is  a  Republican.  On  December  24,  1895,  he  married  Miss 
Rosie  Lincoln  and  they  are  the  parents  of  three  children :  Julian, 
Arthur  and  Orrin.  Mr.  Luster's  home  is  at  558  N.  Hoyne  avenue, 
and  his  office  is  at  805,  79  Dearborn  street. 

Stanislaus  Marcinkiewicz,  a  prominent  and  successful  real  estate 
dealer,  mortgage  banker  and  insurance  agent  at  4667  Gross  avenue, 
was  born  in  Lithuania.  Russia,  in  May,  1867,  and  is  a  son  of  George 
and  Elizabeth  Marcinkiewicz.  He  grew  to  maturity  in  his  native 
country  and  there  received  a  liberal  education  and  was  fitted  for  a 
business  career.  In  1889  he  came  to  the  United  States  and  settled 
in  Chicago,  and  here  he  has  since  resided.  He  first  secured  em- 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  783 

ployment  in  the  Union  Stock  Yards  and  there  remained  for  two  and 
a  half  years.  In  1893  he  embarked  in  the  grocery  and  meat  business 
and  was  thus  occupied  for  eleven  years  at  4533  Paulina  street.  In 
1903  he  engaged  in  the  real  estate  business  and  has  thus  continued 
ever  since.  He  has  conducted  business  at  his  present  location  since 
1906.  He  has  also  been  engaged  in  the  ice  business  since  1904  and 
the  coal  business  since  April,  1905.  Mr.  Marcinkiewicz  is  a  member 
of  the  Holy  Cross  Lithuanian  Roman  Catholic  church,  St.  George's 
society,  Vylotuo  society,  St.  Vincent's  society,  St.  Stanislaus  society, 
Gedymino  society,  Foresters,  Lithuanian  Alliance  of  America, 
Lithuanian  National  Alliance  and  St.  Heart's  Lithuanian  society  and 
in  politics  is  a  Republican.  In  February,  1895,  he  married  Teofila, 
daughter  of  John  and  Francszka  Malicki  and  by  her  has  seven  chil- 
dren as  follows :  Victoria,  Casimir,  Michalina,  Bronislawa,  Teofila, 
Stanislaus  and  Edward. 

Frank  Lawrence  Masterson  was  born  at  Defiance,  O.,  December 
12,  1877,  and  is  a  son  of  John  and  Mary  Masterson.  The  father 
was  a  farmer  and  both  he  and  his  wife  are  still  living. 

Frank  L.  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  at  Defiance  and  in 
Defiance  college.  He  established  an  independent  business  of  his  own 
when  a  young  man  and  continued  the  same  until  1905,  when  the 
firm  was  incorporated  with  Mr.  Masterson  as  president,  and  J. 
O'Neil  secretary-treasurer,  under  the  name  of  the  Masterson  Electric 
Construction  Co.  Their  general  offices  are  located  at  719-21, 
56  Fifth  "avenue  and  they  are  doing  a  large  business,  having  lately 
secured  the  contract  for  the  electrical  apparatus  and  wiring  for  the 
Poorhouse  building  at  Oak  Forest.  Now  the  firm  is  classed  with  the 
highest  in  the  electrical  construction  business  in  the  city. 

J.  H.  Meyer,  son  of  J.  D.  and  Mary  (Ottman)  Meyer,  was  born 
October  2,  1840,  in  Schaumburg  township,  Cook  county,  111.  The 
parents  came  from  Germany  to  America  and  went  direct  to  Chicago 
where  they  met  a  man  by  the  name  of  Garrett  Frye,  who  took  them 
by  team  to  Schaumburg,  about  twenty-eight  miles  west  of  Chicago. 
Here  the  father  immediately  entered  160  acres  of  Government  land, 
two  years  later  acquiring  eighty  more.  To  their  union  seven  chil- 
dren were  born :  Kate,  Mary,  J.  H.,  J.  D.  Jr.,  J.  E.,  Emily  and  John. 
Mr.  Meyer  lived  until  1861.  Mrs.  Meyer  surviving  him  until  1899. 

J.  H.  Meyer's  early  education  was  acquired  in  much  the  same 
manner  as  that  of  the  other  boys  of  those  times,  largely  through  the 
country  schools.  He  continued  his  vocation  as  a  farmer  until 
October,  1904,  when  he  retired  from  active  life,  moving  to  Palatine 
and  building  a  beautiful  residence  in  which  to  spend  the  rest  of  his 
days.  November  30,  1866,  he  was  united  in  marriage  with  Carrie 
Von  Harz,  and  to  them  were  born  the  following  children :  Anna, 
now  Mrs.  Theodore  Frye  of  Palatine ;  Sara,  who  married  James 
Mair,  manager  of  the  Bowman  Dairy  company  of  Palatine ;  Her- 
man, a  prosperous  blacksmith  of  Bartlett,  town  of  Hanover ;  Henry 


784  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

(deceased)  ;  Edward,  of  Chicago;  Lydia,  wife  of  J.  C.  Wente,  living 
on  the  J.  H.  Meyer  farm;  and  Walter,  employed  by  the  Bowman 
Dairy  company,  Palatine.  The  first  vote  ever  cast  by  Mr.  Meyer 
was  in  favor  of  Abraham  Lincoln  and  he  has  ever  been  a  staunch 
Republican.  He  has  been  unusually  active  in  county  affairs,  being 
road  commissioner  six  years,  school  director  for  more  than  eighteen 
years,  school  trustee  six  years,  constable  two  years  and  serving  as 
assessor  of  Schaumburg.  Mr.  Meyer  affiliates  with  the  German 
Evangelical  church  of  Palatine,  and  is  liked  and  respected  by  all 
who  know  him. 

Daniel  Kirkwood  Miers,  secretary  and  treasurer  of  the  Mathers 
Stone  company,  is  a  comparatively  recent  addition  to  the  population 
of  Chicago,  having  moved  here  in  1905.  He  is  a  native  of  Bloom- 
ington,  Ind.,  and  a  son  of  Robert  W.  and  Belle  (Ryors)  Miers. 
Originally,  the  family  probably  came  from  Germany,  as  is  indicated 
by  the  name,  but  for  generations  they  have  resided  in  this  country. 
Robert  W.  Miers,  the  father  of  Daniel  K.,  has  lived  the  greater  part 
of  his  life  at  Bloomington,  Ind.,  where  he  has  attained  unusual  dis- 
tinction. By  profession  he  is  a  lawyer ;  in  politics  he  is  a  Democrat. 
In  a  strong  Republican  district  he  was  elected  State's  Attorney  in 
1875,  and  beginning  in  1879  was  three  times  successively  elected 
to  the  State  Legislature.  Three  different  times  he  was  the  unsuccess- 
ful candidate  of  his  party  for  the  office  of  Secretary  of  State.  By 
appointment  of  Governor  Gray,  in  1883,  he  was  appointed  to  the 
Circuit  Court  bench  to  fill  the  unexpired  term  caused  by  the  death  of 
Judge  Pearson,  and  in  1890  was  elected  to  this  position.  In  1896 
he  resigned  from  the  bench  to  become  the  nominee  of  his  party  for 
Congress  from  the  Second  Congressional  District.  He  was  elected, 
and  served  for  five  successive  terms.  Since  that  time  he  has  been 
practicing  law  in  Bloomington. 

Daniel  K.  Miers  was  born  July  30,  1875,  received  his  boyhood 
education  in  the  public  schools  of  his  native  city,  and  his  university 
training  at  the  State  University  at  Bloomington,  from  which  he  re- 
ceived the  degrees  of  A.  B.  and  LL.  B.  He  became  his  father's 
private  secretary  at  Washington  and  subsequently  was  associated 
with  him  for  a  time  in  the  practice  of  law.  In  1903  he  abandoned 
his  profession  to  become  secretary  and  treasurer  of  the  Mathers 
Stone  company.  The  general  offices  of  this  corporation  were  moved 
to  Chicago,  in  1905,  and  here  Mr.  Miers  has  since  resided.  He  be- 
longs to  the  Chicago  Athletic  association  and  the  Beta  Theta  Pi 
fraternity.  January  4,  1899,  he  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss 
Blanche  Wicks  and  their  home  is  at  6216  Ingleside  avenue. 

John  S.  Miller  was  born  at  Louisville,  N.  Y.,  on  May  24,  1847. 
During  his  youth  and  early  manhood  he  secured  a  good  education 
at  the  common  schools  and  at  a  local  academy.  He  finished  his 
literary  education  at  the  age  of  22  by  graduating  from  St.  Law- 
rence university,  Canton,  N.  Y.,  and  having  made  up  his  mind 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  785 

previously  to  become  a  lawyer  he  took  a  course  of  law  at  the  same 
institution  and  in  1870  was  admitted  to  the  bar  at  Ogdensburg. 
Prior  to  this  for  a  time  he  was  professor  of  mathematics  in  his  alma 
mater,  and  a  little  later  professor  of  Latin  and  Greek.  In  1874  he 
resigned  and  came  to  Chicago  and  began  the  practice  of  his  pro- 
fession. He  is  so  well  known  in  Chicago  that  it  is  scarcely  necessary 
to  say  that  he  is  one  of  the  foremost  lawyers  of  the  West.  He. 
practiced  individually  from  1874  to  1876  and  then  formed  a  partner- 
ship under  the  name  of  Herbert,  Quick  &  Miller.  After  the  death 
of  Mr.  Herbert  the  firm  was  continued  until  1886  as  Quick  &  Miller, 
but  at  that  date  Mr.  Miller  became  associated  with  Merritt  Starr 
and  George  R.  Peck  under  the  firm  name  of  Peck,  Miller  &  Starr. 

Mr.  Miller  has  distinguished  himself  particularly  in  the  manage- 
ment of  great  corporation  cases.  He  is  considered  one  of  the  ablest 
and  most  successful  chancery  lawyers  in  Chicago.  His  conduct  of 
the  Flagler  litigation.  Riverside  litigation,  and  the  Phillips  and  South 
Park  litigation  particularly  distinguished  him.  In  1891,  so  success- 
ful and  prominent  had  he  become  as  practitioner  that  he  was  ap- 
pointed corporation  counsel  by  Mayor  Washburne.  While  thus  con- 
nected he  took  the  important  position  that  the  city  had  the  right  to 
compel  railroad  companies  to  elevate  their  tracks.  He  also  main- 
tained that  the  city  had  the  right  to  extend  its  streets  across  rail- 
road tracks.  Both  of  these  views  are  now  generally  accepted  as 
correct  law.  On  behalf  of  the  .city  of  Chicago,  Mr.  Miller  argued 
the  famous  Lake  Front  case  before  the  United  States  Supreme  court 
and  won  a  victory.  After  a  time  he  retired  from  his  position  as 
corporation  counsel  and  since  has  devoted  his  time  to  private  practice. 
He  is  a  Republican  and  a  member  of  St.  James'  Protestant  Episcopal 
church  of  Chicago.  Mr.  Miller  has  recently  distinguished  himself 
greatly  by  his  management  of  the  case  against  the  Standard  Oil 
company  by  securing  a  reversal  of  the  decision  of  Judge  Landis  in 
fining  that  company  $29,240,000,  and  a  verdict  and  judgment  for 
the  defendant  on  the  second  trial  before  Judge  Anderson.  His 
management  of  this  case  alone  would  have  rendered  him  famous 
if  he  had  no  other  claims  to  distinction.  He  belongs  to  the  Union 
League,  Chicago,  Hamilton,  and  Chicago  Literary  clubs.  On  De- 
cember 12,  1887,  he  married  Anne,  the  daughter  of  Dr.  James  E. 
Gross,  and  they  have  a  son,  John  S.,  Jr.,  and  a  daughter,  Janet. 

Witokl  S.  Miroslawski,  attorney-at-law,  1102  Schiller  building 
and  2924  Milwaukee  avenue,  was  born  in  Chicago  on  January  6, 
1882,  and  is  a  son  of  Stanislaus  D.  and  Antonina  (Pinderski) 
Miroslawski,  natives  of  Warsaw,  Poland,  and  Prussian-Poland  re- 
spectively. His  grand  uncle,  Gen.  Louis  Miroslawski,  greatly  dis- 
tinguished himself  during  the  uprising  of  the  Poles  in  1861.  His 
father,  Stanislaus  D.,  came  to  the  United  States  in  1874,  at  the  age 
of  16  years.  He  took  an  active  part  in  politics  even  in  his  'teens, 
and  at  the  age  of  23  years  represented  one  of  the  Chicago  districts 


786  HISTORY  OlF  COOK  COUNTY 

in  the  State  Legislature.  He  was  one  of  the  prominent  politicians 
of  that  date. 

Witold  S.  was  educated  in  the  parochial  and  public  schools  of  the 
city  and  in  1902  began  the  study  of  law.  He  was  duly  admitted  to 
the  bar  in  1906,  and  since  has  been  in  active  and  successful  practice 
in  this  city.  His  practice  which  is  large  and  lucrative  is  on  the  in- 
crease on  broader  lines.  He  takes  a  lively  interest  in  local  and  State 
and  national  politics  and  is  a  Republican.  He  is  a  member  of  St. 
Hyacinth's  Polish  Roman  Catholic  church,  Polish  National  Al- 
liance, King  Ladislaus  society,  Modern  Woodmen  of  America,  the 
Polish  Catholic  Union,  and  the  Thirty-seven  club. 

George  C.  Moore  was  born  in  the  city  of  Cork,  Ireland,  on 
January  30,  1856,  and  is  a  son  of  John  G.  and  Margaret  (Bennett) 
Moore,  both  of  whom  were  natives  of  the  same  county.  The  father 
was  a  merchant  by  occupation,  and  having  amassed  a  comfortable 
competency  retired  from  active  business  a  few  years  before  his  death 
which  occurred  in  1895.  George  C.  was  educated  in  the  public 
schools  of  his  native  county,  receiving  a  fair  education  and  being 
otherwise  fitted  in  youth  for  a  successful  business  career.  In  1880 
he  came  to  the  United  States  and  was  at  first  employed  as  a  clerk 
in  a  wholesale  grocery  store,  continuing  thus  engaged  for  several 
years.  He  was  then  employed  by  a  commission  house  on  South 
Water  street,  where  he  served  as  a  salesman  for  about  five  years.  In 
1893  he  engaged  in  the  real  estate  business  in  Rogers  Park,  handling 
mainly  residence  property  along  Sheridan  road,  with  offices  in  the 
Stock  Exchange  building.  Later  he  moved  his  main  office  in  the 
Stock  Exchange  to  his  branch  office  at  the  corner  of  Sheridan  road 
and  Greenleaf  avenue.  Among  his  other  duties  is  the  renting  and 
selling  of  forty  acres  owned  by  W.  M.  Devine  and  valued  at  $1,000,- 
000.  He  was  one  of  the  appraisers  for  North  shore  drainage  canal 
in  1902.  The  Devine  property  borders  on  the  lake  and  has  a  half  mile 
of  frontage.  In  1907  he  formed  a  partnership  with  his  son,  under 
the  name  of  George  C.  Moore  &  Son.  It  should  be  said  in  this  con- 
nection that  Mr.  Moore  was  one  of  the  originators  of  the  North- 
western Elevated  extension  over  the  Chicago,  Milwaukee  &  St.  Paul 
railway  tracks  to  Evanston,  through  the  North  shore  properties. 

He  is  a  member  of  the  Illinois  Athletic  and  Hamilton  clubs,  and 
the  Masonic  Order.  He  was  married  on  April  17,  1884,  to  Esther 
M.  Marlow,  of  Chicago,  and  they  have  ten  children,  all  residing  at 
home:  George  W.,  Margaret  M.,  Genette  A.,  Esther  P.,  Kathleen 
C.,  Ilene,  Susie,  Edith,  Marie,  Victor,  the  latter  being  six  years  old. 
The  family  resides  at  1429  Chase  avenue  and  attends  the  Episco- 
palian church. 

Dietrich  Muensterman,  a  successful  and  prominent  fanner  of 
Leyden  township,  resides  on  the  old  homestead  where  his  father, 
Herman  Muensterman,  first  settled  in  December,  1854.  The  father 
was  born  in  Germany,  March  11,  1806,  and  was  a  farmer  by  occupa- 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  787 

tion,  but  in  addition  was  a  co'rdwainer.  He  owned  his  home  in  the 
village  and  his  house  was  of  oak  woodwork  filled  with  stone.  It 
was  of  great  length  and  was  partitioned  so  that  the  family  could  live 
in  one  end  and  the  horse  and  cattle  in  the  other,  after  the  German 
custom.  In  the  same  village  the  family  had  lived  for  several  genera- 
tions and  were  of  an  old  and  honorable  German  line  of  ancestry. 
Herman  when  young  served  as  a  soldier  in  the  German  army.  Upon 
reaching  manhood  he  married  Marguerite  Essmann,  a  native  of  the 
same  village,  born  October  2,  1812.  Their  children  were  as  fol- 
lows :  Sophia,  Marguerite  and  Herman  H.,  who  died  in  New 
Orleans.  These  three  oldest  came  to  America  before  their  parents 
and  the  younger  children.  The  remaining  children  were  Otto, 
Adelaide  now  a  resident  of  Chicago,  Dietrich,  Henry,  John  A.  and 
George  born  in  America  and  died  an  infant.  All  the  others  were 
born  in  Germany. 

The  three  oldest  children  came  first  to  America  and  settled  in  New 
Orleans.  Marguerite  married  William  Henne  and  Sophia  married 
George  Derkes,  a  native  of  Holland,  who  is  now  deceased.  The 
parents  and  the  other  children  crossed  the  ocean  in  September,  1854. 
During  the  trip  a  number  of  sailors  mutinied,  bored  a  hole  in  the 
bottom  of  the  vessel  and  endeavored  to  sink  it.  Before  the  crew 
were  aware  of  the  danger  there  were  nine  feet  of  water  in  the  vessel 
and  it  was  obliged  to  put  back  to  port.  On  the  second  attempt  the 
machinery  was  seriously  damaged  from  some  mysterious  cause  and 
again  the  vessel  was  compelled  to  return.  When  it  finally  got  away 
it  required  twenty-one  days  to  cross  to  America.  Arriving  in  New 
York  they  went  immediately  to  Albany,  thence  to  Buffalo,  thence 
to  Cleveland,  thence  to  Cincinnati  and  thence  to  Louisville,  Ky.  In 
December,  1854,  they  came  to  Chicago  and  after  investigating 
bought  eighty-six  and  a  half  acres  in  Leyden  township  in  the 
vicinity  of  acquaintances  whom  they  had  known  in  Germany.  The 
family  immediately  began  the  task  of  improving  this  land.  There 
was  a  small  frame  house  on  the  tract  but  this  was  occupied.  The 
family  were  members  of  the  St.  John's  Evangelical  church  and 
crossed  to  DuPage  county.  Herman  Muensterman  was  a  Repub- 
lican and  an  early  supporter  of  Abraham  Lincoln.  He  was  up- 
right, industrious  and  honest  and  did  much  for  the  improvement  of 
the  schools,  churches  and  material  interests  of  this  portion  of  the 
county.  He  died  on  December  21,  1883,  aged  77  years,  9  months, 
10  days.  His  wife  died  in  the  fall  of  1881. 

Dietrich  Muensterman  was  born  in  Germany  on  December  4, 
1841,  and  received  a  good  common  school  education  in  his  native 
land.  When  brought  to  America  he  was  nearly  13  years  old.  On  his 
arrival  in  America  he  attended  the  public  schools  in  Louisville,  Ky., 
and  upon  his  arrival  in  Leyden  township  he  attended  the  parochial 
school  of  St.  John's  Evangelical  church.  He  was  confirmed  April 
15,  1855.  He  is  one  of  the  progressive  and  intelligent  citizens  of 


788  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

this  portion  of  the  county.  He  is  a  great  reader  and  takes  much 
interest  in  the  progress  of  humanity.  On  May  19,  1865,  he  married 
in  St.  John's  church,  Rosetta  Boesenberg,  who  was  born  in  Leyden 
township,' August  9,  1846,  and  is  the  daughter  of  Henry  and  Maria 
Boesenberg.  On  December  12,  1881,  his  mother  died,  after  which 
his  father  remained  with  him  until  death.  Dietrich  has  ever  re- 
mained on  the  farm.  In  1866  he  built  a  frame  house  and  later  im- 
proved it  with  additions.  He  now  owns  one  hundred  and  thirty- 
four  acres  of  excellent  farming  land.  He  is  a  progressive,  up-to- 
date  farmer  and  has  made  a  success  of  life.  He  has  a  large  orchard 
of  excellent  apple  trees  on  the  farm.  Dietrich  and  wife  are  the 
parents  of  two  children  as  follows :  Herman  H.,  born  February  2, 
1866,  and  Rosie,  born  October  18,  1872.  The  latter  married  Henry 
Gewecke  and  lives  on  a  part  of  the  old  home  farm.  Herman  H. 
married  Dora  Rohlfes,  born  on  October  13,  1870,  the  daughter  of 
Adolph  and  Maria  (Dettmer)  Rohlfes.  The  Rohlfes'  came  from 
Germany  about  1860  and  were  well-known  settlers  of  this  portion 
of  the  county.  Herman  H.  and  wife  have  two  children,  as  follows: 
Edna  R.,  born  on  the  homestead  August  12,  1890,  and  Alwin  D., 
born  September  8,  1891.  All  the  family  are  members  of  the  Evan- 
gelical church.  Mr.  Muensterman  is  a  strict  Republican  and  is 
prominent  and  thoroughly  respected  by  all  who  know  him.  He 
has  been  road  overseer,  school  director  and  is  at  present  one  of  the 
school  trustees.  He  also  was  highway  commissioner  for  twenty-one 
years  and  was  secretary  of  his  church  for  the  same  period. 

James  Julius  McComb  was  born  in  Chicago,  February  14,  1857, 
and  is  a  son  of  John  B.  and  Mary  J.  (Mooney)  McComb,  natives 
of  Belfast,  Ireland,  and  who  came  to  the  United  States  in  1849. 
The  father  first  secured  employment  with  a  gas  company  in  New 
York  City,  but  in  1853  came  to  Chicago  and  for  seven  years  was 
connected  with  Julius  Cook,  house  mover.  For  the  succeeding  fifteen 
years  he  was  associated  with  Miller  Brothers'  ship-yard — now  the 
Chicago  Dry  Dock  company.  In  1871  he  became  bridge  tender  at 
North  Halsted  street  and  the  North  branch  and  was  thus  employed 
for  eight  years.  He  then  was  given  a  position  in  the  Chicago 
Northwestern  railway  shops.  At  the  age  of  72  years  he  retired  from 
active  business  pursuits  and  finally  passed  away  in  1'899  at  the  age 
of  81  years,  after  a  useful  and  honorable  life.  He  was  an  active 
Republican  and  prominent  in  all  worthy  local  affairs.  His  wife  died 
when  75  years  old.  Their  children  were  as  follows :  Mary  J.,  James 
J.,  William,  David,  John  T.,  Frank  J.,  Hattie  and  Paul. 

James  J.  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  and  began  business 
at  the  age  of  thirteen  years  with  the  Western  Union  Telegraph  com- 
pany, at  the  same  time  taking  night  courses  at  Dyrenforth's  college. 
He  remained  with  this  company  until  1888,  after  which,  until  1893, 
he  was  connected  with  F.  J.  Logan  on  the  Board  of  Trade  and  later 
with  George  Thurber  &  Company,  being  a  member  of  the  latter 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  789 

concern.  In  1894  he  became  secretary  to  Philip  Knopf,  county  clerk, 
and  was  thus  engaged  for  eight  years.  In  1900  he  was  elected  a 
member  of  the  State  Board  of  Equalization,  and  in  1906  and  1908, 
he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  State  Board  of  Agriculture.  Since 
1888  he  has  been,  the  greater  part  of  the  time,  a  member  of  the  Board 
of  Trade.  He  is  identified  with  the  Press  club  of  Chicago  and 
Northwest  club,  also  Pistakee  Yacht  club,  Royal  Arcanum,  National 
Union  and  all  the  bodies  of  the  Masonic  order,  being  a  past  master 
of  Oriental  Blue  Lodge  No.  33  in  1892.  In  1908  he  was  appointed  by 
the  Governor  a  commissioner  to  the  corn  exhibit  at  Springfield,  and 
was  a  delegate  the  same  year  to  the  National  exhibition  at  Omaha. 
He  is  a  Republican  and  is  active  and  prominent  in  city  and  county 
affairs.  On  March  27,  1883,  he  married  Euphemia,  daughter  of 
Alexander  Lyon  Barnet,  of  Chicago,  who  established  in  1851  one  of 
the  first  distinctive  plumbing  houses  in  the  city — Murry  &  Barnet. 
He  made  models  and  built  the  first  fire  plugs.  After  dissolving 
partnership,  with  Mr.  Murry,  he  operated  a  brass  foundry  up  to 
July,  1893.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  McComb  were  born  the  following 
children:  John  B.  and  Gertrude  Estelle.  The  family  resides  at 
1047  North  Hoyne  avenue. 

John  T.  McEnery  was  born  April  30,  1860,  and  is  a  son  of 
Thomas  and  Mary  (Hanlon)  McEnery,  natives  of  County  Limerick, 
Ireland.  They  crossed  the  Atlantic  and  came  to  Chicago  in  1845 
and  the  father  started  the  first  retail  grocery  on  West  Polk  street 
at  850.  He  continued  in  the  grocery  business  until  his  death,  which 
occured  in  1885.  He  became  very  prominent  in  public  affairs — 
particularly  in  politics  and  was  one  of  the  most  influential  men  of 
his  day  in  this  portion  of  the  city.  He  was  not  an  office  seeker,  but 
was  a  powerful  and  effective  party  organizer  and  was  very  useful 
in  any  cause  he  espoused — particularly  among  the  Irish  and  gen- 
erally among  public  men.  He  helped  organize  the  United  Sons  of 
Erin.  His  wife  died  in  1886.  They  were  the  parents  of  eight  chil- 
dren, two  of  whom  are  deceased. 

John  T.  was  educated  at  St.  Ignatius  College,  graduating  with 
the  class  of  1878.  He  then  took  a  course  in  Bryant  &  Stratton's 
Business  college.  In  1882  he  became  collector  for  the  Northwestern 
Railway  company  on  the  South  branch,  but  upon  the  death  of  his 
father  in  1885,  succeeded  to  the  grocery  business  of  the  latter.  This 
he  conducted  until  1894,  when  he  engaged  in  the  real  estate  business 
at  115  Dearborn  street  and  later  at  Blue  Island  avenue  and  Twelfth 
street.  He  is  now  located  at  4041  W.  Madison  street,  having  safety 
deposit  vaults  and  conducting  a  general  business  in  real  estate,  loans 
and  insurance.  He  is  an  active  Democrat,  but  does  not  aspire  to 
office.  He  was  formerly  president  of  the  Nineteenth  Ward  Im- 
provement association  and  is  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus, 
Royal  League  and  Royal  Arcanum.  On  October  28,  1886,  he 
married  Mary  A.  Maun  and  they  have  the  following  children : 


790  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

Eugene  and  Josephine.  The  family  residence  is  at  3621  Lexington 
street. 

William  McMaster  was  born  at  Havana,  Huron  county,  O.,  and 
is  a  son  of  William  H.  and  Ann  (Clements)  McMaster.  The  father, 
who  for  many  years  was  engaged  in  the  saw-mill  business,  died 
October,  1907.  His  wife  had  previously  died  in  1885. 

Their  son  William  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Nor- 
walk,  O.,  and  Galien,  Mich.  At  the  age  of  16  years  he  began  work 
in  a  stave  mill  and  was  thus  occupied  for  four  years.  He  then 
entered  the  engineering  department  of  the  Illinois,  Indiana  &  Michi- 
gan railroad,  but  one  year  later  entered  the  same  department  of  the 
Michigan  Central  railroad.  In  1894  he  came  to  Chicago  and  ac- 
cepted a  position  in  the  engineering  department  of  the  Chicago, 
Hammond  &  Western  railroad,  but  the  following  year  went  to 
Seattle  where  he  remained  five  months  engaged  in  buying  material 
for  the  Robinson  Construction  company.  He  then  returned  to  Chi- 
cago and  for  two  years  was  engaged  in  cattle  speculation  at  the 
Union  Stock  Yards.  Then  for  two  years  he  was  commercial  and 
purchasing  agent  for  the  Indiana  Harbor  railroad  and  for  two  years 
assistant  purchasing  agent  for  the  Chicago,  Indiana  &  Southern  and 
Indiana  Harbor  Belt  railroads  and  ever  since  industrial  agent. 

He  is  a  Mason,  a  member  of  the  Illinois  Athletic  club  and  the 
Chicago  Traffic  club.  In  1890  he  married  Nan  Waterhouse,  and 
they  reside  at  5051  Forrestville  avenue.  Mr.  McMaster's  office  is 
located  at  room  409,  144  VanBuren  street. 

Joseph  Burton  Noelle  was  born  in  this  city  February  8,  1868,  and 
is  a  son  of  Frank  J.  and  Elizabeth  (Kerber)  Noelle.  The  father 
was  an  active  and  successful  engineer  and  served  in  the  Union  army 
during  the  Civil  war.  He  is  still  alive,  but  his  wife  died  a  number 
of  years  ago. 

Their  son,  Joseph  B.,  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Chi- 
cago and  at  the  age  of  16  years  engaged  in  the  painting  business  as 
a  journeyman  and  was  thus  occupied  for  two  years.  He  then  be- 
came secretary  of  the  firm  of  J.  G.  McCarthy  Co.  and  was  thus  as- 
sociated until  1908  when  he  organized  the  firm  of  J.  B.  Noelle  Com- 
pany and  became  its  first  president.  They  have  grown  rapidly  and 
have  done  a  large  business.  Among  the  jobs  of  painting,  finishing 
and  decorating  are  Harold  McCormick's  residence  at  Lake  Forest, 
J.  Ogden  Armour's  residence,  Government  buildings  and  other  large 
contracts.  The  firm  has  lately  been  awarded  the  $25,000  contract 
for  painting,  finishing  and  decorating  the  new  Cook  County  Poor- 
house  at  Oak  Forest.  Mr.  Noelle  is  a  member  of  the  Hamilton  club, 
Masonic  fraternity  and  the  Royal  League.  His  wife,  who  was 
formerly  Anna  F.  Oyen,  died  in  1905.  He  is  the  father  of  two 
children :  Irene  and  Burton.  Mr.  Noelle's  residence  is  at  601  Ful- 
lerton  boulevard  and  his  office  at  56  Fifth  avenue. 

John  L.  Novak,  senior  member  of  the  firm  of  Novak  &  Steiskal, 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  791 

mortgage  bankers  and  dealers  in  real  estate,  loans,  insurance,  etc., 
at  1817  Loomis  street,  was  born  in  Velka-Chyska,  Bohemia,  June 
16,  1856,  and  is  a  son  of  Frank  and  Anna  (Musil)  Novak.  The 
parents  passed  their  entire  lives  in  Bohemia,  and  reared  a  family  of 
seven  children,  of  whom  two  reside  in  Chicago,  John  L.  and  Anna, 
wife  of  Joseph  Cihak. 

John  L.  was  reared  in  his  native  country  and  received  a  good 
education  in  the  public  and  high  schools.  He  came  to  the  United 
States  at  the  age  of  16  years  and  located  in  Chicago,  engaging  in  the 
meat  business,  and  in  1874  was  one  of  the  first  to  manufacture 
sausage  for  P.  S.  Armour  &  Co.  under  the  superintendency  of  Patrick 
Cudahy.  In  the  meantime  he  studied  nights  to  perfect  his  English. 
A  year  later,  he  set  up  his  own  meat  establishment  and  was  thus 
successfully  engaged  for  eight  years. 

With  fluency  of  English  now  gained,  he  then  began  the  study 
of  business  and  commercial  law  at  the  West  Side  Business  college 
in  order  to  fit  himself  for  the  real  estate  business. 

In  1886  he  embarked  in  the  latter  and  continued  alone  with  suc- 
cess until  1890,  when  he  entered  into  partnership  with  Frank  Steis- 
kal,  and  added  mortgages,  loans,  insurance  and  banking  to  the  real 
estate  business.  They  are  thus  successfully  engaged  at  the  present 
time. 

On  June  2,  1876,  Mr.  Novak  married  Mary,  daughter  of  Joseph 
and  Barbara  (Skarka)  Novak,  pioneers  of  Chicago,  and  by  her  had 
the  following  children :  Mamie,  wife  of  Edward  C.  Kaspar ;  Rose, 
wife  of  Arthur  C.  Buttlar;  Bessie,  wife  of  Joseph  B.  Stonesifer; 
Emma,  wife  of  Benon  P.  Zelinski ;  Joseph  F.,  Edward  W.,  and 
Georgia  L. 

All  Mr.  Novak's  children  were  educated  in  the  public  and  high 
schools  of  Chicago,  besides  being  given  private  instruction  in  musical 
schools  and  colleges  of  this  city.  The  daughters  are  all  efficient 
pianists,  Georgia  L.,  still  studying  music  in  the  Columbia  School  of 
Music. 

The  eldest  son,  Joseph  F.,  has  taken  up  the  study  of  law  in  the 
Chicago-Kent  College  of  Law,  is  also  an  acceptable  pianist,  and  is 
also  meeting  with  success  in  literary  work,  and  Edward  W.,  the 
younger  son,  in  addition  to  the  public  school  education,  is  a  graduate 
of  the  Metropolitan  Business  college  and  Barrett  Institute. 

John  L.  Novak  is  a  member  of  the  Illinois  club;  Ceska  Beseda 
(Bohemia  club);  Pilsen  Turners'  association;  Smetana  Singing 
society ;  Palacky  Lodge  of  Odd  Fellows ;  Iroquois  club ;  Cook  County 
Real  Estate  Board ;  Chicago  Underwriters'  association  and  secretary 
of  the  Domov  (Home)  Building  and  Loan  association,  since  its 
organization  in  1886. 

He  has  always  been  active  in  advancing  Bohemian  interests  and 
charities  in  this  country.  He  is  independent  in  politics,  but  usually 
affiliates  with  the  Republicans.  From  1905  to  1908  he  was  a  direc- 


792  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

tor  of  the  Chicago  Public  Library.  He  has  declined  many  offered 
nominations  for  different  political  offices. 

Dr.  Prank  J.  Novak  is  perhaps  the  oldest,  and  is  certainly  one  of 
the  best  known,  Bohemian  physicians  of  Chicago.  He  was  born 
October  11,  1863,  and  when  only  four  years  old  was  brought  to 
America  by  his  parents,  John  and  Mary  (Krai)  Novak,  who  located 
in  Chicago.  The  father  was  a  musician  of  note  and  won  recognition 
as  an  orchestra  leader  of  more  than  ordinary  ability.  He  died  in 
1889  at  the  age  of  62  years,  followed  by  his  widow  in  1909,  at  the 
age  of  69  years.  They  were  the  parents  of  the  following  children : 
Joseph,  Frank  J.,  John,  Edward,  Louis,  James  and  Anna,  wife  of 
Joseph  Hermanek.  Dr.  Frank  J.  Novak  has  passed  his  entire  life, 
with  the  exception  of  the  first  four  years,  in  Chicago.  His  early 
education  was  obtained  in  the  public  schools  of  the  city,  and  later, 
taking  up  the  study  of  medicine,  he  entered  Rush  Medical  college, 
from  which  he  was  graduated  with  the  class  of  1885.  Since  that 
date  he  has  been  actively  engaged  in  the  practice  of  his  profession,  at 
which  he  had  been  uniformly  successful,  and  commands  not  only  the 
respect  and  confidence  of  the  public,  but  his  fellow  practitioners  as 
well.  In  1887,  Anna,  the  daughter  of  Vaclav  and  Anna  (Kohl) 
Prachar,  pioneer  Bohemian  residents  of  Chicago,  became  his  wife, 
and  to  their  union  have  been  born  two  sons:  Frank  J.  Jr.,  and  Otto 
E.  Dr.  Novak  has  offices  at  Eighteenth  street  and  Ashland  avenue 
and  Eighteenth 'street  and  Center  avenue.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
American  Medical  and  the  Illinois  State  Medical  associations,  the 
Chicago  Medical  society  and  of  Arcana  Lodge  No.  777,  Ancient 
Free  and  Accepted  Masons.  In  politics  he  is  a  Democrat.  He  re- 
sides at  1812  Millard  avenue. 

Charles  Novak,  Sr.,  of  the  firm  of  Charles  Novak  &  Son,  1654 
Blue  Island  avenue,  was  born  in  the  city  of  Ustin,  Orlici,  Bohemia, 
on  September  16.  1851,  and  is  a  son  of  Frank  and  Barbara  (Kaplan) 
Novak.  Charles  was  reared  in  his  native  country  until  the  age  of 
13  years  and  attended  the  German  High  school.  He  came  to  the 
United  States  on  July  4,  1865,  landing  in  New  York  City  and  lo- 
cated in  Chicago  where  he  attended  the  public  schools  about  one  year. 
His  first  employment  was  in  the  glazing  department  of  a  planing 
mill,  and  there  he  served  for  seven  months.  He  learned  the  painters' 
trade  with  Murray  &  Watson  and  was  in  their  employment  for 
fourteen  years.  He  then  engaged  in  business  as  a  painting  con- 
tractor, continuing  thus  successfully  for  eight  years.  In  1893  he 
opened  a  wholesale  and  retail  establishment  in  paints,  oils,  glass, 
wall  paper,  etc.,  which  is  now  the  largest  Bohemian  establishment 
of  its  kind  in  the  United  States.  In  1900  he  admitted  his  son 
Charles,  Jr.,  into  partnership  with  him  and  assumed  the  name  of 
Charles  Novak  &  Son. 

In  1895,  after  an  absence  of  forty  years,  Mr.  Novak  visited  his 
native  land,  and  spent  five  months  in  seeing  the  principal  places  in 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  793 

Austria,  Germany,  Switzerland,  France  and  England.  In  1874  he 
married  Annie,  daughter  of  John  Cizkovsky,  of  Chicago,  a  native 
of  Bohemia  and  a  soldier  in  the  Union  Army  throughout  the  Civil 
war.  By  this  marriage  there  were  two  children :  Charles  J.  and 
Rose,  wife  of  Theo.  J.  Pelikan.  His  first  wife  died  in  1889,  and 
the  following  year  he  married  Bertha  Cizkovsky,  sister  of  his  first 
wife.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Bohemia  club,  Bohemian  Lodge,  I. 
O.  O.  P.,  of  which  he  has  been  grand  lodge  representative  twenty- 
five  years;  and  32d  degree  Mason,  a  member  of  the  Mystic  Shrine. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Chicago  Association  of  Commerce,  and  in 
politics  is  a  Republican. 

John  M.  Nowicki,  a  prominent  and  successful  real  estate  and  fire 
insurance  operator  at  2117  North  Robey  street,  was  born  in  Brom- 
berg,  Province  of  Posen,  German  Poland,  on  December  11,  1865, 
and  is  a  son  of  Michael  and  Elizabeth  (Gwit)  Nowicki  who  came 
to  the  United  States  in  1872  and  settled  in  Chicago,  where  they  still 
reside.  They  reared  to  maturity  a  family  of  five  children,  as  fol- 
lows :  John  M. ;  Mary,  wife  of  Zigmunt  Brochocki ;  Andrew  ;  Hattie, 
wife  of  Stanley  Olewnikowski ;  and  Michael,  Jr. 

John  M.  was  reared  in  Chicago  after  the  age  of  five  years  and 
was  educated  at  St.  Stanislaus  Parochial  school  and  Bryant  &  Strat- 
ton's  Business  college.  He  early  learned  the  painter's  trade  which 
he  followed  for  seven  years,  after  which  he  took  charge  of  a  de- 
partment in  Smith  &  Barnes'  Piano  factory  where  he  remained  for 
three  years.  He  has  been  engaged  in  the  real  estate  and  personalty 
business  variously  since  1889,  and  has  been  located  at  his  present 
place  since  December,  1905.  He  has  served  as  a  notary  public  for 
about  twenty  years.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Polish  National  Al- 
liance, Royal  Arcanum,  president  of  the  White  Eagle  Business 
Men's  association  and  other  orders,  and  in  politics  is  a  Democrat. 
He  has  taken  an  active  part  in  politics  and  represented  his  district 
two  terms  in  the  Legislature  and  in  1906-7  represented  the  Sixteenth 
Ward  in  the  City  council. 

In  1888  he  married  Amelia,  daughter  of  August  Lick,  of  Chicago. 
They  have  five  children:  Leo  T.,  Theresa  P.,  John,  George  and 
Roman. 

Dr.  Edward  J.  O'Brien  was  born  March  11,  1879,  the  son  of 
James  Edward  and  Margaret  (O'Connor)  O'Brien,  natives  of 
County  Cork,  Ireland.  The  family  came  to  America  and  Chicago 
in  the  early  '60s,  and  here  the  father  engaged  in  the  grocery  business 
until  1897  at  3715  Morgan  street,  and  previously  at  Maxwell  and 
Morgan  streets,  and  then  going  into  the  wholesale  liquor,  business 
at  2110-12  Twelfth  street,  making  a  specialty  of  altar  wines,  supreme 
rye  and  bourbon,  and  continuing  thus  employed  down  to  the  present 
time.  The  father  has  been  active  in  politics  and  an  organizer  in  his 
ward.  He  was  solicited  to  run  for  both  alderman  and  congressman, 
but  declined.  Both  he  and  his  wife  are  still  active,  and  they  were  the 


794  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

parents  of  Mary,  Johanna,  Edward,  John  P.,  James  E.,  Jr.,  Catherine 
William  B.  and  Thomas  A. 

The  subject  of  this  review,  Dr.  Edward  J.  O'Brien,  received  his 
education  in  the  parochial  schools  and  at  St.  Ignatius  college,  later 
entering  Rush  Medical  college  and  graduating  therefrom  with  the 
class  of  1906.  After  serving  an  interneship  of  one  year  in  St. 
Joseph's  hospital,  Stockton,  Cal.,  he  returned  to  Chicago  and  en- 
gaged in  the  practice  of  his  profession  at  4005  W.  Twelfth  street. 
In  1900-1  he  served  as  steward  in  Seventh  Regiment  armory  and  is 
connected  with  St.  Anthony  de  Padua  hospital.  He  was  a  member 
of  the  Seventh  Regiment  National  Guards,  and  on  October  15,  1901, 
was  appointed  second  lieutenant  in  Company  E.,  and  in  1902  was 
made  first  lieutenant  of  some.  Dr.  O'Brien  is  identified  with  the  Chi- 
cago American  Medical  societies,  and  is  physician  for  and  a  member 
of  the  Catholic  Order  of  Foresters,  Ancient  Order  of  Hibernians  and 
the  Catholic  Benevolent  association.  Politically  he  is  a  Democrat. 
September  7,  1907,  he  was  married  to  Mary  Agnes  Lynch,  of  Chi- 
cago, and  to  them  were  born  James  E.  and  John  L.  The  family 
residence  is  at  4005  W.  Twelfth  street.  His  father-in-law,  John 
Lynch,  has  been  in  the  Fire  Department  for  thirty-five  years  and 
was  chief  of  the  15th  battalion  when  he  was  pensioned  off  on  account 
of  age. 

Rev.  John  Obyrtacz,  the  present  able  and  efficient  pastor  of  St. 
Hedwig's  Polish  Roman  Catholic  church  at  North  Hoyne  and 
Webster  avenues,  was  born  in  Galicia,  Austria,  on  May  26,  1873, 
and  was  reared  to  manhood  in  Cracow,  Austria.  In  youth  he  re- 
ceived a  good  education,  finishing  with  a  classical  course  in  the 
gymnasium  at  Cracow  and  with  a  theological  course  at  the  Gregorian 
university,  Rome,  Italy,  from  which  latter  institution  he  was  gradu- 
ated with  credit  in  1895.  The  same  year  he  crossed  the  ocean  to 
the  United  States,  came  to  Chicago  and  in  due  time  was  ordained 
to  the  priesthood  in  this  city  by  the  late  Archbishop  Feehan.  His 
first  charge  was  St.  Stanislaus  Bishop  Polish  Catholic  parish,  of 
which  he  became  the  founder  and  organizer.  This  institution  is 
located  at  Fifty-third  court  and  Belden  avenue.  The  church  and 
school  together  cost  about  $50,000,  the  priesthouse  costing  $5,000 
and  the  convent  building  of  the  sisters  of  St.  Francis,  $5,000.  In 
January,  1909,  Father  Obyrtacz  was  transferred  to  his  present 
charge,  where  he  now  has  a  congregation  of  2,500  families  or  10,000 
souls.  He  is  assisted  in  the  care  of  this  splendid  congregation  by 
three  assistants:  Rev.  Julian  Burzynski,  Rev.  Anzelm  F.  Babski  and 
Rev.  L.  Filipski.  A  parochial  school  in  connection  with  the  con- 
gregation consists  of  over  1600  pupils  under  the  instruction  of 
eighteen  Sisters  of  Nazareth.  Although  Father  Obyrtacz  has  been 
in  charge  of  this  splendid  congregation  but  a  short  time  he  has 
made  himself  popular  and  is  greatly  beloved  by  the  congregation. 

Thomas  Joseph  O'Gara  is  a  native  of  Riverston,  County  Sligo, 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  795 

Ireland,  and  he  was  there  reared  to  manhood  and  educated  in  the 
public  schools  and  at  Edphin  university.  James  K.  O'Gara,  his 
father,  was  a  civil  engineer  and  came  to  Chicago  in  1886.  His 
mother's  maiden  name  was  Dorothy  Vaughan.  When  twenty-three 
years  old  Thomas  J.  O'Gara  came  to  Chicago,  his  total  possessions 
at  that  time  being  good  health,  a  robust  constitution  and  an  am- 
bition to  make  for  himself  a  home  and  an  honored  name  in  the  land 
of  his  adoption.  His  first  employment  was  as  a  salesman  for  the 
A.  C.  Brackbush  Coal  company,  and  later  in  a  similar  capacity  for 
the  A.  T.  Thatcher  Coal  company.  In  the  year  1897  he  organized 
the  firm  of  O'Gara,  King  &  Company,  wholesale  coal  dealers,  of 
which  he  was  president  until  1905,  when  the  O'Gara  Coal  company 
was  incorporated  and  as  such  has  since  continued. 

Mr.  O'Gara  has  won  success  in  the  land  of  his  adoption  and  is 
considered  one  of  the  brainy,  progressive  business  men  of  the  city. 
He  began  life  a  poor  boy,  and  such  success  as  has  come  to  him  has 
not  been  by  accident.  Hard,  persistent  work,  the  overcoming  of 
seemingly  unsurmountable  obstacles,  the  vexations  and  perplexities 
of  a  commercial  career  were  the  necessary  road  he  traveled.  Through 
his  efforts  the  O'Gara  Coal  company,  of  which  he  is  the  president 
and  principal  owner,  has  become  one  of  the  leaders  in  its  line  in  the 
city.  Socially  he  belongs  to  the  Chicago  Athletic  association,  the 
South  Shore  Country  club,  the  Chicago  Automobile  club  and  the 
Illinois  Athletic  association.  In  religion  he  is  a  Roman  Catholic, 
and  in  politics  a  Republican.  September  15,  1902,  he  wedded  Miss 
Mary  A.  Brady  and  to  their  union  three  children  have  been  born : 
Alfred  H.,  Vivian  and  Thomas  Lincoln.  His  business  office  is  in 
the  Marquette  building,  his  residence  at  1668  Jackson  boulevard. 

Charles  M.  Oughton,  M.  D.,  was  born  in  Clonmel,  County  Tip- 
perary,  Ireland,  in  1862  and  was  educated  in  the  national  schools,  a 
private  grammar  school  and  Clonmel  college.  Previous  to  his  be- 
coming a  student  of  medicine  he  found  employment  in  the  whole- 
sale and  retail  drug  business.  Excepting  an  interval  of  five  years 
he  has  been  a  resident  of  Chicago  since  1879.  He  graduated  from 
Rush  Medical  college  in  1884  and  in  1884-5  was  interne  in  the 
Cook  County  hospital.  In  the  latter  year  he  began  a  general  prac- 
tice in  Livingston  county,  111.,  and  for  five  years  had  a  very  active 
and  lucrative  practice — one  of  the  most  extensive  in  the  State.  His 
present  practice  is  one  of  the  largest  and  most  important  in  the 
city.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Physicians'  club,  Chicago  Medical  and 
Illinois  State  Medical  societies  and  the  American  Medical  associa- 
tion. His  activity  and  prominence  in  civic  improvement  is  shown 
by  his  affiliation  with  the  Municipal  Voters'  league,  Legislative 
Voters'  league,  Citizens'  association,  City  club  and  the  Hyde  Park 
Improvement  association.  For  several  years  he  was  lecturer  in  the 
College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons.  In  1890  he  married  Gracia 
McWilliams,  of  Odell,  111.  His  present  location  is  at  5410  Jeffer- 
son avenue,  Chicago. 


796  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

Gregory  A.  Papailiou,  M.  D.,  was  born  in  May,  1878,  and  is  a 
son  of  Athanasios  and  Helena  (Christopolos)  Papailiou,  both  of 
whom  were  natives  of  Tegea,  Greece.  The  father  in  Greece  engaged 
in  the  mercantile  business  and  continued  the  same  until  his  death 
which  occurred  in  1897,  he  being  55  years  of  age.  The  mother  is 
still  living  at  the  age  of  68  years.  Their  children  were  as  follows: 
Nicolas,  Marie,  Reveka,  Giannoula  and  Gregory  A. 

The  latter  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  and  the  National 
University  of  Greece  at  Athens  and  also  in  the  medical  department 
of  the  latter,  graduating  therefrom  with  the  class  of  1897.  He 
served  two  and  a  half  years  as  officer  in  the  Greek  army  and  then 
took  up  the  general  practice  of  his  profession  at  Tegea.  In  1901 
he  came  to  Chicago,  passed  the  required  medical  examinations  and 
began  a  general  practice  at  Halsted  street  and  Blue  Island  avenue. 
Late  in  1909  he  bought  the  drug  store  of  J.  L.  Lee  at  the  corner  of 
Halsted  and  Harrison  streets.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Chicago 
Medical  society  and  for  the  last  six  years  has  been  president  of  the 
Greek  Community  club.  He  is  also  identified  with  the  following 
organizations :  Theodore  Deligiannis  society,  Soligion  society,  Ar- 
cadia society  and  Tegea  society.  He  is  yet  unmarried. 

Ellis  C.  Peterson  was  born  in  Blaking  (Meljellby)  Sweden,  on 
November  1,  1865,  and  is  a  son  of  Peter  and  Karine  (Jenson) 
Peterson,  natives  of  the  same  place.  The  father  was  engaged  ex- 
tensively in  carpentering  and  general  contracting  and  was  a  promi- 
nent and  useful  citizen  of  that  country.  He  came  over  to  the  United 
States  in  1892  to  visit  the  World's  Fair  of  Chicago;  remained  here 
two  years  and  then  went  back  to  Sweden  to  continue  with  his 
business.  He  retired  from  active  business  in  1908;  is  now  73  years 
old  and  very  active  for  his  age ;  the  mother  is  71  years  old,  and 
they  are  members  of  the  Lutheran  church. 

Ellis  C.  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  and  at  an  early  age 
engaged  with  his  father  in  the  contracting  business,  continued  thus 
occupied  until  he  was  22  years  old.  In  1888  he  came  to  the  United 
States,  located  in  Chicago  and  began  work  at  the  carpenter  trade 
with  B.  C.  Elliott ;  at  the  same  time  attended  the  Franklin  Evening 
school  and  continued  to  attend  for  three  years.  A  little  later  he 
formed  a  partnership  with  B.  C.  Elliott  under  the  firm  name  of 
Peterson  &  Elliott,  with  office  and  shop  at  1125  Sheffield  avenue. 
They  engaged  in  the  general  contracting  business,  but  at  the  end  of 
four  years  the  partnership  was  dissolved,  Mr.  Elliott  retiring  from 
business.  Mr.  Peterson  then  located  at  3506-8  North  Clark  street 
where  he  still  carries  on  an  extensive  business,  also  carrying  a  large 
stock  of  building  supplies  and  doing  a  general  contracting  busi- 
ness, erecting  many  houses  and  flats  on  the  North  side  particularly, 
and  generally  throughout  the  city.  He  is  one  of  the  substantial, 
enterprising  and  prominent  business  men  of  the  city.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Royal  Arcanum,  Masonic  order  and  the  Gustaf  II.  Adolph 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  799 

society.  In  September,  1891,  he  married  Hannah  Anderson,  of 
Chicago,  and  they  have  the  following  children :  Lily  Georgina, 
Esther  Algenia  and  Clarence  Edward.  The  family  reside  at  their 
own  home  1057  Cornelia  avenue. 

Charles  Edward  Peterson  is  a  son  of  Hans  and  Fredericka 
Peterson,  and  is  a  dealer  in  builders'  hardware  at  4929  Cottage 
Grove  avenue  and  has  a  factory  for  the  manufacture  of  sash,  doors, 
interior  furnishings,  etc.,  at  4914-22  Wentworth  avenue.  The  com- 
pany is  incorporated  under  the  name  of  C.  E.  Peterson  Co.,  of 
which  Mr.  Peterson  is  president,  A.  J.  Johnson,  vice-president,  J. 
S.  Knight,  treasurer,  and  John  Westberg,  secretary. 

Charles  E.  was  born  in  Norrkoping,  Sweden,  April  14,  1843,  and 
was  educated  in  the  common  and  grammar  technical  schools  of  his 
native  country.  He  learned  cabinet  making  there  and  in  1864  came 
to  the  United  States  and  first  found  employment  with  the  Herring 
Safe  company,  of  New  York  City.  He  was  thus  engaged  in  wood 
work  for  about  two  years.  He  came  to  Chicago  in  1866  and  took 
charge  of  the  factory  of  that  company  in  this  city.  In  the  mean- 
time he  opened  a  small  furniture  store  at  131  State  street  which  was 
later  removed  to  550  State  street.  He  remained  with  the  Herring 
company  until  1873,  and  the  following  year  engaged  in  the  man- 
ufacture of  furniture  at  3226  State  street,  which  concern  he  con- 
ducted for  about  five  years.  In  1878  he  engaged  in  his  present  busi- 
ness at  4914-22  Wentworth  avenue  and  has  seen  it  grow  and  ex- 
pand until  now  it  is  one  of  the  most  important  industries  of  the 
kind  in  the  West.  They  manufacture  sash,  doors,  mouldings,  lum- 
ber, interior  furnishings,  etc.  They  were  incorporated  in  1904  and 
are  conducted  on  the  co-operative  plan.  Many  of  their  employes 
own  stock  in  the  company.  The  present  factory  was  erected  in  1891 
and  covers  the  greater  part  of  a  block.  Mr.  Peterson  built  his  brick 
store  at  4929  Wentworth  avenue  in  1894.  He  is  a  member  of  Apollo 
Lodge,  No.  642,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  having  become  a  member  of  that 
order  in  1869.  He  is  a  Republican  and  takes  great  interest  in  the 
success  of  his  party  and  in  good  government  generally.  Mr.  Peter- 
son is  highly  respected  in  this  section  of  the  city. 

George  Albert  Philbrick,  son  of  Simon  and  Louisa  (Young) 
Philbrick,  was  born  at  Corinna,  Me.,  January  28,  1832,  of  English 
Puritan  stock,  many  representatives  of  which  were  Revolutionary 
soldiers.  The  family  was  founded  in  England  by  an  ancestor  who 
came  from  Normandy  with  William  the  Conqueror  and  fought 
at  Hastings  in  1066;  in  America  by  Thomas  Philbrick,  sea  cap- 
tain, who  came  over  from  England  in  1630.  Simon  Philbrick  was 
born  at  Ossipee,  N.  H.,  learned  farming  and  carpentry,  married 
there,  and  settled  in  Maine  about  1830.  He  and  his  wife  died  at 
Corinna,  he  aged  75,  both  Freewill  Baptists.  They  had  sons  named 
Jacob  F.,  George  A.  and  John  W.  George  A.  was  reared  to 
farming  and  was  educated  in  New  England  common  schools  and 

Vol.  1—46. 


800  BISTORT  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

at  Corinna  and  Foxcraft  academies,  the  best  in  the  State,  where 
academic  teachers  were  employed  whose  attainments  were  such  that 
to-day  their  services  would  be  sought  by  colleges.  At  20  he  began 
teaching  at  St.  Albans,  Me.  Later  he  taught  at  Seaford  and  in 
Nanticoke  Hundred,  Del.,  and  at  Greensburg,  Md.,  till  1855,  when 
he  returned  to  Maine.  October  25,  that  year,  he  married,  at  Dover, 
Miss  Mary  Hinds  Stevens,  born  at  Kennebec,  a  daughter  of  Na- 
thaniel M.  and  Betsy  (Hinds)  Stevens.  He  taught  school  during 
the  winter  of  1855-56,  then  going  to  Lowell,  Mass.,  was  employed 
in  a  carpet  factory  until  1857,  when  he  visited  Quincy,  111.  After 
a  trip  to  Minneapolis,  Minn.,  he  returned  to  Quincy.  Later  he 
taught  schools  in  Adams  and  Hancock  counties,  Illinois.  In  1865 
he  came  to  Chicago  and  located  that  year  in  Cicero  township,  and 
taught  school  in  Cicero  township.  In  1868  he  was  elected  town- 
ship clerk  and  served  by  reelection  four  years  and  a  half.  He  was 
treasurer  of  Cicero  township  school  funds  1874-1908.  The  fol- 
lowing is  self-explanatory: 

"At  the  annual  meeting  of  the  board  of  trustees  of  schools  of 
Township  39,  Range  13,  Cook  county,  Illinois,  held  on  April  25, 
1908,  Trustee  Wagner  moved  the  adoption  of  the  following  reso- 
lution, which  resolution  was  unanimously  adopted :  'At  this  time 
Mr.  George  A.  Philbrick,  who  for  the  last  thirty-four  years  has 
been  treasurer  and  clerk  of  this  board,  proposes  to  relinquish  the 
office  which  he  has  held  so  long  and  the  duties  of  which  he  has 
so  ably  and  conscientiously  performed.  The  circumstances  of  Mr. 
Philbrick's  long  and  efficient  service  are  so  unusual,  and  his  ex- 
ample so  worthy  of  imitation  that  this  board  deems  it  but  just 
to  express  its  appreciation  in  permanent  form  upon  its  records. 
During  the  years  of  Mr.  Philbrick's  incumbency  he  has  received 
and  faithfully  disbursed  tens  of  millions  of  dollars.  His  compli- 
cated and  numerous  accounts  have  always  been  marvels  of  ac- 
curacy and  clearness,  as  have  also  been  the  great  masses  of  sta- 
tistical and  other  information  which  it  has  been  his  duty  to  com- 
pile and  analyze.  His  judgment  has  ever  been  the  wisest  and  best, 
his  patience  inexhaustible,  and  his  honor  unimpeached  and  unques- 
tioned. He  now  retires  from  the  position  full  of  years  nobly  and 
honorably  lived,  with  every  faculty  undimmed,  and  with  a  rich- 
ness and  mellowness  of  character  which  comes  only  to  those  who, 
endowed  in  the  beginning  with  nobility  of  heart  and  of  intellect, 
have  faithfully  preserved  that  heritage  unsullied  and  unstained  to 
the  very  end.  It  is  with  sincere  affection  that  we  now  terminate 
our  official  relations  with  him,  praying  that  he  may  yet  be  granted 
many  long  years  in  which  to  enjoy  the  respect  and  esteem  which 
are  so  rightfully  his.  Therefore,  be  it 

"  'Resolved,  That  the  foregoing  be  spread  at  large  upon  the  rec- 
ords of  this  board,  and  an  engrossed  copy  transmitted  to  Mr.  Phil- 
brick.'  " 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  801 

This  resolution  was  signed  by  the  president  and  secretary.  In 
1874  the  receipts  of  the  township  from  all  sources  were  about  $100,- 
000.  The  amount  increased  rapidly  from  year  to  year,  and  during 
his  incumbency  of  the  office  Mr.  Philbrick  handled  many  millions 
in  public  money,  carefully  and  faithfully  accounting  for  the  last 
cent.  The  books  of  Cicero  were  destroyed  in  the  great  fire  of  1871. 
He  had  not  yet  been  elected  treasurer,  but  had  been  secretary  of 
the  board  of  trustees.  So  familiar  with  the  records  was  he  and  so 
remarkable  was  his  memory  that  he  was  able  to  recall  the  amount 
of  every  account  and  obligation  and  assist  to  secure  new  notes, 
mortgages,  etc.  In  1869  he  moved  north  of  the  Northwestern  rail- 
road in  Cicero,  settling  in  a  new  house  on  Park  avenue.  In  1875 
he  completed  and  occupied  his  present  residence  at  325  South  Cen- 
tral avenue.  When  he  located  at  Austin  the  place  was  so  small 
that  only  seven  men  took  the  train  daily  to  go  to  business  in  Chi- 
cago. There  was  no  regular  church,  but  Methodists  worshiped  in 
a  schoolhouse.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Philbrick  helped  to  build  a  suitable 
building,  but  soon  united  with  the  Baptists  and  helped  to  build  a 
Baptist  church  about  1872.  Later  they  helped  to  build  a  Presby- 
terian church.  In  1883  Mrs.  Philbrick  became  a  Christian  Scientist 
and  not  long  afterward  became  a  reader  and  a  healer.  So  suc- 
cessful was  she  as  a  healer  that  her  fame  extended  to  foreign  lands, 
where  she  administered  absent  treatments.  She  cured  her  husband 
of  chronic  ailments  and  he,  too,  accepted  the  belief  to  which  she 
devoted  the  remainder  of  her  life.  Mr.  Philbrick  was  made  a 
Mason  in  Maine  in  1855,  took  the  chapter  degrees  about  1873, 
was  treasurer  of  the  chapter  for  twenty-five  years,  became  a  Knight 
Templar  in  1888  and  is  now  a  member  of  the  Siloam  Commandery 
at  Oak  Park.  He  was  an  original  Lincoln  Republican.  Mary  P. 
Philbrick,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Philbrick's  daughter,  married  Oliver  M. 
Marble,  an  architect  of  New  Orleans,  Birmingham  and  Chicago, 
who  died  in  Sandusky,  O.,  leaving  children  named  Albert  P.,  Mun- 
ton  Monroe,  Oliver  P.  and  David  C.,  all  of  whom  have  been  well 
educated. 

Dr.  Oscar  Frank  Pierce,  Chicago  physician,  was  born  September 
7,  1856,  the  son  of  Elisha  and  Julia  (Wilson)  Pierce.  The  mother 
was  born  in  Jefferson  county,  New  York,  and  the  father  in  Massa- 
chusetts. From  here  he  moved  to  Jefferson  county,  New  York, 
where  he  engaged  in  the  carpenter  trade.  In  1847  he  came  to  Il- 
linois, locating  at  St.  Charles,  and  erecting  the  First  Methodist 
church  of  that  place.  In  1850  he  came  to  Victor.  Dekalb  county, 
Illinois,  where  he  followed  farming  and  building  contracting  until 
1861,  when  he  enlisted  in  the  Eighth  Illinois  cavalry,  Company  K., 
and  died  in  the  spring  of  1862  in  the  service  of  his  country.  He  was 
a  Republican  in  politics  and  an  active  member  and  worker  in  the 
Methodist  church.  To  him  and  wife  were  born  four  children :  Genio 
A.,  Dr.  Oscar  F.,  Ida  M.,  and  Dr.  Fred  E. 


802  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

Dr.  Oscar  F.  Pierce,  the  subject  of  this  memoir,  received  his  early 
education  in  the  public  schools,  subsequently  taking  a  course  in  the 
Hahnemann  Medical  college,  from  which  institution  he  was  grad- 
uated with  the  class  of  1890.  He  immediately  hung  out  his  shingle 
and  began  the  general  practice  of  his  profession  at  22nd  and  Robey 
streets,  later  moving  his  offices  to  1835  South  Spaulding  avenue, 
where  he  still  remains  actively  engaged.  Dr.  Pierce  has  served  on 
the  Chicago  Homeopathic  hospital  staff,  on  the  Frances  Willard 
staff  for  fifteen  years  of  which  latter  he  was  president  from  1890  to 
1893,  and  as  Professor  of  Theory  in  Practice  in  the  National  Med- 
ical college.  He  served  four  years  on  the  Cook  County  hospital  staff. 
In  politics  he  is  a  Republican.  He  is  the  present  president  of  the 
Douglas  Park  club,  a  member  of  the  Cook  County  Homeopathic 
society,  the  American  Homeopathic  Medical  institute,  the  Odd 
Fellows,  Knights  of  Pythias,  Maccabees  and  other  orders.  In  1900 
he  was  married  to  Ina  Mighell  of  Sugar  Grove,  111.,  and  they  have 
three  children,  Frank  Wilson,  Mila  and  Luella.  Their  residence  is 
at  1835  South  Spaulding  avenue. 

Dr.  Joseph  S.  Pigall  was  born  January  9,  1869,  the  son  of  Joseph 
and  Anna  M.  (Smith)  Pigall,  who  were  natives  of  Austria  and 
Kentucky,  respectively.  The  father  left  Vienna,  Austria,  in  1844 
and  immigrated  to  the  United  States,  locating  in  Memphis,  Tenn., 
where  he  engaged  in  the  tailoring  business  until  1865.  He  then  re- 
moved to  Bloomington,  111.,  and  went  into  the  drug  business,  re- 
maining thus  occupied  until  his  death  in  1869.  He  was  fifty-eight 
years  of  age  when  he  passed  away  and  the  widow  still  survives  him, 
being  at  the  present  writing  seventy-nine  years  old. 

Dr.  Joseph  S.  Pigall  was  educated  in  the  public  and  high  schools 
of  Paxton,  111.,  and  Le  Mars  academy.  He  subsequently,  in  1888, 
was  graduated  from  the  Chicago  School  of  Pharmacy,  and  in  1891 
finished  his  course  in  Rush  Medical  college.  He  spent  one  year  at  the 
Jefferson  Medical  college,  of  Philadelphia,  and  in  1892  returned  to 
Chicago,  locating  at  2736  Ogden  avenue,  where  he  has  since  been 
engaged  in  the  practice  of  his  profession.  He  is  a  Republican  in 
politics  and  is  active  in  local  and  ward  affairs.  Dr.  Pigall  is  at- 
tending physician  to  the  West  Side  hospital  and  is  identified  with 
the  American,  Chicago  and  Illinois  Medical  Societies.  He  belongs 
to  the  Royal  League,  Royal  Arcanum,  Knights  of  Pythias  and  the 
Masons.  In  1889  he  married  Anna  B.  Treanor,  of  Philadelphia, 
and  to  them  were  born  Anna  Josephine  and  Elizabeth  Kerm.  The 
doctor  and  family  reside  at  2719  West  Fifteenth  street. 

John  C.  Plagge,  vice-president  of  the  Robertson,  Plagge  &  Com- 
pany bank,  of  Barrington,  111.,  and  the  leading  merchant  of  that 
village,  is  a  native  of  Cook  county,  born  in  Northfield  township, 
November  26,  1855.  His  parents,  George  and  Elsebein  (Baumann) 
Plagge,  were  natives  of  Germany,  the  father  born  in  Hanover,  Jan- 
uary 12,  1806,  and  the  mother  in  Prussia,  July  25,  1813.  The 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  803 

father  immigrated  to  the  United  States  in  1837,  stopping  at 
Rochester,  New  York,  until  about  1840,  and  then  coming  to  Chi- 
cago, where  he  worked  at  his  trade,  that  of  a  shoemaker,  for  a  num- 
ber of  years.  Here  he  met  and  married  Catherine  Wessling  and  to 
them  were  born  five  children,  all  now  deceased.  In  1852  he  re- 
moved to  Northfield  township,  where  his  wife  died,  and  in  January, 
1855,  he  was  united  in  marriage  with  Elsebein  Baumann,  and  they 
had  one  son,  John  C.,  the  subject  of  this  review.  The  father  died 
December  28,  1872,  and  the  mother  March  13,  1893. 

John  C.  Plagge  was  reared  as  a  farmer  and  received  his  early 
education  in  the  public  schools,  subsequently  taking  a  course  at 
the  Northwestern  college,  at  Naperville.  In  1876  he  moved  with 
his  mother  to  Barrington,  111.,  and  in  March,  1878,  he  engaged  in 
the  mercantile  business  at  that  place  in  partnership  with  G.  H. 
Landwer.  This  partnership  continued  about  six  years  when  he  pur- 
chased the  interest  of  Mr.  Landwer  and  continued  alone.  In  1891 
he  entered  into  the  lumber,  flour,  feed  and  coal  business  in  partner- 
ship with  Frank  H.  Plagge,  under  the  firm  name  of  Plagge  &  Com- 
pany, and  this  business  still  continues.  He  also  has  interests  in  the 
same  line  of  business  at  Lake  Zurich,  111.  November  18,  1880,  Mr. 
Plagge  was  married  to  Miss  Sophia  Nordmeier,  who  was  born  in 
Schaumburg  township,  October  14,  1859,  the  daughter  of  John  and 
Dorothea  (Golterman)  Nordmeier.  both  natives  of  Hanover,  Ger- 
many, and  early  settlers  and  highly  respected  citizens  of  Cook  coun- 
ty. To  Mr.  Plagge  and  wife  were  born  twelve  children,  as  follows : 
Reuben  G.,  born  September  15,  1881 ;  Luella  M.,  born  January  28, 
1883;  Herbert  J.,  born  July  14,  1884;  Nora  A.,  born  January  3, 
1886;  Olive  L.,  born  June  17,  1888;  Clarence  P.,  born  November 
18,  1890;  Willis  C.,  born  May  1,  1892,  died  February  20,  1893; 
Homer  H.,  born  May  12,  1894;  Warren  W.,  born  November  2, 
1896;  Edwin  W.,  born  August  28,  1898;  Miriam  S.,  born  May  22, 
1903;  and  John  N.,  born  December  1,  1904.  Mr.  Plagge  and  fam- 
ily affiliate  with  the  United  Evangelical  church  in  which  he  has 
served  as  a  trustee  for  a  number  of  years. 

He  is  a  Republican  in  politics,  and  although  not  an  office  seeker, 
has  served  in  numerous  public  positions  as  follows:  Village  clerk 
of  Barrington,  clerk  and  supervisor  of  the  township,  township  as- 
sessor, village  trustee,  president  of  the  board  of  education,  post- 
master of  Barrington  from  1889  to  1893.  He  is  also  secretary  and 
treasurer  of  Evergreen  Cemetery  association,  president  of  Barring- 
ton  Park  Camp  Meeting  association,  a  trustee  of  the  Western- 
Union  college  at  Le  Mars,  Iowa ;  a  member  of  the  Modern  Wood- 
men of  America,  of  the  K.  O.  T.  M..  and  Court  of  Honor.  He  rep- 
resents the  Home  Insurance  company,  of  New  York,  the  Phoenix 
Insurance  company,  of  Brooklyn,  the  Royal  Insurance  company,  of 
Liverpool,  England,  and  the  Connecticut  Insurance  company,  of 
Hartford,  doing  a  good  business  in  the  insurance  line.  Mr.  Plagge 


804  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

is  one  of  the  most  public  spirited  and  enterprising  men  of  Barring- 
ton  and  is  highly  respected  by  all  who  know  him. 

Andrew  J.  Plocinski,  proprietor  of  the  Avondale  Iron  Works, 
manufacturers  of  structural  iron  work  of  every  description,  at  2909 
Ridgeway  avenue,  was  born  in  Obudno,  German  Poland,  on  October 
24,  1874,  and  is  a  son  of  Michael  and  Josephine  (Hudzinski) 
Plocinski,  who  came  to  the  United  States  in  1880,  settling  first  in 
Hoytville,  Tioga  county,  Penn.  After  a  residence  there  of  ten  years, 
they  came,  in  1890,  to  Chicago,  where  the  father  still  resides.  The 
mother  died  on  May  12,  1897.  Their  children  who  grew  to  maturity 
were  as  follows :  Mary,  deceased,  wife  of  John  Dudkiewicz ;  Andrew 
J. ;  Constantine,  wife  of  John  Golubski,  and  Frank.  The  latter 
served  the  government  of  the  United  States  in  the  Philippines  three 
years  and  was  honorably  discharged  with  the  rank  of  corporal. 

Andrew  J.  was  reared  in  the  United  States  after  the  age  of  six 
years.  He  was  educated  in  the  common  schools  and  came  to -Chi- 
cago with  his  parents  in  1890.  Here,  prior  to  1895,  he  followed 
various  occupations,  but  in  the  latter  year  he  embarked  in  his  pres- 
ent business,  which  he  has  made  highly  successful.  He  gives  em- 
ployment to  about  a  dozen  people.  He  has  become  one  of  the  most 
prominent  and  highly  respected  citizens  in  this  portion  of  the  city. 
He  is  a  member  of  St.  Hyacinth's  Polish  Roman  Catholic  church, 
having  served  as  usher  there  for  four  years;  St.  John  the  Baptist 
Society,  King  of  Wladislaus,  Jagiela  and  Royal  League.  In  politics 
he  is  a  Democrat  and  has  served  as  judge  of  election  in  the  27th 
ward  for  two  years.  In  1898  he  married  Paulina,  daughter  of  Frank 
and  Agnes  Malek,  of  Chicago,  and  by  her  has  two  children :  Wladis- 
laus and  Helen. 

Joseph  F.  Polak,  banker  at  3113  West  22d  street,  was  born  in  the 
village  of  Hroby,  Bohemia,  on  April  1,  1878,  and  is  a  son  of  Martin 
and  Anna  (Epstein)  Polak,  who  immigrated  to  the  United  States 
in  1886  and  settled  in  Chicago.  Here  the  father,  a  carpenter  by 
trade,  followed  that  occupation  up  to  the  time  of  his  death  on  De- 
cember 7,  1908.  To  these  parents  five  children  were  born,  three  of 
whom  still  survive,  as  follows:  Joseph  F.,  Tillie,  wife  of  Edward 
Gunderson,  and  Rosie. 

Joseph  F.  was  reared  in  Chicago  after  the  age  of  eight  years  and 
was  educated  in  the  public  schools.  He  began  his  business  career 
at  the  age  of  sixteen  years  as  an  employe  of  Montgomery  Ward  & 
Company,  working  in  various  capacities  for  six  years.  He  then  en- 
tered the  employ  of  Frank  Kirchman,  real  estate,  but  in  1904  became 
one  of  the  founders  of  the  banking  house  of  the  Lawndale  Savings 
bank  and  is  thus  associated  at  the  present  time.  He  is  a  member  of 
Columbia  Lodge,  A.  F.  &  A.  M. :  Lafayette  Chapter.  R.  A.  M.; 
Palestine  Council,  Royal  Select  Masters;  Apollo  Commandery 
Knights  Templars;  the  Shrine,  Columbian  Knights,  and  in  politics 
is  a  Republican.  In  June,  1903,  he  married  Rose,  daughter  of  Jacob 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  805 

Stanier,  a  pioneer  Bohemian  of  Chicago,  and  an  ex-county  com- 
missioner. 

John  Poklenkowski,  a  well  known  and  successful  undertaker  and 
embalmer  at  287  Webster  avenue,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Wom- 
welno,  Province  of  Posen,  Germany,  on  December  13,  1861,  and  is 
a  son  of  Paul  and  Mary  (Rybarczyk)  Poklenkowski,  prosperous  and 
highly  successful  citizens  of  the  Fatherland.  Their  son,  John,  named 
above,  grew  to  manhood  in  his  native  land,  receiving  in  the  mean- 
time a  good  common  school  education.  He  was  raised  on  a  farm  and 
became  familiar  with  all  its  manifold  duties.  In  1881  he  came  to 
the  United  States  and  located  in  Chicago  where  until  1892  he 
worked  as  a  common  laborer,  saving  in  the  meantime  considerable 
of  his  wages.  He  then  embarked  in  the  undertaking  business  at 
316  Webster  avenue  and  has  ever  since  conducted  a  successful  busi- 
ness in  that  line.  In  May,  1900,  he  came  to  his  present  location.  He 
has  become  identified  with  many  important  local  movements.  He 
is  a  member  of  St.  Hedwig's  Polish  Roman  Catholic  church,  Cath- 
olic Order  of  Foresters,  Polish  Roman  Catholic  Union,  St.  Joseph's 
Society,  St.  Hedwig's  Society,  St.  Mary  of  Scapular  Society  and 
other  societies  and  organizations.  In  politics  he  is  a  Democrat. 

He  has  been  twice  married.  On  April  28,  1885,  he  wedded  Mary, 
the  daughter  of  Ignatz  Raimian,  of  Wisconsin,  and  by  her  had  four 
children,  three  of  whom  survive:  Katie,  Frank  and  Wladislawa. 
His  wife  died  January  30,  1900,  and  he  married  for  his  second  wife 
Martha,  daughter'of  John  Litterski,  of  Chicago,  by  whom  he  has 
two  children :  Henry  and  Hedwiga. 

Rev.  Dr.  Michael  C.  Pyplatz  was  born  the  28th  of  September, 
1851,  at  Brzeczkowice,  Upper  Silesia,  German- Poland.  Already 
from  his  early  years  he  had  the  inclination  to  enter  the  priesthood, 
but  he  encountered  a  great  many  difficulties  in  following  his  voca- 
tion. After  years  of  struggling,  he  at  last  reached  the  goal  of  his 
ambition  and  desires.  He  studied  in  Brzeczkowice,  Myslowitz, 
Teschen  and  Vienna.  From  1873  he  lived  as  hermit  at  Bielany,  near 
Cracow.  In  the  year  1877  he  was  ordained  a  priest  by  Bishop  An- 
thony Galecki  at  Cracow.  After  the  ordination  he  went  to  Italy,  and 
in  the  provinces  of  Umbria  and  Lombardy  led  the  life  of  a  solitaire. 
The  comtemplative  life  did  not  agree  with  his  health,  and  by  per- 
mission of  the  Holy  See,  changed  the  ascetic  life  into  life  of  greater 
activity.  After  this  he  went  to  Pavia  to  specialize  in  some  branches 
of  theology,  and  at  the  same  time  pursued  the  study  of  medicine.  In 
1884  he  came  to  the  United  States  and  first  was  appointed  assistant 
pastor  of  St.  Stanislaus  K.  in  Chicago.  A  short  while  afterwards 
he  received  the  nomination  as  pastor  of  the  Immaculate  Conception 
church  in  South  Chicago.  Here  he  bought  more  lots  for  the  parish, 
built  a  commodious  residence  and  bought  the  ground  for  the  Holy 
Cross  cemetery  at  Hammond,  111.  After  ten  years  of  hard  work  in 
said  parish,  the  late  Most  Rev.  Archbishop  Feehan  appointed  him 


806  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

as  pastor  of  St.  Joseph's  church.  For  this  latter  parish  he  worked 
for  sixteen  years,  built  a  church,  school  and  a  beautiful  residence 
building,  bought  more  lots  for  the  parish  and  managed  the  affairs 
of  this  congregation  to  the  best  of  his  ability.  In  his  whole  life  Rev. 
Pyplatz  has  worked  much,  but  suffered  far  more,  and  of  him  let  us 
say:  "Ecce  positus  est  hie  in  signum,  cui  contradicetur,"  but 
the  Rev.  Father  says:  "Si  hominibus  placerem,  servus  Dei  non 
essem !" 

Jacob  Rehm  was  born  December  7,  1828,  and  is  a  son  of  Jacob 
and  Dorothy  (Truschel)  Rehm,  of  Strasburg,  South  Germany,  then 
belonging  to  France.  The  father's  early  life  was  spent  in  farming, 
and  he  received  in  youth  a  fair  education.  In  1840  he  came  to  the 
United  States,  landing  at  New  York,  July  4,  of  that  year  and  con- 
tinuing on  to  Chicago,  it  requiring  fifteen  days  to  come  by  the  Erie 
canal  and  the  great  lakes.  He  bought  a  farm  near  Chicago  and 
worked  thereon  for  some  time,  but  later  engaged  in  teaming  with 
headquarters  at  Chicago.  He  was  mainly  engaged  in  hauling  emi- 
grants from  Chicago  to  different  parts  of  Illinois,  Iowa  and  Wis- 
consin. He  was  thus  occupied  for  eight  years.  He  then  engaged 
in  the  grocery  business  at  Rush  and  Hinsdale  streets,  but  retired  in 
1867  and  died  two  years  later,  aged  68  years.  His  wife  died  in  1862 
at  the  age  of  62  years.  They  had  a  family  of  three  boys  and  two 
girls:  Charles,  resides  in  Chicago;  William,  died  in  1907;  Jacob, 
subject;  Elizabeth,  and  Dorothy. 

Jacob,  of  this  family,  was  educated  in  the  common  schools  of  Ger- 
many and  came  with  his  parents  to  the  United  States  when  he  was 
thirteen  years  old.  He  was  early  put  to  work  driving  teams  for 
his  father  in  hauling  emigrants  from  Chicago  westward,  and  so  con- 
tinued until  1849,  when  he  lost  his  team  in  a  fire  at  Peru,  111.  He 
then  began  work  in  a  packing  house  for  75  cents  per  day,  working 
from  4  a.  m.  to  6  p.  m.,  but  by  the  spring  of  1850  had  saved  money 
enough  to  establish  a  butcher  shop  of  his  own  at  Clark  and  Kinzie 
streets.  A  year  and  a  half  later  he  was  placed  on  the  Chicago  police 
force,  being  one  of  only  ten  men  then  on  the  force  and  working  for 
$8  per  week  and  continuing  thus  occupied  for  two  years.  At  first 
he  was  night  watchman,  but  later  was  placed  on  the  day  force.  In 
1855  he  was  elected  street  commissioner  on  the  North  side,  the  only 
Democratic  commissioner  successful  at  that  election.  After  serving 
one  year  he  was  made  superintendent  of  the  board  of  public  works, 
having  charge  of  teams  and  improvements,  such  as  grading  ap- 
proaches to  bridges,  etc.  He  built  the  first  macadamized  road  on 
State  street  from  19th  to  22d  street  and  on  Cottage  Grove  avenue 
south  to  the  city  limits.  In  1857,  under  Mayor  Wentworth,  he  was 
made  lieutenant  of  police  on  the  North  side,  but  in  1858  was  elected 
city  marshal  (now  chief  of  police)  and  served  as  such  until  1860 
when,  owing  to  changes  in  the  law,  he  became  deputy  superintendent 
of  police  and  served  until  1863.  He  was  then  elected  county  treas- 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  807 

urer  and  served  with  credit  for  two  years,  but  at  that  time  was  again 
elected  superintendent  of  police  and  served  until  1869.  He  then  re- 
signed and  engaged  in  the  malting  business  in  partnership  with 
Charles  Wacker,  at  Clybourn  avenue  and  the  river.  This  partner- 
ship later  became  a  stock  company  with  Mr.  Rehm  as  treasurer. 

In  1871,  upon  the  solicitation  of  many  reform  friends,  he  became 
a  candidate  for  police  commissioner  on  the  famous  "Fire  Proof 
Ticket,"  was  duly  elected,  but  owing  to  press  of  business,  resigned 
the  following  year.  However,  upon  solicitation,  he  was  again  elected 
superintendent  of  police  in  1873,  but  resigned  in  1875.  He  sold  out 
his  malting  business  and  became  vice-president  of  the  old  North  Side 
Street  Railway  company  and  was  thus  associated  until  1886,  when 
the  company  sold  out  to  other  railway  interests.  He  had  been  a 
director  in  this  company  before  becoming  vice-president.  Thus  for 
many  years  he  was  one  of  the  most  active,  prominent,  influential, 
honest  and  trustworthy  of  the  city's  employes.  Now,  though  81 
years  old,  he  is  as  keen  and  alert  as  when,  as  chief  of  police,  he 
quelled  the  lawless  and  preserved  order  in  the  city.  His  long  life 
has  been  one  of  singular  simplicity,  purity  and  honor.  He  has  ac- 
quired large  property  and  is  comfortable  and  happy  in  his  old  age. 
He  spends  his  winters  in  California.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic 
order  and  of  the  Germania  club.  He  has  always  been  a  Whig  or 
Republican.  He  was  one  of  the  first  commissioners  of  Lincoln  Park 
and  spent  two  winters  in  Springfield  to  secure  the  necessary  legisla- 
tion to  open  the  parks  of  Chicago.  He  has  occupied  many  other 
responsible  positions.  In  1852  he  married  Phebe  Reienbacken,  of 
Chicago,  and  they  have  seven  children :  Jacob  F.,  Charles,  William 
H.,  Frank  A.,  Phebe,  Clara  and  Julia.  He  resides  at  1517  North 
Dearborn  street. 

Carey  W.  Rhodes,  a  member  of  the  law  firm  of  Mayer,  Myer, 
Austrian  &  Platt,  is  a  representative  of  that  class  of  Americans  who 
have  achieved  success  through  hard  work,  persistence  and  natural 
ability.  Born  on  a  farm  near  West  Union,  Adams  county,  Ohio, 
September  3,  1869,  Mr.  Rhodes  is  one  of  six  children,  all  living, 
born  to  the  marriage  of  Eli  F.  and  Martha  (Mahaffey)  Rhodes. 
John  Rhodes,  his  grandfather,  was  a  pioneer  of  Adams  county,  Ohio, 
where  he  engaged  in  farming  until  the  breaking  out  of  the  Civil  war. 
Although  advanced  in  years,  he  carried  a  musket  and  fought  shoulder 
to  shoulder  with  the  men  in  blue  until  peace  was  declared.  He  died 
finally  from  the  effects  of  his  military  career.  Eli  F.  Rhodes  was 
also  a  farmer  of  Adams  county,  Ohio,  and  following  in  the  footsteps 
of  his  father,  served  the  Union  cause  from  1861  to  1865.  He  was  a 
member  of  Company  H,  173d  Ohio  volunteer  infantry,  holding  the 
rank  of  corporal,  and  participating  in  the  battles  of  Shiloh,  the  en- 
gagements in  and  around  Chattanooga  and  other  important  cam- 
paigns. He  died  September  7,  1897,  preceded  by  his  wife  Febru- 
ary 18,  1887. 


808  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

Carey  W.  Rhodes  is  of  Scotch  ancestry.  His  early  years  were 
passed  on  the  home  farm  and  attending  public  schools,  and  when 
sixteen  years  of  age  he  started  in  life  for  himself  as  a  country  school 
teacher.  He  continued  teaching  in  country  and  town  seven  years 
and  during  this  time  took  special  instruction  in  the  Normal  school 
held  at  West  Union,  the  National  Normal  University  at  Lebanon, 
and  the  Ohio  Normal  University  at  Ada.  It  was  during  this  period 
that  he  also  took  up  the  study  of  law  under  the  direction  of  A.  C. 
Patten,  now  probate  judge  at  Washington,  C.  H.,  and  at  odd  times 
secured  considerable  legal  practice  in  the  justice  courts.  June  11, 
1896,  he  was  admitted  to  the  Ohio  state  bar,  and  the  fall  of  1897 
came  to  Chicago  to  establish  himself  in  the  practice  of  his  chosen 
profession.  His  total  assets  at  this  time  consisted  of  $47  cash, 
plenty  of  pluck  and  confidence  in  himself  and  a  determination  to 
succeed.  To  win  success  for  himself  in  a  city  already  overpopu- 
lated  with  many  of  the  ablest  lawyers  of  the  country,  required  care- 
ful research,  hard  work  and  ability,  and  the  burning  of  the  midnight 
oil.  He  has  succeeded  and  ranks  among  the  really  capable  lawyers 
of  the  city.  Having  completed  a  post  graduate  course  in  the  law 
department  of  Lake  Forest  university,  he  was  graduated  therefrom 
with  the  degree  of  LL.  B.  in  June,  1899.  For  a  time  succeeding  his 
arrival  here  he  was  employed  in  a  general  utility  capacity  with  the 
old  firm  of  Moran,  Kraus  &  Mayer,  and  later  became  one  of  the 
trial  lawyers  of  the  firm.  His  ability  and  faithfulness  were  recog- 
nized by  his  admission  as  a  member  of  the  firm  in  June,  1908,  and  as 
such  he  has  since  continued.  Mr.  Rhodes  was  admitted  to  the 
supreme  court  of  the  state  of  Illinois  April  20,  1908.  In  politics  he 
is  a  Republican,  but  owing  to  the  exacting  duties  of  his  practice,  ex- 
ercises only  the  right  of  citizenship  by  casting  his  ballot  for  what  he 
considers  the  best  interests  of  the  country.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Illinois  State  and  Chicago  Bar  associations,  and  is  a  thirty-second 
degree  Scottish  Rite  Mason  and  a  Noble  of  the  Mystic  Shrine  of 
Medinah  Temple,  Chicago.  October  16,  1899,  he  married  Nellie  L. 
Robbins  and  their  home  is  at  920  Montrose  boulevard. 

Konrad  Ricker,  at  present  engaged  in  the  insurance,  real  estate 
and  loan  business,  at  3452  West  26th  street,  was  born  in  the  village 
of  Pecin,  County  of  Zamberk,  Bohemia,  on  December  20,  1867,  and 
is  a  son  of  Heinrich  and  Barbora  (Divisek)  Ricker.  These  parents 
came  to  the  United  States  in  1891.  and  here  they  resided  until  their 
respective  deaths — the  father  in  1894,  at  the  age  of  sixty-nine  years, 
and  the  mother,  1906,  at  the  age  of  sixty-seven  years. 

Konrad,  their  son  and  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  reared  in 
his  native  country  and  there  received  a  liberal  education  in  the  Bo- 
hemian and  German  languages.  In  1887  he  crossed  the  Atlantic 
and  landed  in  the  United  States,  locating  in  Chicago,  which  has  ever 
since  been  his  home.  In  order  to  learn  the  English  language  he  at- 
tended schools  in  the  evenings  in  this  city  and  soon  had  a  speaking 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  809 

command  of  the  tongue  here.  He  began  his  business  career  in  a 
shoe  store  at  Halsted  and  18th  streets  as  clerk,  and  there  served  for 
a  period  of  five  years.  In  1893  he  embarked  in  the  real  estate  busi- 
ness at  623  West  18th  street  where  he  continued  in  active  operation 
for  fourteen  years.  Then  for  one  year  he  was  at  1183  St.  Louis 
avenue,  but  in  1908  he  erected  the  handsome  office  building  at  3452 
West  26th  street  which  he  has  occupied  since  July  3,  1908.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Cook  County  Real  Estate  Board,  Bohemian  American 
Foresters,  Catholic  Order  of  Foresters,  and  in  politics  is  a  Republi- 
can. On  August  12,  1889,  he  married  Barbora,  daughter  of  Jan 
Blahnik,  of  Polen,  Bohemia,  and  by  her  has  four  children :  Konrad, 
Anna,  Ladislaw,  died  September  28,  1909,  and  Ruzena. 

Hans  A.  Rixon  was  born  April  22,  1864,  and  is  a  son  of  Hans  C. 
and  Amelia  (Lund)  Rixon,  of  Sleswig,  Germany.  The  father  was 
a  manufacturer  of  wooled  goods  and  in  1868  sold  out  and  came  to 
Chicago,  where  he  continued  the  business.  He  finally  retired  from 
active  duties.  He  had  nine  children,  all  in  the  United  States,  as  fol- 
lows: Henry,  at  old  number  1720  Milwaukee  avenue;  Hans  A., 
Charles,  at  Los  Angeles,  Cal. ;  Fred,  a  manufacturer  of  skirts  at 
Clinton,  Iowa ;  Mrs.  P.  J.  Benson ;  Lucy  Alvin  Smith,  Mrs.  Amalia 
C.  Hanson,  Albert  W.  (deceased),  former  partner  in  the  Benson- 
Rixon  store,  and  Christian  C.  (deceased).  The  father  died  in  1903 
and  his  widow  two  years  later. 

Hans  A.  was  educated  in  the  public  schools,  and  at  the  age  of 
fourteen  years,  began  work  for  Fred  Sommer  &  Company,  at  2212 
Archer  avenue,  as  hardware  clerk,  continuing  from  1879  to  1886. 
He  then  clerked  for  Charles  Rixon  at  701  Milwaukee  avenue,  and 
also  served  him  as  general  manager.  In  1890  he  began  independently 
in  the  gents'  furnishings  business  at  851  North  avenue,  continuing 
thus  for  five  years.  He  then  combined  clothing  with  his  other  business 
at  1730  Milwaukee  avenue.  In  1896  he  became  a  partner  in  the 
Benson  &  Rixon  store  and  became  vice-president  of  the  same.  They 
own  the  building  they  occupy,  50x125  feet  ground  space,  and  have 
now  three  stores  devoted  to  clothing,  gents'  furnishings  and  shoes. 
Their  business  was  originally  established  in  1889  by  Paul  J.  Benson 
and  Albert  Rixon.  Mr.  Rixon  is  independent  in  politics  and  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Masonic  order,  Hamburger  club  and  the  Plattdeutsche 
Society.  On  April  11,  1887,  he  married  May  Gunderson,  of  Chi- 
cago, and  they  have  the  following  children :  Pearl,  Hans  A..  Jr., 
and  Paul  and  John  Benson.  The  family  resides  at  3707  North  41st 
Court  Irving  Park. 

Roscoe  L.  Roberts,  Chicago  attorney,  was  born  November  17, 
1869,  in  the  old  town  of  Jefferson,  now  part  of  Chicago,  the  son  of 
Clark  and  Elizabeth  (Lindscott)  Roberts.  The  father  was  a  native 
of  Utica,  N.  Y.,  and  his  father,  David  Roberts,  born  in  Denbigh, 
Wales,  in  1801,  located  in  New  York  state  at  an  early  date,  coming 
to  Chicago  in  1839  and  remaining  here  for  a  short  time.  He  then 


810  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

went  to  Joliet,  111.,  where  he  obtained  the  contract  for  building  a 
section  of  the  old  Michigan  canal.  In  1842  he  returned  to  Chicago, 
locating  in  Jefferson  township,  and  bought  from  "Long"  John  Went- 
worth  a  large  tract  of  land  and  laid  out  the  village  of  Jefferson  in 
1846.  To  this  village  he  donated  ten  acres  of  land  which  was  made 
into  a  beautiful  park  and  which  is  now  kept  up  by  the  city.  He  built 
and  maintained  the  Jefferson  Park  Congregational  church  and  was 
a  trustee  and  deacon  of  the  same  for  over  twenty  years.  He  also 
was  a  prominent  hotel  keeper,  controlling,  in  1842,  the  Temperance 
hotel  on  LaSalle  street,  and  in  1851,  the  United  States  hotel  on  Lake 
street.  His  death  occurred  in  1870. 

Clark,  the  father  of  our  subject,  worked  for  his  father  as  clerk  in 
both  of  the  above  mentioned  hotels,  and  during  1867-8  served  as 
trustee  for  the  town  of  Jefferson.  He  also  was  a  Republican  in 
politics,  and  died  in  1903  at  the  ripe  old  age  of  seventy-three  years. 
To  him  and  wife  were  born  seven  children,  five  of  whom  are  living: 
Charles  N.,  Lewis  C.,  Willis  H.,  Roscoe  L.  and  Mary  O. 
Roscoe  L.,  the  subject,  received  his  early  education  in  the 
public  and  high  schools  of  the  town  of  Jefferson,  subsequently  taking 
a  course  in  the  University  of  Michigan,  from  which  institution  he 
was  graduated  with  the  class  of  1892.  He  then  entered  the  Chicago 
College  of  Law,  graduating  therefrom  in  1894.  He  immediately 
began  the  general  practice  of  his  profession,  locating  in  the  First 
National  bank  building,  Chicago.  In  politics  he  has  followed  in  the 
footsteps  of  his  ancestors,  being  a  Republican  and  active  in  all  local 
affairs.  Mr.  Roberts  is  a  thirty-second  degree  Mason  of  Oriental 
Consistory,  and  a  member  of  the  Ancient  Arabic  Order  Nobles  of 
the  Mystic  Shrine.  He  has  served  as  president  of  the  Ridgemore 
Golf  club  for  the  last  four  years  and  is  identified  with  the  Illinois 
Athletic  and  the  Irving  Park  Country  clubs.  October  26,  1898,  he 
was  united  in  marriage  with  Ella  M.  de  Berard,  of  Chicago,  and  to 
them  have  been  born  two  children :  David  and  Jane.  Mr.  Roberts 
and  family  reside  at  4552  Milwaukee  avenue. 

Albert  L.  Robertson  was  born  in  Lake  county,  Illinois,  February 
11,  1869,  and  is  the  son  of  John  and  Julia  (Parker)  Robertson,  a 
sketch  of  whom  will  be  found  elsewhere  in  this  work.  Albert  L. 
received  his  education  in  the  public  schools  of  Harrington  and  Pala- 
tine, graduating  from  the  latter  in  1886.  Succeeding  his  graduation 
he  took  a  full  course  in  the  Metropolitan  Business  college,  of  Chi- 
cago. In  1889  he  accepted  a  position  with  the  Illinois  Steel  company, 
at  South  Chicago,  and  there  remained  employed  for  two  years.  He 
then  came  to  Barrington  and  assumed  a  position  in  the  Barrington 
bank  and  has  there  been  employed  ever  since,  with  the  exception  of 
one  year  which  he  spent  with  the  Commercial  Loan  and  Trust  Com- 
pany bank  as  bookkeeper.  On  January  1,  1894,  he  became  a  stock- 
holder in  and  was  elected  cashier  of  the  Barrington  bank,  in  which 
responsible  position  he  has  served  acceptably  ever  since.  On  Sep- 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  811 

tember  23,  1896,  he  married  Maude  E.  Otis,  who  was  born  at  Bar- 
rington,  August  11,  1874,  and  is  a  daughter  of  Charles  B.  and  Anna 
(Dearlove)  Otis.  They  are  the  parents  of  the  following  children: 
John  O.,  Helen  A.,  and  June  E.,  deceased.  Mr.  Robertson  is  a 
Republican.  He  has  served  as  village  treasurer,  collector  and  mem- 
ber of  the  school  board.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  order, 
Lounsbury  lodge,  of  Barrington ;  Palatine  Chapter,  Bethel  Com- 
mandery,  Medinah  Temple,  and  the  Eastern  Star.  He  also  belongs 
to  the  Modern  Woodmen,  Knights  of  the  Globe,  and  Court  of  Honor. 

John  Robertson  is  a  native  of  Illinois,  born  in  Lake  county,  De- 
cember 29,  1844,  and  is  a  son  of  John  and  Charlotte  (Sutherland) 
Robertson,  the  father  born  in  New  Hampshire  in  1810,  coming  to 
Lake  county  in  1837,  becoming  a  prominent  and  influential  citizen 
and  dying  at  Lake  Zurich  in  1877.  His  wife,  Charlotte,  was  a 
native  of  Vermont,  but  came  to  Illinois  in  girlhood,  finally  passed 
away  in  1875.  They  were  parents  of  the  following  children :  Lydia, 
wife  of  William  L.  Hicks,  of  Palatine;  John,  the  subject  of  this 
notice ;  Silas,  deceased ;  Cordelia,  wife  of  Edward  Clark,  of  Colo- 
rado Springs ;  Persis,  deceased ;  Joseph,  deceased ;  Mary,  wife  of 
Charles  H.  Patten,  of  Palatine ;  Elmer,  who  resides  near  Carlisle, 
Ark.,  and  Lida,  deceased. 

Of  this  family,  John  was  reared  on  a  farm  in  Lake  county  and  was 
educated  at  the  public  schools  and  at  the  high  school  at  Arlington 
Heights,  Cook  county.  On  October  3,  1866,  in  Lake  county,  he 
married  Julia  E.  Parker,  a  native  of  Erie  county,  New  York,  born 
March  23,  1845,  the  daughter  of  David  and  Esther  Parker,  who  came 
to  Lake  county  at  an  early  day  and  became  prominent  and  respected 
citizens.  Soon  after  his  marriage,  Mr.  Robertson  engaged  in  farm- 
ing near  Lake  Zurich  and  thus  continued  for  twenty  years,  owning 
then  a  fine  farm  of  over  400  acres  of  well  improved  land.  In  1887 
he  quit  the  farm  and  moved  to  Barrington,  where  he  now  resides  in 
one  of  the  finest  homes  of  the  place.  A  few  years  after  moving 
there,  he  purchased  an  interest  in  the  Sandman  &  Company  bank 
and  was  made  its  president,  and  in  that  capacity  ever  since  has  served 
with  credit  and  fidelity.  In  1908  the  name  of  the  institution  was 
changed  to  The  Barrington  Bank  of  Robertson,  Plagge  &  Company, 
the  officers  being  John  Robertson,  president;  John  C.  Plagge,  vice- 
president,  and  Albert  L.  Robertson,  cashier.  The  bank  does  a  large 
and  successful  business.  Mr.  Robertson  is  a  Republican  and  while 
living  in  Lake  county  served  as  school  director,  and  since  coming  to 
Barrington  has  served  over  ten  years  on  the  village  board  and  two 
years  as  president  of  the  board  of  education.  He  is  one  of  the  most 
substantial  and  influential  citizens  of  this  portion  of  the  county.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  Order,  Lounsbury  Lodge,  No.  751. 
He  and  wife  are  members  of  the  Eastern  Star  and  he  belongs  to 
the  Modern  Woodmen.  They  have  had  five  children  as  follows: 
Cora,  wife  of  A.  J.  Leonard,  of  Elgin;  Albert  L.,  of  Barrington; 


812  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

Emma,  wife  of  A.  J.  Redmond,  of  Oak  Park ;  Frank,  deceased ; 
Lydia,  wife  of  George  A.  Lytle,  of  East  Aurora,  N.  Y. 

Joseph  Rushkiewicz,  a  successful  real  estate,  loan  and  insurance 
business  man,  1536  West  Chicago  avenue,  was  born  in  Milwaukee, 
Wis.,  March  19,  1879,  and  is  the  son  of  Valentine  and  Cornelia 
(Rynski)  Rushkiewicz,  both  of  whom  were  natives  of  the  Province 
of  Posen,  German  Poland.  The  parents  immigrated  to  the  United 
States  in  1876  and  first  located  in  Milwaukee,  but  in  1889  removed 
to  Chicago,  where  they  still  reside.  Four  children  were  born  to  their 
marriage  as  follows:  John,  Ignatius,  Sylvester  (deceased),  and 
Joseph.  The  latter  of  this  family  was  reared  in  Milwaukee  and 
Chicago  and  was  educated  in  the  parochial  and  public  schools.  He 
began  his  business  career  as  city  salesman  for  a  wholesale  candy 
manufacturer  of  Chicago  in  1903.  He  served  in  that  capacity  for 
two  years,  during  which  period  he  was  engaged  in  the  candy  and 
confectionery  business  in  a  co-operative  store  on  the  Northwest  side. 
Having  by  good  management  and  industry  saved  a  snug  sum,  he 
embarked  in  1905  in  his  present  business  which  he  has  made  suc- 
cessful and  which  he  has  steadily  expanded.  At  the  present  date 
his  business  is  large  and  profitable. 

On  September  19,  1908,  he  married  Sophia,  daughter  of  Thaddeus 
and  Caroline  Klein,  of  Chicago.  Mr.  Rushkiewicz  is  one  of  the 
leading  parishioners  of  Holy  Innocents'  Polish  Roman  Catholic 
church  and  a  member  of  the  Polish  Roman  Catholic  Union,  and  St. 
Cassimer's  Young  Men's  Society.  He  is  at  present  chairman  of  the 
John  Sobieski  Tax-payers'  and  Improvement  club  of  this  city.  He 
has  taken  much  interest  in  public  affairs.  At  the  age  of  twenty-two 
years  he  became  chairman  of  the  Candy  Makers'  union.  Politically 
he  is  a  strong  Democrat  and  is  one  of  the  leaders  of  that  party  in  the 
Seventeenth  ward. 

Andrea  Russo  was  born  January  11,  1859,  and  is  a  son  of  Nunzio 
and  Rasaria  (Di  Vittorio)  Russo,  natives  of  Termini  Imerese,  Sicily, 
Italy,  a  city  of  about  25,000  population,  where  the  father  was  en- 
gaged in  the  flour  and  grain  business.  His  business  was  established 
in  1850,  became  very  extensive  and  was  continued  until  his  death  in 
1880.  In  1874  he  added  the  manufacture  of  macaroni  and  this 
branch  of  the  business  is  still  extensively  conducted  by  his  son 
Antonino.  The  mother  died  in  1877.  Their  children  were  Antonino 
and  Andrea. 

The  latter  was  educated  in  the  schools  of  Termini,  but  did  not 
secure  a  liberal  education  as  he  had  intended  owing  to  ill  health. 
As  his  brother  was  in  the  army  at  the  time  the  father  died,  Andrea, 
at  the  age  of  twenty  years,  took  charge  of  the  business  and  had  sole 
management  for  one  year.  On  December  22,  1881,  he  married 
Marina  Mercuric,  of  Termini,  Italy.  Upon  the  return  of  Antonino 
from  the  army  in  1881,  Andrea  sold  out  to  him  and  engaged  in  the 
flour  business  on  his  own  account,  but  was  unsuccessful,  then  tried 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  813 

other  pursuits  and  still  failing,  concluded  to  come  to  the  United 
States.  He  left  his  family  in  Italy  and  arrived  in  Chicago  with  only 
$35.  He  at  once  engaged  in  the  fruit  business,  selling  baskets  from 
house  to  house  and  was  thus  engaged  for  eighteen  months.  With 
his  savings  he  then  opened  a  fruit  store  at  Milwaukee  avenue  and 
Peoria  street,  but  in  1886  moved  to  Chicago  avenue  and  Kingsbury 
street,  and  at  the  same  time  brought  his  family  from  the  old  country. 
In  1893  he  sold  out  and  engaged  in  the  grocery  business  at  Archer 
avenue  and  20th  street,  continuing  three  years.  He  then  moved  back 
to  the  old  stand  on  Chicago  avenue,  where  he  engaged  in  the  whole- 
sale grocery  business,  importing  many  Italian  products.  He  has 
imported  macaroni  and  olive  oil  every  year  since  1885.  In  1908  he 
imported  over  28,000  gallons  of  olive  oil  and  over  60,000  cases  of 
macaroni.  In  addition  he  handled  40,000  cases  of  domestic  maca- 
roni. The  firm  of  A.  Russo  &  Company,  established  since  1885, 
of  which  he  is  the  head,  is  the  largest  in  the  city  which  imports 
Italian  products.  In  1908  he  was  elected  by  the  local  Italian  colony 
to  attend  the  Italian  congress  in  Italy,  the  object  of  which  was  to  im- 
prove the  condition  of  the  Italians  in  the  different  cities  of  the  United 
States.  At  the  same  time  he  represented  the  Italian  Chamber  of 
Commerce  of  Chicago,  of  which  he  is  vice-president.  He  has  en- 
deavored to  have  modern  Italian  taught  in  the  public  schools  and  was 
one  of  the  organizers  and  members  of  the  Unione  Siciliana,  of  which 
he  was  treasurer  for  several  years.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Trin- 
acria  FrateHanza  Siciliana  Society,  one  of  the  first  formed  here,  and 
was  treasurer  of  the  same  for  several  years.  Mr.  Russo  and  wife 
with  their  children,  Nunzio,  Cosimo,  Rosa  and  Emmanuela,  reside  at 
946  Edgecomb  Place. 

Joseph  J.  Salat,  of  the  Lawndale  Savings  bank,  3113  West  22d 
street,  was  born  in  Borice,  Bohemia,  on  November  24,  1875,  and 
is  a  son  of  John  and  Anna  (Srch)  Salat,  who  immigrated  to  the 
United  States  in  1880  and  settled  in  Chicago,  where  they  still  reside. 
They  had  two  children :  Anna,  wife  of  James  Beckla,  and  Joseph  J. 

The  latter  was  reared  in  Chicago  after  the  age  of  five  years.  He 
was  educated  in  the  public  and  high  schools  and  took  a  six  months' 
course  in  the  Bryant  &  Stratton  Business  college.  At  the  age  of 
twelve  years  he  began  his  business  career  as  an  office  boy  with  Frank 
Kirchman,  real  estate  dealer,  and  ever  since  has  been  occupied  in 
the  same  business.  He  really  grew  up  in  the  business  and  under- 
stands all  its  features  in  this  great  city.  Since  1901  he  has  been  in 
this  occupation  on  his  own  account.  In  1904,  in  partnership  with 
Joseph  Polak  and  Joseph  Kopecky,  he  embarked  in  the  banking 
business  on  West  22d  street,  and  this  firm  was  the  pioneer  concern 
to  engage  in  banking  west  of  Blue  Island  avenue.  They  have  the 
strongest  banking  institution  in  this  part  of  the  city.  Mr.  Salat  is  a 
popular  and  progressive  citizen  and  is  highly  esteemed  by  all  who 
know  him.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Columbian  Knights,  and  in  poli- 


814  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

tics  is  a  Republican.  On  May  7,  1901,  he  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Rose  A.,  daughter  of  Joseph  and  Anna  Fischer,  pioneer  Bo- 
hemians of  the  city,  and  they  have  one  daughter — Adelaide. 

Alfred  Sandig  was  born  in  Gotha,  Germany,  July  12,  1876.  In 
youth  he  attended  public,  high  and  technical  schools  and  college, 
receiving  a  liberal  education  at  Dresden  and  Braunschweig.  In  1897 
he  left  his  native  land  and  went  to  Manchester,  England,  but  two 
years  later  crossed  the  Atlantic  and  located  in  Philadelphia,  where 
he  lived  until  December,  1900,  when  he  came  to  Chicago.  Since 
July,  1901,  he  has  been  the  Chicago  manager  of  the  Berlin  Aniline 
Works  of  Berlin,  Germany,  manufacturers  of  aniline  colors,  pho- 
tographic chemicals,  dyestuffs,  etc.,  and  has  been  highly  successful. 
He  is  a  Lutheran  and  a  member  of  the  following  clubs:  South 
Side,  Germania,  Turner,  Milwaukee  and  Deutscher  of  Milwaukee. 
His  office  is  at  12  West  Kinzie  street  and  his  residence  at  521  Surf 
street.  He  married  Mary  T.,  daughter  of  Rudolph  and  Ida  Kramer, 
and  they  have  two  children :  Alfred  R.  and  Edward  M. 

Jobe  H.  Sayers  was  born  in  Will  county,  Illinois,  August  18,  1846, 
his  parents  being  John  and  Harriet  (Goddard)  Sayers,  both  natives 
of  Sussex  county,  England.  The  parents  immigrated  to  the  United 
States  in  1845,  and  after  a  short  time  in  the  East,  came  to  Chicago, 
but  soon  afterward  located  in  Will  county.  In  1853  they  came  to 
Cook  county  and  lived  in  Orland  township  until  their  respective 
deaths.  They  were  the  parents  of  ten  children,  as  follows:  John, 
James  and  Mary,  all  of  whom  died  in  infancy;  Jobe  H.,  Sarah  J., 
Benjamin  F.,  Emily  (also  deceased),  Ellen,  Florence  and  Stephen  L. 

Jobe  H.  was  reared  as  a  farmer  and  has  thus  far  through  life  pur- 
sued that  occupation.  On  December  11,  1872,  he  married  Ellen 
Agate,  a  native  of  Sussex  county,  England,  and  is  the  daughter  of 
William  and  Mary  (Holden)  Agate.  Her  parents  came  to  the 
United  States  in  1856,  first  settled  in  Will  county,  but  later  moved 
to  Cook  county.  Their  children  were:  George,  Abraham,  Ellen, 
Amos  and  Reuben,  who  were  twins,  the  latter  dying  in  infancy. 
Immediately  after  his  marriage,  Mr.  Sayers  settled  where  he  now 
resides.  He  and  wife  are  the  parents  of  the  following  children : 
William  E.,  born  1873,  married  Josephine  Volck;  Clara  M.,  born 
1876,  married  Peter  Sinclair;  Lillian  M.,  born  1878,  died  1898; 
George,  born  1880,  died  same  year;  Fannie  E.,  born  1881,  un- 
married ;  Walter  J.,  born  1885,  also  unmarried.  The  family  is  well 
known  and  highly  esteemed. 

The  city  of  Chicago  has  become  noted  for  many  things :  Notably 
her  wonderful  growth  and  development  from  an  Indian  trading  post 
to  a  city  of  over  2,000,000  inhabitants  within  eighty  years;  her 
wonderful  shipping  facilities;  her  great  grain,  lumber  and  live  stock 
markets ;  her  unrivaled  financial  standing ;  her  wonderful  educational 
establishments  and  her  magnificent  parks,  boulevards,  palatial  homes, 
libraries  and  public  institutions.  Cosmopolitan  in  her  make  up, 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  81? 

Chicago's  greatness  is  derived  from  her  citizenship.  The  foreign 
born  as  well  as  the  "native  son"  had  equal  opportunities  extended  to 
them  and  each  vied  with  the  other  in  contributing  to  the  supremacy 
of  the  city.  In  the  galaxy  of  names  that  have  shed  lustre  upon  Chi- 
cago, the  foreign  names  are  unusually  prominent  and  are  found  in 
all  the  avenues  of  human  endeavor.  This  particularly  applies  to  the 
medical  profession,  the  names  of  Dr.  Christian  Fenger  and  Dr. 
Nicholas  Senn  being  especially  prominent  among  those  who  achieved 
renown  before  passing  into  the  Great  Beyond. 

Among  those  living  today  who  have  achieved  deserved  distinction 
under  adverse  conditions  is  Dr.  Henry  Schmitz.  Born  December 
26,  1871,  at  Kaiserswerth,  Germany,  he  is  a  son  of  Matthew  and 
Gertrude  (Pollander)  Schmitz,  and  was  primarily  educated  at  Real- 
schule.  He  subsequently  attended  the  technical  university  at 
Karlsruhe,  succeeding  which  he  came  to  America  and  located  in  Chi- 
cago. He  here  completed  his  medical  schooling,  having  been  grad- 
uated from  the  Bennett  Medical  college  in  1897,  and  from  the  Chi- 
cago College  of  Medicine  and  Surgery  in  1906.  Dr.  Schmitz  has 
become  one  of  Chicago's  foremost  physicians  and  surgeons  within 
twelve  years.  Undoubtedly  natural  aptitude  has  had  much  to  do 
with  his  success,  but  without  his  exhaustive  study,  close  application 
and  keen  discernment,  such  success  could  never  have  been  attained. 
Since  1898  he  has  been  established  at  484  West  Chicago  avenue. 
From  March  3,  1897,  to  December,  1898,  he  was  an  interne  of  the 
Cook  County  hospital  where  so  many  men  eminent  in  the  medical 
profession  received  their  early  start  in  the  practice  of  that  line.  He 
is  now  the  professor  of  gynecology  in  the  Chicago  College  of  Med- 
icine and  Surgery,  department  of  the  University  of  Valparaiso,  Ind., 
and  is  surgeon  to  St.  Mary's  of  Nazareth  hospital.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  American  and  Chicago  Medical  Associations,  the  Chicago 
branch  of  the  Union  of  Former  German  Students,  the  Northwest 
club,  the  Catholic  Order  of  Foresters,  the  Knights  of  the  Macca- 
bees and  various  other  minor  organizations.  November  17,  1897, 
Dr.  Schmitz  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Meta  Elizabeth 
Lenzen,  daughter  of  August  Lenzen,  a  pioneer  German  of  Chicago. 
Two  children,  Henry  L.  and  Herbert  E.,  have  blessed  this  union. 

Conrad  H.  Schroeder,  farmer  and  stock-raiser,  was  born  in  Elk 
Grove  township,  Cook  county,  Illinois,  on  November  2,  18 — .  He 
is  a  son  of  Henry  and  Engle  Schroeder,  both  natives  of  Germany, 
the  father  coming  to  America  when  sixteen  years  old  and  first  locat- 
ing at  Desplaines.  He  subsequently  went  to  Columbia,  S.  C.,  then 
returned  to  Germany,  and  finally  after  the  close  of  the  Civil  war, 
returned  to  Cook  county  and  engaged  in  farming  in  Elk  Grove 
township.  Conrad  H.  Schroeder  was  brought  up  on  his  father's 
farm  in  Palatine,  Cook  county,  and  secured  his  education  in  the 
district  schools  and  at  the  high  school  at  Palatine.  He  began  farm- 
ing for  himself  in  1895  on  the  farm  where  he  now  resides,  and  this 

Vol.  I — 47. 


818  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

farm,  consisting  of  111  acres,  he  purchased  two  years  later.  In 
politics  Mr.  Schroeder  has  always  been  a  considerate  Republican, 
and  for  fifteen  years  has  served  his  district  as  school  director.  He 
has  been  twice  married,  first  to  Lena  Derermann,  who  died,  leaving 
him  four  children,  named  Mamie,  Henry,  Elsie  and  Alwin.  His  sec- 
ond wife,  who  was  formerly  Louise  Schoenbarm,  has  borne  him  two 
children — Alma  and  Elnora.  Mr.  Schroeder  is  a  member  of  St. 
Paul's  Lutheran  church  of  Palatine,  and  he  is  known  as  one  of  the 
progressive,  enterprising  farmers  of  his  section. 

Edward  H.  Seneff,  one  of  the  well  known  attorneys  of  Chicago 
and  the  general  attorney  for  the  Chicago  &  Eastern  Illinois  rail- 
road, was  born  at  Mt.  Eaton,  Ohio,  September  25,  1867,  a  son  of 
Philip  and  Adaline  (Sleighbaugh)  Seneff,  both  of  whom  were 
mainly  of  German  descent.  The  father,  born  February  8,  1839,  in 
Wayne  county,  Ohio,  was  one  of  the  successful  and  well  known  con- 
tractors and  builders  of  those  days. 

His  son,  Edward  H.,  received  his  early  education  in  the  common 
and  high  schools  of  his  native  state,  subsequently  taking  a  course  at 
the  Valparaiso  University,  Valparaiso,  Ind.  Later  he  entered  the 
law  department  of  the  Lake  Forest  university,  from  which  institu- 
tion he  was  graduated  in  1895  with  credit  and  the  degree  of  Bachelor 
of  Laws.  He  began  teaching  school  at  the  age  of  eighteen  years  and 
his  education  after  that  time  was  obtained  through  his  own  efforts. 
His  determination  to  become  a  lawyer  was  reached  through  his 
liking  for  the  profession  and  his  belief  that  he  could  make  it  suc- 
cessful. Time  has  proved  the  correctness  of  his  conclusion.  He  was 
formerly  a  Democrat  but  changed  his  political  views  to  Republi- 
canism during  the  silver  craze  of  the  nineties.  On  September  25, 
1890,  he  was  united  in  marriage  with  Lyda  Lawson,  and  to  them 
were  born  four  children,  two  of  whom,  George  and  Thomas,  are 
living. 

Henry  C.  Senne,  of  Des  Plaines,  well  known  throughout  Cook 
county  as  a  member  of  the  old  board  of  supervisors,  a  member  of  the 
state  legislature  and  later  president  of  the  board  of  county  commis- 
sioners, was  born  October  26,  1826,  in  Hesse  Schoenenberg,  Ger- 
many, as  were  also  his  parents,  Henry  N.  and  Mariah  (Mueller) 
Senne.  After  receiving  a  fair  education  in  the  schools  of  his  native 
land,  he  came  to  America  in  1845,  located  in  Chicago,  and  learned 
the  tailor's  trade  of  Benedict  Schubert,  on  East  Lake  street.  For 
several  years  he  worked  on  the  Illinois  &  Michigan  canal  summers 
at  fifty  cents  a  day,  and  during  the  winter  months  stuck  to  his  trade. 

In  1849  he  removed  to  Elk  Grove  where  for  the  next  fifteen  years 
he  was  engaged  in  farming  and  merchandising.  While  here  he 
served  as  constable,  justice  of  the  peace  and  commissioner  of  high- 
ways. In  1861  he  moved  to  Des  Plaines,  which  place  has  since  been 
his  home.  From  1862  to  1878  (sixteen  years),  he  was  justice  of  the 
peace,  and  from  1866  to  1870  was  a  member  of  the  board  of  county 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  819 

supervisors.  In  the  latter  year  he  was  elected  to  the  lower  house  of 
the  State  legislature,  and  in  1872  was  reflected  to  this  position.  For 
nine  years,  beginning  in  1876,  he  served  as  a  member  of  the  board 
of  county  commissioners,  the  last  two  years  as  presiding  officer.  In 
August,  1887,  he  was  one  of  seven  to  fill  the  vacancy  caused  by  the 
resignation  of  seven  commissioners  who  were  sent  to  the  penitentiary 
at  Joliet.  In  the  following  November  he  was  the  first  president  of 
the  county  board  elected  by  the  people  of  the  county  and  was  re- 
elected  in  1888.  He  was  unanimously  renominated  by  his  party  in 
1889,  but  was  defeated  with  his  ticket  at  the  polls.  Aside  from  the 
foregoing  Mr.  Senne  has  served  in  various  other  local  positions  of 
honor  and  trust.  As  a  legislator  he  accomplished  with  the  aid  of  the 
late  Judge  Bradwell,  much  needed  legislation  in  regard  to  the  bridges 
at  Des  Plaines.  Perhaps  the  greatest  public  good  accomplished  by 
him  was  when  a  member  of  the  county  board,  and  particularly  while 
acting  as  its  presiding  officer.  It  is  but  just  to  Mr.  Senne,  in  view 
of  the  many  convictions  and  charges  of  graft  by  public  officials,  to 
state  that  his  career  is  unblemished  by  taint  or  stain,  and  has  been 
characterized  by  lofty  acts  for  the  public  good  and  by  ability  of  a 
high  order.  His  life  has  been  an  open  book  wherein  is  read  nothing 
but  that  of  a  creditable  nature.  Beginning  life  a  poor  boy,  and  in  a 
strange  land  amidst  new  environments,  he  has  won  success  from  a 
financial  standpoint  and  what  to  him  is  more  valuable,  an  honored 
name.  He  is  a  member  of  the  German  Lutheran  club,  a  Republican 
in  politics  and  a  director  of  the  Des  Plaines  State  bank.  In  1848  he 
married  Dorothea  Linneman,  who  was  born  December  31,  1829,  in 
Lippe  Schoenenberg,  and  eight  children  have  been  born  to  this  union : 
Henry  W.  (deceased),  William  H.,  Mary,  Louise,  George,  Minnie 
and  Sophie  and  another  deceased. 

Within  the  recollection  of  the  early  pioneers  of  Chicago  who  are 
still  living  is  the  old  firm  of  J.  H.  Reed  &  Company,  wholesale  and 
retail  druggists  and  dealers  in  surgical  instruments,  established  in 
the  year  1844.  J.  Ferine  Sharp  came  to  Chicago  in  1852  and  be- 
came a  clerk  in  this  establishment.  Associated  with  him  as  clerk 
was  S.  S.  Bliss.  These  two  young  men  grew  up  in  the  business  and 
eventually  became  the  proprietors  of  the  establishment  under  the 
firm  name  of  Bliss  &  Sharp.  Shortly  after  the  great  fire  in  1871, 
Harry  D.  Smith  purchased  the  interest  of  Mr.  Bliss  and  since  then 
the  firm  name  of  Sharp  &  Smith  has  continued  unchanged.  A  short 
time  prior  to  the  death  of  J.  Ferine  Sharp,  'which  occurred  June  25, 
1904,  the  firm  was  incorporated,  and  it  is  today  one  of  the  leading, 
substantial  and  conservative  business  houses  of  Chicago. 

William  Nye  Sharp,  the  present  president  of  the  corporation,  is 
one  of  the  three  children  born  to  J.  Ferine  and  Sarah  E.  (Nye) 
Sharp.  He  was  born  in  Chicago,  September  25,  1861,  and  after 
attending  the  public  schools  in  boyhood,  began  at  the  age  of  fifteen 
years  as  a  clerk  in  his  father's  establishment.  His  whole  life  has 


820  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

been  passed  in  the  city  of  his  birth,  and  his  mature  years  have  been 
devoted  to  commercial  pursuits.  He  resides  at  Oak  Park  with  his 
mother  who  is  seventy-four  years  of  age.  Mr.  Sharp  is  a  member  of 
the  Illinois  Athletic,  the  Chicago  Athletic  and  the  Chicago  Press 
clubs.  As  a  Mason,  he  belongs  to  Oak  Park  Lodge,  No.  540,  A.  F. 
&  A.  M. ;  Cicero  Chapter,  No.  180,  R.  A.  M. ;  Siloam  Commandery, 
No.  54,  K.  T.,  and  Medinah  Temple,  Ancient  Arabic  Order  Nobles 
of  the  Mystic  Shrine.  He  also  belongs  to  the  Royal  League,  Royal 
Arcanum,  Knights  of  the  Maccabees  and  the  Columbian  Knights. 

Wladimir  J.  Sieminowicz,  M.  D.,  who  is  located  at  1956  Armitage 
avenue,  was  born  in  Galicia,  Austria,  on  January  4,  1859,  and  is  a 
son  of  Leon  and  Domicela  (Turkiewicz)  Sieminowicz,  Ruthenian, 
or  Little  Russian.  He  was  reared  to  manhood  in  his  native  country 
and  was  educated  in  the  common  schools,  the  high  school  (gym- 
nasium) of  Lemberg,  capital  of  Galicia,  and  at  Francis  Joseph  uni- 
versity of  the  same  city.  After  finishing  his  literary  education,  he 
began  the  study  of  law,  in  which  profession  he  was  duly  graduated 
in  1884.  Three  years  later  he  came  to  the  United  States  and  located 
first  in  Schuylkill  county,  Shenandoah,  Penn.,  where  for  three  years 
he  edited  the  Ruthenian  paper  called  "America."  About  this  time 
he  made  up  his  mind  to  study  medicine.  He  thereupon  entered  the 
College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons  of  Baltimore,  from  which  insti- 
tution he  was  duly  graduated  with  credit  in  1892.  He  practiced  one 
year  in  Shenandoah  and  Shamokin,  Penn.,  but  in  1894  came  to 
Chicago,  and  having  entered  the  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons, 
was  graduated  therefrom  in  1895.  Since  that  date  he  has  been  in  the 
active  and  successful  practice  of  his  profession  in  this  city  except 
during  about  two  and  a  half  years,  when  he  took  post  graduate 
courses  in  Prague,  Bohemia,  one  year;  Berlin,  two  months;  Vienna, 
Austria,  seven  months ;  Cracow,  several  months ;  Leipsic,  one  month, 
and  Paris,  three  months.  He  then  returned  to  Chicago,  and  with 
excellent  success  has  made  obstetrics  a  specialty.  The  doctor  is  a 
member  of  the  Chicago  Medical  Society,  the  Polish  Medical  Society, 
and  an  honorary  member  of  the  Cracow  Medical  Society  and  comity 
member  of  the  International  Slavonic  Medical  Society.  In  1905  till 
1907  he  was  professor  of  obstetrics  in  National  Medical  university, 
Chicago,  111.  In  1891  he  married  Mrs.  K.  H.  Heil,  of  New  York, 
N.  Y.,  and  by  her  has  one  son,  LeRoy.  In  politics  the  doctor  is  inde- 
pendent and  active. 

Rev.  Anton  Sojar,  pastor  of  Stephen's  Slovenian  Roman 
Catholic  church,  the  only  church  of  that  nationality  in  this  city,  was 
born  in  Ljubljana,  Carniola,  Austria,  on  December  20,  1881.  and  is  a 
son  of  Anton  and  Ivana  (Koman)  Sojar.  He  was  reared  to  manhood 
in  his  native  country  and  attended  elementary  school  for  four  years, 
gymnasium  eight  years,  was  a  student  of  theology  four  years,  and 
finally  came  to  the  United  States  in  1903  and  here  finished  his  theo- 
logical studies  at  St.  Paul  seminary,  St.  Paul,  Minn.  He  was  or- 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  821 

dained  to  the  priesthood  in  Chicago  by  Archbishop  Quigley  in  June, 
1904.  Soon  afterward  he  was  appointed  assistant  pastor  of  St. 
Joseph  Slovenian  Roman  Catholic  church,  of  Joliet,  111.,  where  he 
remained  until  November  1,  1905,  when  he  took  charge  of  his  present 
parish.  Under  his  able  ministration  the  congregation  has  grown 
and  flourished.  The  present  membership  of  the  parish  consists  of 
about  200  families.  Father  Sojar  has  one  sister,  Fannie,  wife  of 
John  Cemazar,  of  Chicago. 

John  W.  Stafford  was  born  October  7,  1869,  on  the  West  side, 
Chicago,  and  is  a  son  of  William  and  Mary  (Johnson)  Stafford, 
natives  of  Wexford,  Ireland.  The  father,  who  was  a  farmer,  came 
to  Chicago  in  1854,  but  after  his  arrival  here  followed  the  smithing 
trade  and  spent  a  number  of  years  in  the  shops  of  the  Panhandle 
Railway  C9mpany.  He  died  January  19,  1892,  and  his  wife  in 
August,  1882.  They  had  six  children,  three  of  whom  are  now 
living:  Thomas,  John  W.  and  Fannie,  now  the  wife  of  Joseph 
Bowling. 

John  W.  was  educated  in  the  public  and  parochial  schools  and  at 
the  age  of  eleven  years  began  work  with  Mandel  Brothers  as  errand 
boy.  Later  he  was  a  telephone  boy  and  finally  was  promoted  to  the 
auditing  department  and  at  the  same  time  attended  night  school. 
From  1888  to  1892  he  served  as  one  of  the  cashiers,  but  at  the  latter 
date  resigned  and  accepted  the  position  of  cashier  with  Klee  Brothers 
&  Company  at  Milwaukee  avenue  and  Division  street.  In  1895  he 
became  manager  of  their  West  side  store  and  in  1901  opened  that 
company's  new  store  at  Belmont  and  Lincoln  avenues  and  became 
manager  of  the  same.  He  has  the  largest  store  of  the  kind  devoted 
wholly  to  clothing  outside  of  the  "loop."  Mr.  Stafford  is  inde- 
pendent in  politics  and  is  a  member  of  the  Lakeview  club,  Business 
Men's  association,  Columbian  Knights,  National  Union  and  the 
North  American  Union.  On  July  12,  1899,  he  married  Margaret  C. 
Coles,  of  London,  Canada,  and  they  have  the  following  children: 
Mary,  Coles,  William  and  Anthony  (deceased).  The  family  resides 
at  3541  North  Marshfield  avenue. 

James  Howard  Stansfield  was  born  at  Bridgeport,  Illinois,  Octo- 
ber 25,  1866,  and  is  a  son  of  George  W.  and  Mary  (Irish)  Stans- 
field. His  father  was  a  native  of  this  country  and  a  successful  and 
prosperous  farmer  and  stockman,  and  his  paternal  grandfather 
served  under  the  Duke  of  Wellington  at  the  battle  of  Waterloo. 

James  H.  Stansfield  received  his  primary  education  during  winter 
terms  in  the  country  schools.  Later  he  attended  Mt.  Carmel  and 
Shelbyville  high  schools.  He  began  the  active  duties  of  life  at  the 
age  of  thirteen  years  on  the  farm,  then  taught  school  three  years. 
Upon  first  coming  to  Chicago  in  1891  he  studied  shorthand  and  \vas 
employed  as  a  stenographer  until  admitted  to  the  bar.  His  legal 
education  was  obtained  in  the  law  department  of  the  Lake  Forest 
university,  from  which  he  was  graduated  June  13,  1894.  He  was  ad- 


822  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

mitted  to  the  Illinois  bar  the  same  year.  In  1896  he  began  a  general 
practice  on  his  own  account  and  has  made  a  specialty  of  chancery, 
probate  and  real  estate  litigation.  In  1897  he  was  admitted  to  prac- 
tice in  the  United  States  circuit  courts.  In  June,  1891,  he  enlisted 
as  a  private  in  the  Second  Regiment,  Illinois  National  Guard,  and 
served  with  this  organization  till  June  1,  1909.  He  is  now  adjutant- 
general,  first  brigade.  In  the  strike  in  1893  on  the  drainage  canal 
he  served  as  second  lieutenant,  and  saw  the  same  service  during  the 
stock  yards  strike  in  1894.  Later  he  became  first  lieutenant,  captain 
and  major.  He  served  as  captain  of  Company  F,  Second  Illinois 
Regiment  during  the  Spanish-American  war.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Spanish  War  Veterans  and  the  Naval  Military  Order  of  the 
Spanish  war.  He  is  a  Republican  and  a  Presbyterian,  and  resides 
in  Oak  Park.  On  March  13,  1901,  he  married  Inez  Snyder,  and  to 
them  was  born  one  child  who  died  in  infancy. 

John  J.  Stary,  president  and  manager  of  the  Stephen  Bilek  com- 
pany, manufacturers  of  embossed  moldings,  panels  and  drop  carv- 
ings, at  2117  to  2127  South  Troy  street,  was  born  in  this  city  on 
August  1,  1883,  and  is  a  son  of  Michael  and  Kate  Stary,  natives  of 
Bohemia,  who  immigrated  to  the  United  States  about  the  year  1882 
and  settled  in  Chicago,  where  they  still  reside.  To  them  was  born 
a  family  of  eight  children,  as  follows:  Anna,  wife  of  John  Pouzar; 
John  J.,  Josephine,  Emil,  Emily,  James,  George  and  Lillian. 

John  J.  was  educated  in  St.  Pius  Roman  Catholic  parochial  school 
and  began  his  business  career  as  water  boy  for  the  Edward  Hines 
Lumber  company  at  the  age  of  twelve  years.  After  working  there 
for  one  year  he  was  engaged  at  various  occupations,  and  later  for 
ten  years  was  employed  as  clerk  in  a  gentlemen's  furnishing  store. 
In  1907  he  became  connected  with  the  Stephen  Bilek  company,  and 
in  January  of  the  following  year  was  elected  its  president  and  man- 
ager, a  position  he  still  retains.  This  fact  speaks  volumes  for  his 
ability,  energy,  experience,  honesty  and  high  character.  He  is  a 
member  of  Blaney  Lodge,  No.  261,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  Liberty 
Lodge,  No.  83,  Columbian  Knights.  In  politics  he  is  a  Republican. 
On  November  26,  1907,  he  wedded  Marie  R.,  daughter  of  Stephen 
and  Rose  Bilek,  pioneer  Bohemians  of  the  city,  and  they  have  one 
daughter — Florence. 

Dr.  Charles  F.  Stotz  was  born  December  9,  1872,  and  is  a  son  of 
Frederick  and  Marie  (Jud)  Stotz,  the  parents  being  natives  of 
Wurtemberg,  Germany,  where  the  father  was  engaged  in  the  manu- 
facture of  brushes.  In  1866  the  family  came  to  the  United  States 
and  the  father  remained  with  a  brush  manufacturing  concern  in 
Philadelphia  until  1872.  They  then  returned  to  Germany,  locating 
at  Baden,  where  they  continued  in  the  same  line  of  business,  manu- 
facturing the  brushes  used  by  the  government  in  the  Franco-Prussian 
war.  In  1881  they  again  came  to  the  United  States,  settling  in 
Chicago,  where  the  father  established  the  firm  of  F.  Stotz  &  Com- 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  823 

pany,  at  24  West  Randolph  street,  and  where  he  continued  business 
up  to  the  time  of  his  death,  October  22,  1901.  Mr.  Stotz  was  the 
inventor  of  a  brush  machine  for  the  washing  of  bottles.  To  him 
and  wife  were  born  three  children :  Herman  A.,  a  director  of  the 
Y.  M.  C.  A.  since  1905;  Dr.  Charles  F.  (subject),  and  Pauline,  now 
Mrs.  Gustave  Knapp. 

Dr.  Charles  F.  Stotz  received  part  of  his  early  education  in  Ger- 
many, but  when  eleven  years  of  age,  came  with  the  family  to  Amer- 
ica and  Chicago,  where  he  continued  his  studies  in  the  public  schools. 
In  1892-3  he  studied  pharmacy  in  the  Chicago  School  of  Pharmacy, 
later  entering  the  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons,  from  which 
he  was  graduated  in  the  class  of  1898.  He  immediately  began  the 
practice  of  his  profession,  locating  for  a  short  time  at  247  West 
Madison  street,  then  at  Morgan  Park  and  since  1900  at  1954  Mil- 
waukee avenue.  Dr.  Stotz  has  acted  as  physician  at  St.  Mary's  hos- 
pital since  1900,  and  is  identified  with  the  Chicago  and  State  Medi- 
cal Societies.  He  is  a  Mason,  a  member  of  Oriental  Consistory,  a 
member  of  the  Shrine  and  of  the  Royal  League.  In  politics  he  is  a 
Republican.  On  August  18,  1908,  he  married  Bertha  Mueller,  of 
Chicago,  and  to  this  union  has  been  born  one  daughter,  Helen  Marie, 
born  in  1909. 

Henry  Knox  Stratford,  M.  D.,  Austin,  111.,  has  practiced  in 
Cook  county  longer  than  any  other  physician  now  living  in  Chi- 
cago. He  was  born  at  Oxford,  Mass.,  August  6,  1821,  a  son  of 
Charles  James  and  Lucinda  (Olney)  Stratford.  Samuel  Bailey 
Stratford,  his  grandfather,  a  native  of  Stratford-on-Avon,  Eng- 
land, was  a  wood  carver  by  trade.  His  aunt,  a  Roman  Catholic, 
freed  him  from  his  apprentice  bonds  and  sent  him  to  France  to 
study  for  the  priesthood,  but  he  renounced  such  an  intention  and 
came  to  America  and  soon  was  employed  making  elaborate  carv- 
ings for  a  Catholic  church  in  Boston.  He  was  influenced  by  the 
preaching  of  Rev.  Dr.  Channing  to  become  a  Protestant,  in  conse- 
quence of  which  he  was  disinherited  by  his  aunt,  who  left  him  $500, 
and  the  Catholic  church  seven  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  pounds. 
Eventually  he  married  Miss  Lucy  Wallcot,  of  an  old  Puritan  fam- 
ily, and  lived  out  his  days  in  Boston.  His  children  were  Charles 
James,  Henry  Bailey,  Daniel  Kent  and  Esther  Stratford.  Charles 
James  was  born  in  Boston,  gained  a  public  school  education,  and 
was  the  first  merchant  tailor  in  that  city.  He  married  Miss  Lu- 
cinda Olney,  daughter  of  Judge  Richard  and  Abigail  (Wilson) 
Olney,  of  Rhode  Island. 

Judge  Olney  was  a  merchant  who  aided  to  introduce  the  manu- 
facture of  cotton  cloth  into  America.  Charles  James  Stratford 
passed  his  active  life  at  Boston,  Mass.,  and  at  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  and 
died  at  Trempealeau,  Wis.,  aged  nearly  90  years.  He  had  eight 
children,  the  eldest  of  whom  is  Doctor  Stratford. 

Dr.  Henry  Knox  Stratford  was  educated  at  the  public  schools 


824  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

in  and  near  Boston,  and  at  18  began  to  read  medicine  under  the 
preceptorship  of  Dr.  John  Pierce,  of  Oxford,  Mass.,  and  pursvied 
his  professional  studies  at  the  Albany  Medical  college  and  the  Uni- 
versity of  Medicine  and  Surgery  at  Philadelphia,  finishing  them  in 
the  medical  department  of  the  University  of  Pennsylvania.  There 
were  some  interruptions  to  his  college  career,  and  before  it  was 
finished  he  practiced  medicine  for  a  time  in  New  England.  In 
1842  he  married  Miss  Rhoda  T.  Brown,  of  Mendon,  Mass.,  by 
whom  he  had  four  daughters,  three  of  whom  are  still  living.  He 
came  to  Chicago  in  a  semi-professional  capacity  in  1855,  and  soon 
after  became  partially  paralyzed  through  the  use  of  certain  chemi- 
cals in  laboratory  work.  Then,  after  some  post  graduate  studies 
along  botanical  lines,  he  established  himself  in  a  general  family 
practice  of  medicine  and  surgery  at  96  Lake  street.  Later,  for 
eleven  years,  his  office  was  at  Clark  and  Monroe  streets,  until  after 
the  great  Chicago  fire;  for  twenty-two  years  at  the  corner  of 
State  and  Jackson  streets,  for  a  time  in  the  Venetian  building, 
then  in  the  Stewart  building  until  1908,  when  he  retired  after 
fifty-three  years  of  continuous  practice.  Since  then  he  has  pre- 
scribed at  his  residence  in  Austin.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Chicago 
Eclectic  Medical  Society,  Illinois  State  Eclectic  Medical  Society  and 
the  National  Eclectic  Medical  association,  having  been  president  of 
each  of  them.  He  was  one  of  the  founders,  trustees  and  vice-presi- 
dent of  the  Bennett  Medical  college  of  Chicago. 

He  was  chairman  of  the  Illinois  Delegation  of  Ethics  at  the 
World's  Medical  Congress  and  has  read  before  that  body  notable 
papers,  among  them  essays  entitled  "Surgical  Mistreatment  of 
Women,"  "Otology,  Laryngology  and  Ophthalmology,"  "Ovarian 
Abscess,"  "Accidents  from  Gunpowder,"  "The  Proper  Feeding  of 
Infants,"  "The  Adolescent  Woman"  and  "Our  Medical  Schools." 
He  has  seen  his  school  of  medicine  grow  from  a  small  and  crude 
beginning  to  its  present  proportions,  and  has  so  ably  contributed 
to  its  progress  that  he  will  always  be  enrolled  as  one  of  the  factors 
of  eclectic  medicine  in  Chicago. 

Politically  he  is  a  Democrat,  religiously  a  Universalist.  He 
joined  the  Masons  in  1857;  is  a  charter  member  of  Austin  Masonic 
lodge,  No.  850;  belongs  to  Cicero  chapter  No.  180:  to  Siloam  Com- 
mandery,  K.  T.,  No.  54,  and  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  Veteran 
association. 

August  13,  1868,  he  married  for  his  second  wife  Mrs.  Mary 
Jane  Taylor,  daughter  of  John  R.  and  Nancy  (Knox)  Eaton,  of 
old  colonial  families.  She  bore  him  one  son,  Charles  James,  who 
died  in  1906,  and  in  his  death  the  name  of  Stratford  in  this  line  is 
wiped  out. 

Dr.  Stratford  proffered  his  services  as  a  soldier  for  the  Union 
cause,  in  the  Civil  war,  but  was  refused  on  account  of  his  paralysis. 

Simeon  Straus,  attorney-at-law,  302  Ashland  Block,  was  born 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  825 

in  Milwaukee,  Wis.,  November  21,  1855,  and  is  a  son  of  Samuel 
and  Rosine  Straus.  He  has  lived  in  Chicago  continuously  since  1856 
and  has  witnessed  the  place  transformed  from  a  dirty,  struggling 
village  to  a  modern  metropolis.  He  attended  the  public  schools  here 
and  was  graduated  therefrom  in  1868.  He  then  entered  the  high 
school  and  was  graduated  in  1872.  Being  ambitious,  enterprising 
and  able  by  nature,  he  then  entered  the  academic  department  of  Yale 
university,  but  soon  quit  his  studies  there  in  order  to  pursue  a  course 
of  law  in  the  legal  department  of  that  university.  In  1874  he  was 
duly  graduated  from  this  celebrated  law  school  with  the  degree  of 
Bachelor  of  Laws  and  with  high  credit.  He  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  of  Connecticut  in  June,  1874,  and  the  same  year  opened  a  law 
office  in  Chicago  and  began  the  practice.  He  has  steadily  advanced 
until  he  is  now  one  of  the  foremost  lawyers  in  the  city  in  points  of 
stability,  fidelity  and  ability.  He  has  been  attorney  for  the  German 
National  bank,  German  Savings  bank,  Henry  Greenebaum  &  Com- 
pany, bankers,  and  other  firms  and  organizations.  Since  1877  he 
has  mainly  confined  his  practice  to  chancery  and  probate  cases  and 
real  estate  litigation.  In  the  latter  field  he  has  had  the  settlement  of 
several  of  the  largest  estates  in  Chicago.  Lately  his  son,  Ira  E.,  has 
joined  him  in  the  practice.  Mr.  Straus  is  a  Republican  and  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Hamilton  and  Waupanseh  clubs.  On  February  24,  1880, 
he  married,  in  Chicago,  Adelaide  Eisendrath,  and  they  have  five 
children:  Samuel  N.,  David  C.,  Ira  E.,  Marion  R.  and  Edna  R. 
The  family  resides  at  3943  Ellis  avenue. 

Silas  H.  Strawn  was  born  on  a  farm  near  Ottawa,  111.,  December 
15,  1866,  and  graduated  from  Ottawa  High  School  in  1885.  He 
taught  school  for  two  years.  He  then  began  the  study  of  law  in  the 
office  of  Bull  &  Strawn  of  that  city,  pursued  a  full  course  and  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  bar  in  May,  1889.  He  practiced  his  profession  in  La- 
salle  county  for  two  years.  He  came  to  Chicago  in  September, 
1891,  and  was  in  the  employ  of  the  law  firm  of  Weigley,  Buckley  & 
Gray  until  April,  1892.  He  then  accepted  a  position  with  the  law 
firm  of  Winston  &  Meagher,  and  was  admitted  to  a  partnership  Sep- 
tember 1,  1894.  This  strong  and  successful  association  continued 
until  1902,  when  upon  the  retirement  of  Mr.  Meagher  the  firm  be- 
came Winston,  Strawn  &  Shaw,  and  in  October,  1903,  Winston, 
Payne  &  Strawn,  Judge  John  Barton  Payne  having  joined  them. 
Later  the  firm  became  Winston,  Payne,  Strawn  &  Shaw.  The  busi- 
ness of  the  firm,  though  general,  embraces  an  immense  corporation 
practice.  His  firm  is  general  counsel  for  several  railroads  and  other 
corporations.  Mr.  Strawn  is  general  solicitor  for  the  Chicago  & 
Alton  Railroad  company.  He  is  a  member  of  the  American  Bar 
association,  Illinois  Bar  association,  Chicago  Bar  association,  Chicago 
Law  club,  the  Union  League,  Mid-day,  and  Exmoor  Country  clubs 
(member  board  of  governors),  Glen  View  (director),  South  Shore 
Country  club  (member  board  of  governors)  and  vice-president  Uni- 


826  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

ted  States  Golf  association.  On  June  22,  1897,  he  married  Margaret 
Stewart,  of  Binghamton,  N.  Y.  They  have  two  children,  Margaret 
Stewart  and  Katherine  Stewart. 

Charles  J.  Stromberg,  who  died  at  Fairhope,  Ala.,  his  winter 
home,  on  March  12,  1904,  was  for  forty-eight  years  a  resident  of 
Chicago,  and  was  one  of  the  best  known  of  the  Swedish-American 
citizens.  He  was  born  in  Karlshamn,  Sweden,  on  February  12,  1838, 
and  when  sixteen  years  old  came  with  his  parents  to  America.  For 
a  short  time  he  resided  at  West  Chester,  Penn.,  and  Lisletown,  Mo., 
but  in  August,  1856,  located  permanently  in  Chicago.  For  seven 
years  he  was  associated  with  the  firm  of  W.  B.  Keen  &  Company, 
but  resigned  his  position  in  1864  in  order  to  join  the  Union  army. 
When  peace  was  declared  he  returned  to  Chicago  and  secured  em- 
ployment with  the  well  known  printing  firm  of  J.  W.  Jones  &  Com- 
pany as  clerk,  subsequently  for  many  years  serving  as  manager  and 
becoming  a  member  of  the  concern.  In  1888  he  organized  the  firm 
of  Stromberg,  Allen  &  Company,  which  under  his  wise  and  capable 
management  has  become  one  of  the  largest  and  most  successful 
printing  establishments  in  the  city.  In  the  main  the  life  of  Mr. 
Stromberg  was  without  striking  event.  In  order  to  improve  family 
conditions  the  elder  Stromberg  came  to  America,  and  with  but 
moderate  advantages  Charles  J.  had  his  lessons  to  learn  from  the 
schools  of  adversity  and  self-denial.  He  worked  hard,  led  a  clean 
life,  acquired  considerable  property  and  died  honored  and  respected 
by  all  who  knew  him.  To  his  marriage  with  Augusta  J.  Anderson 
three  children  were  born:  Johanna  A.,  Ebba  B.  (deceased),  and 
Charles  J.,  who  is  now  the  head  of  the  firm  of  Stromberg,  Allen  & 
Company  which  was  founded  by  his  father. 

Henry  Stuve,  one  of  the  successful  and  prominent  farmers  and 
citizens  of  Leyden  township,  is  a  son  of  Lambert  Henry  and  Annie 
(Lau)  Stuve  who  were  natives  of  Germany  and  of  sturdy  German 
stock.  The  family  name,  which  goes  back  many  centuries,  is  also 
written  in  English,  Stueve.  The  father,  Lambert  H.,  was  born  in 
Schaale,  Mecklensburg,  Prussia,  on  November  20,  1809.  The  father 
of  Lambert  was  a  farmer  in  his  native  land.  Upon  reaching  early 
manhood  Lambert  concluded  to  leave  the  occupation  of  his  ancestors 
and  learn  the  carpenter  trade.  He  received  in  youth  a  limited  edu- 
cation and  in  1838  married  Annie  Lau  in  his  native  province.  She 
was  born  February  10,  1810,  in  the  same  village  and  was  the  daugh- 
ter of  John  and  Annie  Lau.  To  Lambert  and  Annie  were  born  three 
children  who  lived  to  maturity,  all  born  in  Prussia :  Annie,  Henry 
and  Mary.  The  latter  died  at  the  age  of  seventeen  years  un- 
married. 

The  family  crossed  the  ocean  to  America  from  Bremer  Haven  in 
a  sailing  vessel  and  were  thirteen  weeks  in  making  the  passage.  They 
came  to  Dupage  county  in  June,  1850,  and  lived  one  year  with 
George  Eisterman,  who  had  previously  married  Mary  Lau,  a  sister 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  827 

of  Annie,  wife  of  Lambert  Stuve.  For  a  period  of  three  years  Lam- 
bert rented  land  in  Addison  township,  but  later  bought  a  tract  in 
Leyden  township,  Cook  county,  near  where  Dietrich  Munsterman 
now  lives,  paying  $500  for  forty  acres  of  prairie  land.  This  tract 
he  improved  but  later  sold  out  and  in  1865  bought  eighty  acres 
where  his  son  Henry  now  lives.  Assisted  by  his  son,  Mr.  Stuve 
improved  his  new  farm.  Here  he  lived,  labored  and  thrived  and 
built  up  an  excellent  reputation  as  a  progressive,  intelligent  and  sub- 
stantial citizen.  Lambert  and  wife  were  members  of  the  Evan- 
gelical association  and  attended  church  at  Bensenville.  In  politics 
he  was  a  strong  Republican  and  took  much  interest  in  the  success  of 
his  party.  During  the  entire  period  of  his  residence  in  this  county 
he  worked  more  or  less  at  the  carpenter  trade  while  his  son  did  much 
of  the  work  on  the  farm.  Lambert,  after  a  useful  and  well  spent  life, 
died  January  2,  1888,  aged  about  seventy-eight  years.  His  widow 
died  July  24,  1895,  aged  about  eighty-five  years. 

Their  son  Henry,  was  born  in  Germany,  February  19,  1846,  and 
at  the  age  of  four  years  was  brought  to  America  by  his  parents.  He 
attended  the  district  schools  and  Dietrich  Munsterman  was  one  of 
his  schoolmates.  From  his  earliest  boyhood  he  was  put  at  work  on 
the  farm  and  this  has  been  his  occupation  down  to  the  present  time. 
In  early  manhood  he  had  sole  management  of  the  farm,  his  father 
following  the  carpenter  trade.  When  twenty-four  years  old  he  mar- 
ried Sophia  Blume,  a  native  of  Maine  township,  born  March  30, 
1851,  the  daughter  of  Frederick  and  Dorothy  (Grimsell)  Blume. 

Her  father  was  a  native  of  Germany  and  a  farmer  by  occupation. 
He  married  in  1831  and  his  children  were  as  follows:  Dora,  Fred- 
erick, Henry,  Louisa,  Minnie,  Sophia  and  William,  all  of  whom  were 
born  in  Germany  except  the  last  three.  Frederick  Blume  came  to 
America  with  his  family  in  1846  and  first  stopped  six  weeks  in  Chi- 
cago and  then  moved  to  Maine  township,  where  he  bought  eighty 
acres  of  wild  land  on  which  was  a  log  house.  Later  he  added  forty 
acres  to  this  tract.  He  was  a  substantial  farmer  and  a  member  of  the 
Evangelical  association.  In  politics  he  was  a  sturdy  Republican. 
He  died  August  25,  1875,  aged  about  sixty-eight  years,  and  his 
widow  died  May  27,  1899.  aged  eighty-eight  years. 

Henry  Stuve  after  his  marriage  remained  on  the  old  homestead 
engaged  in  farming.  He  has  been  unusually  successful,  having 
added  to  his  acreage  by  the  purchase  of  several  additional  farms. 
He  owns  in  all  at  the  present  time  about  three  hundred  and  thirty- 
six  acres  in  Dupage  and  Cook  counties,  four  hundred  and  eighty 
acres  in  South  Dakota,  and  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  in  Minne- 
sota, making  thus  a  total  of  more  than  one  thousand  acres  of  land. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Evangelical  church  as  is  also  his  wife.  He  is 
director  in  the  church.  He  takes  active  and  praiseworthy  interest 
in  schools  and  generally  in  all  things  to  advance  the  welfare  of  the 
community.  He  has  been  school  director  for  about  forty  years 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

without  intermission.  He  is  a  Republican  and  cast  his  first  presi- 
dential vote  for  Grant  and  Col  fax.  Henry  and  wife  have  the  follow- 
ing children:  Anna  Matilda,  born  May  14,  1871;  John  H.,  born 
January  1,  1873;  William  F.,  born  September  19,  1874;  Ella  C., 
born  December  2,  1876;  Rose  M.,  born  October  1,  1878;  Henry  E., 
born  September  18,  1883;  Alvina  A.,  born  March  10,  1886;  Fred 
W.,  born  September  21,  1888,  and  Walter  E.,  born  July  19,  1895. 
Mr.  Stuve  has  given  his  children  good  educations.  His  sons  have 
attended  the  Chicago  Business  college.  Mr.  Stuve  is  one  of  the  sub- 
stantial citizens  of  this  portion  of  the  county. 

Dr.  Leonard  St.  John  was  born  September  28,  1852,  at  St.  Cath- 
arines, Canada,  and  is  a  son  of  Samuel  Leonard  and  Martha  Ann 
(Seaman)  St.  John.  The  mother  was  born  on  Long  Island,  N.  Y., 
and  the  father  at  Pittsburg,  Penn.  Early  in  life  the  latter  moved  to 
St.  Catharines,  Can.,  where  he  engaged  in  merchandising  and  later 
opened  and  conducted  a  private  bank,  continuing  for  about  twenty 
years.  He  was  active  and  prominent  until  his  death  in  May,  1881. 
His  wife  died  in  March,  1902.  To  them  were  born  nine  children  as 
follows :  Four  boys  and  five  girls,  two  of  whom  are  deceased. 

Dr.  Leonard  was  educated  in  private  schools  and  at  St.  Catharine's 
academy.  Later  he  entered  McGill  university,  from  the  medical  de- 
partment of  which  he  graduated  with  the  class  of  '72.  He  prose- 
cuted his  studies  for  one  year  in  London,  graduating  in  1873  from 
the  Royal  College  of  Surgeons,  England.  He  then  returned  to 
America  and  located  for  practice  in  New  York  City.  In  1875  he 
came  to  Chicago,  and  soon  afterward  located  at  1003  West  Madison 
street.  In  1876  he  became  visiting  physician  of  the  Central  Free 
Dispensary  and  a  little  later  of  the  South  Side  Free  Dispensary. 
He  was  one  of  the  founders  of  the  College  of  Physicians  and  Sur- 
geons, of  which  he  was  treasurer  and  professor  of  surgery  until  1890. 
After  1881  and  until  a  few  years  ago,  he  was  attending  surgeon  of 
Cook  County  hospital.  He  was  attending  surgeon  of  St.  Anthony 
hospital.  At  first  he  accepted  a  general  practice,  but  now  he  makes 
a  specialty  of  surgery  and  diseases  of  women.  He  was  one  of  the 
staff  at  the  Chicago  College  of  Medicine  and  Surgery — one  of  the 
extra-mural  faculty.  He  belongs  to  the  Chicago  Medical,  the  Il- 
linois Medical  and  the  American  Medical  Societies,  and  to  the 
Illinois  and  the  South  Shore  clubs.  He  is  an  Odd  Fellow.  In  1877 
he  married  Anna  B.  Balch,  who  died  in  1890.  He  resides  at  1516 
West  Monroe  and  his  office  is  at  Suite  1001-2,  103  State  street. 

Rev.  Stanislaus  Swierczek,  C.  R.,  pastor  of  St.  Stanislaus  Polish 
Roman  Catholic  church  at  2312  53d  Court,  was  born  in  Fbylitowska 
Gora,  near  Tarnow,  Polonia,  Austria,  on  December  5,  1873.  He  re- 
ceived his  classical  education  in  the  gymnasium  of  his  native  land 
and  his  philosophical  and  theological  education  in  the  Gregorian 
university  of  Rome,  Italy.  There  he  was  ordained  to  the  priesthood 
on  September  24,  1904.  In  January  of  the  following  year  he  crossed 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  829 

the  Atlantic  to  the  United  States  and  located  in  Chicago,  where  for 
one  year  he  occupied  a  professor's  chair  in  Stanislaus  college.  He 
was  then  appointed  assistant  pastor  of  Stanislaus  Kostka  and  served 
with  credit  as  such  for  one  year.  During  the  succeeding  two  years 
he  served  acceptably  in  the  same  capacity  in  St.  Hyacinth's  parish. 
Since  January,  1909,  he  has  been  pastor  of  his  present  parish,  which 
now  has  a  membership  of  300  families  or  nearly  2,000  persons.  A 
school  connected  with  the  parish  has  nearly  250  scholars  under  the 
instruction  of  three  Franciscan  sisters. 

George  B.  Swift  was  born  in  Cincinnati,  O.,  December  14,  1845, 
and  is  a  son  of  Samuel  W.  and  Elizabeth  (Bell)  Swift.  While  yet 
a  small  boy  he  was  taken  by  his  parents  to  Galena  and  in  1862  to 
Chicago.  He  first  attended  the  public  schools  of  Galena  and  after 
coming  to  Chicago  attended  the  Skinner  school  and  later  the 
West  Side  High  school.  Still  later  he  was  graduated  from  the  old 
Chicago  university  at  Thirty-sixth  street  and  Cottage  Grove  avenue. 
While  yet  a  young  man  he  engaged  in  contracting  and  manufactur- 
ing and  for  many  years  has  been  president  of  the  well-known  con- 
tracting firm  of  George  B.  Swift  &  Co.  Since  1870  he  has  been 
vice-president  of  the  Frazer  Lubricator  company.  He,  early  in  life, 
took  great  interest  in  public  affairs  and  in  the  progress  of  the  city 
and  county.  In  the  seventies  he  served  two  terms  as  alderman. 
From  1887  to  1889  he  was  commissioner  of  public  works.  Through 
his  influence  and  foresight  many  reforms  were  proposed  and  in- 
stituted. In  1893  he  was  defeated  for  mayor,  but  in  1895  was 
elected  in  response  to  a  general  demand  for  reform  and  improve- 
ment in  municipal  efficiency.  His  ability  as  a  business  man  led  to 
this  demand  for  his  services  at  the  head  of  the  city  government. 
The  records  show  how  well  he  performed  his  duties.  Since  his  re- 
tirement from  office  he  has  devoted  himself  to  his  business.  He 
belongs  to  many  societies  and  clubs  and  is  considered  a  jolly  com- 
panion and  a  charming  friend.  On  November  12,  1868,  he  married 
Lucy  L.  Brown  and  to  them  were  born  the  following  children: 
Brown  F.,  Herbert  B.,  George  L.,  Grace  B.,  Adelaide  P.,  Eldred 
B.  and  Edith  L.  The  family  residence  is  at  5132  Washington 
avenue. 

George  E.  Swinscoe,  Chicago  (Austin  station),  was  born  in 
Manchester,  England,  June  17,  1841,  a  son  of  Henry  H.  and  Mary 
A.  (Baker)  Swinscoe.  The  father,  with  his  son  Charles,  came  to 
New  York  in  1848;  his  wife  with  their  other  children,  Henry  W., 
Harriet,  Amanda,  George  E.  and  Elfrida,  came  over  in  the  summer 
of  1849.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Swinscoe,  natives  of  Nottingham,  England, 
moved  to  Manchester,  where  Mr.  Swinscoe  was  a  salesman.  The 
family  moved  to  Detroit,  Mich.,  in  1854,  and  there  Mr.  Swinscoe 
was  connected  with  Bradstreet's  Commercial  agency.  He  was  alder- 
man from  the  Tenth  ward  of  Detroit  and  also  served  as  police  judge. 
He  was  an  original  Republican  and  he  and  his  wife  were  communi- 


830  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

cants  of  the  Church  of  England.  He  died  at  Detroit  in  1879,  aged 
69  years. 

George  E.  Swinscoe  attended  school  in  New  York  until  1850, 
when  the  family  moved  temporarily  to  Jersey  City.  He  there  at- 
tended school  until  the  return  of  the  family  to  New  York  in  1852, 
where  he  continued  his  studies  until  the  removal  of  the  family  to 
the  West.  Among  his  early  recollections  was  that  of  hearing  Jenny 
Lind  sing  at  Castle  Garden,  New  York,  in  1851.  He  was  in  public 
schools  in  Detroit  until  1859,  meanwhile  studying  mathematics  and 
civil  engineering  under  Mr.  O'Brien,  an  able  teacher.  In  May,  1859, 
he  went  into  the  government  service  as  assistant  in  the  survey  of  the 
north  and  northwestern  lakes,  including  Lakes  Superior,  Huron,  Mich- 
igan and  the  Straits  of  Mackinac.  The  work  was  interrupted  by 
the  breaking  out  of  the  Civil  War,  and  in  July,  1861,  he  enlisted  in 
the  8th  regiment,  Michigan  Volunteer  Infantry,  was  appointed 
sergeant-major  and  was  mustered  into  the  United  States  service  on 
September  23,  1861.  He  went  with  Sherman's  expedition  to  Hilton 
Head,  S.  C.,  in  November,  1861 ;  in  April,  1862,  was  on  Tybee 
island,  Georgia,  engaged  in  the  reduction  of  Fort  Pulaski ;  in  the 
fight  on  Wilmington  island,  Georgia;  the  battle  at  Secessionville, 
S.  C.,  where  his  regiment  was  the  "forlorn  hope"  in  storming  the 
fort  and  lost  196  men  in  the  engagement;  the  second  battle  of  Bull 
Run ;  the  engagement  at  South  Mountain ;  the  battle  of  Antietam, 
Md.,  where  he  was  slightly  wounded ;  the  fighting  at  Fredericks- 
burg,  Va.,  in  December,  1862;  the  chase  of  John  Morgan  in  Ken- 
tucky in  March,  1863  ;  the  siege  of  Vicksburg,  Miss.,  in  July,  1863  ; 
the  pursuit  of  Johnson  and  a  battle  with  his  forces  at  Jackson,  Miss. ; 
the  capture  of  Cumberland  Gap ;  an  engagement  at  Blue  Springs, 
Tenn. ;  the  fights  with  Longstreet's  forces  at  Lenior  and  Campbell's 
Station ;  the  siege  of  Knoxville  and  the  operations  against  Long- 
street  to  the  Virginia  line.  In  March,  1864,  the  regiment  moved 
northward  and  joined  the  Army  of  the  Potomac.  On  May  8,  1864, 
Captain  Swinscoe  resigned  his  commission  and  returned  to  Detroit, 
Mich.  He  was  promoted  January  29,  1862,  to  be  second  lieutenant, 
and  assigned  to  Company  H,  May  1,  1862,  to  be  first  lieutenant  and 
adjutant;  November  9,  1862,  to  a  captaincy;  in  September,  1863, 
he  was  appointed  inspector-general  on  the  brigade  staff ;  in  October, 
1863,  he  was  appointed  assistant  commissary  of  musters  on  the 
division  staff. 

On  his  return  from  the  army  he  again  joined  the  government  sur- 
vey and  at  the  close  of  the  season,  in  the  fall  of  1864,  he  went  to 
Bay  City,  Mich.,  and  became  a  general  merchant.  July  10,  1865, 
he  came  to  Chicago  and  found  employment  as  an  accountant;  was 
secretary  of  Marder,  Luse  &  Co.,  typefounders;  was  secretary  of 
Gormully  &  Jeffery  Manufacturing  company.  He  is  now  treasurer 
of  Rice  Malt  &  Grain  company,  maltsters. 

On  October  15,  1866,  Captain  Swinscoe  married  Miss  Julia  M. 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  831 

Conklin,  daughter  of  James  Conklin.  She  died  June  9,  1896,  and 
he  married  June  13,  1904,  Miss  Elizabeth  Munn,  born  in  Glasgow, 
Scotland,  a  daughter  of  Dugald  and  Margaret  (Bryden)  Munn. 
Mr.  Munn,  a  Highlander  by  birth,  came  to  the  United  States  in 
July,  1886,  and  a  few  months  later  came  his  wife  and  children. 
Captain  and  Mrs.  Swinscoe  have  a  daughter,  Elfrida  E.,  born  De- 
cember 29,  1907. 

In  1871  Captain  Swinscoe  located  at  Austin  and  there  built  a 
house.  He  built  his  present  residence  in  1885.  In  the  early  days, 
1875,  he  was  a  member  of  the  School  Board,  serving  as  its  secre- 
tary and  as  its  president ;  was  supervisor  and  treasurer  of  Cicero 
township,  1895-96.  He  is  a  charter  member  and  past  commander 
of  Kilpatrick  post  No.  276,  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic;  is  a 
charter  member  and  past  regent  of  Cicero  Council  No.  590,  Royal 
Arcanum.  Politically  he  is  a  strong  Republican.  Mrs.  Swinscoe 
is  now  junior  vice-commander  of  Austin  Circle  No.  45,  Ladies  of 
the  G.  A.  R.,  and  is  also  a  member  of  the  Woman's  club  of  Austin. 

Rev.  John  Szczypta,  C.  R.,  pastor  of  St.  Hyacinth's  Polish  Roman 
Catholic  church,  at  3651  West  George  street,  was  born  in  Cracow, 
Austria-Poland,  on  February  7,  1873,  and  is  a  son  of  Adalbert  and 
Hedwig  Szczypta.  His  classical  education  was  received  in  the 
Gymnasium  of  Cracow,  and  his  theological  course  was  pursued  at 
the  Gregorian  university,  Rome,  where  he  finished  in  1897.  In 
1897  he  was  ordained  to  the  priesthood  and  sent  to  Lemberg, 
Austria,  where  he  occupied  the  position  of  Vice- Rector  of  the  Father 
Resurrectionists'  college  four  years.  In  1901  he  came  to  the  United 
States  and  located  in  Chicago  where  he  served  as  first  assistant 
pastor  of  St.  John's  Polish  Roman  Catholic  parish  for  four  years. 
Later  for  a  period  of  three  years  he  held  the  same  position  in  St. 
Stanislaus  Kostka  church.  In  January,  1909,  he  was  appointed 
pastor  of  St.  Hyacinth's  Polish  Roman  Catholic  church,  a  position 
he  still  retains  with  high  credit.  He  has  two  assistant  pastors:  Rev. 
Francis  Dembinski  and  Rev.  Thomas  Tarasiuk.  The  congregation 
has  a  membership  of  about  1,000  families  or  3,000  souls.  The  school 
in  connection  therewith  consists  of  about  900  pupils  under  the  in- 
struction of  fifteen  Sisters  of  Nazareth.  Many  societies,  beneficent 
and  otherwise,  are  connected  with  this  active  and  prosperous 
congregation. 

Dr.  Francis  E.  Thornton,  oldest  practicing  physician  on  the  North 
West  Side,  was  born  September  28,  1864,  a  son  of  William  Henry 
and  Anna  (Hardy)  Thornton.  Johanathan,  the  great  grandfather 
of  Dr.  Thornton,  was  a  captain  in  the  Revolutionary  War  and  took 
part  in  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill.  In  1700  three  brothers,  of  the 
Thornton  family,  located  in  Connecticut  and  Rhode  Island.  The 
grandfather  located  in  Cayuga,  N.  Y.,  in  1834  and  engaged  in 
farming  until  1842,  when  he  moved  to  Caledonia,  Boone  county, 
111.,  where  he  helped  to  organize  the  township  of  Manchester.  He 


832  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

died  there  in  1862.  The  father.  William  Henry,  lived  on  a  farm 
and  taught  school  at  Hunter,  111.,  for  twelve  years,  also  serving  in 
local  township  offices  until  1901,  when  he  retired,  moving  to  Beloit, 
Wis.  Dr.  F.  E.  Thornton's  mother's  grandmother  was  a  niece  of 
General  Putnam. 

The  subject  of  this  review  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of 
Hunter,  111. ;  Beloit  High  school  and  the  Valparaiso  university.  He 
also,  in  1888,  was  graduated  from  the  Bennett  Medical  college  and 
immediately  afterward  began  the  practice  of  his  profession  at  538 
W.  Belmont  avenue,  Chicago,  later  removing  to  Logan  square, 
where  he  has  remained  for  the  past  twenty-two  years.  Dr.  Thorn- 
ton has  served  in  the  following  positions :  In  1892  he  was  appointed 
as  attending  physician  of  the  Cook  County  hospital,  acting  as  such 
for  fourteen  years ;  1892-8,  professor  of  physiology  at  Bennett 
Medical  college;  1898-01,  professor  of  diseases  of  children  at 
Bennett  Medical  college;  1901,  professor  of  internal  medicine  at 
American  Medical  college;  on  staff  at  Frances  Willard  hospital 
twelve  years ;  consulting  physician  at  Irving  Park  sanitarium ; 
president  of  State  Medical  society ;  member  of  National  Eclectic 
Medical  society.  June  6,  1889,  he  was  united  in  marriage  with  Eva 
Hanson,  of  Caledonia,  and  to  them  were  born  Beulah,  Marion  L. 
and  Frances  E.  Both  he  and  wife  are  active  in  local  affairs,  the 
latter  being  corresponding  secretary  of  the  Chicago  Northern  Dis- 
trict Woman's  Home  Missionary  society.  Dr.  Thornton  is  a  Mason, 
a  member  of  Oriental  Consistory,  an  Odd  Fellow,  a  member  of  the 
Columbian  Knights  and  the  Royal  League.  He  is  a  Republican  in 
politics  and  both  he  and  wife  are  very  active  in  church  work,  the 
doctor  serving  as  president  of  the  board  of  trustees  of  the  Avondale 
Methodist  Episcopal  church  and  having  been  instrumental  in  raising 
funds  with  which  to  build  their  house  of  worship. 

Joseph  Triner,  manufacturing  chemist,  importer  and  exporter, 
was  born  in  1861  in  Kacerov,  county  of  Kralovic,  near  the  beautiful 
city  of  Pilsen  in  Bohemia.  He  received  his  education  in  the  schools 
of  Slane.  With  his  parents,  Matthew  and  Anna  Triner,  he  came 
to  the  United  States  in  1879,  directly  to  Chicago,  and  was  engaged 
in  different  occupations,  until  in  1890  when  he  established  his  present 
business  on  a  very  small  scale.  This  business  was  a  great  success 
from  the  very  start,  due  to  Mr.  Triner's  business  ability  and  untiring 
personal  management,  and  to  his  popularity,  especially  among  his 
countrymen.  The  wide  circle  of  his  friends  is  growing  steadily  and 
embraces  all  nationalities,  because  he  gives  everybody  "a  square 
deal."  His  first  factory  was  on  Ashland  avenue,  near  West 
Eighteenth  street,  but  very  soon  it  proved  to  be  too  small  for  the 
rapid  growth  of  the  business  and  Mr.  Triner  had  to  build  a  large, 
perfectly  modern  factory,  which  is  a  model  of  cleanliness  in  both  the 
offices  and  laboratories.  It  is  situated  on  South  Ashland  avenue 
and  Hastings  street,  and  all  departments  are  under  the  management 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  835 

of  experienced  professional  men.  The  best  known  preparations 
manufactured  there  are  Triner's  American  Elixir  of  Bitter  Wine, 
and  Triner's  Angelica  Bitter  Tonic,  both  of  which  received  the  Gold 
Medal,  the  highest  award  in  the  recent  Alaskan- Yukon-Pacific 
Exposition  at  Seattle,  Wash. 

Mr.  Triner  employs  quite  a  number  of  intelligent  traveling  men 
and  city  salesmen.  His  family  life  is  very  happy.  He  was  married 
in  1884  to  Miss  Catherine  Wecker,  daughter  of  John  and  Catherine 
Wecker,  of  Chicago,  and  lives  in  his  residence  at  1018  South  Ash- 
land boulevard.  The  family  consists  of  four  daughters  and  one 
son.  His  eldest  son,  Leo,  died  six  years  ago,  after  an  operation  for 
appendicitis,  being  fifteen  years  old.  With  the  family  lives  Mrs. 
Anna  Triner,  mother  of  Joseph  Triner,  her  husband  having  died 
several  years  ago. 

Joseph  Triner  is  a  member  of  the  Chicago  Association  of  Com- 
merce, the  Illinois  Athletic  club,  the  Knights  Templars,  a  Thirty- 
second  degree  Mason,  and  belongs  to  several  Bohemian  benevolent 
and  national  societies.  He  always  takes  an  active  part  in  all  public 
questions. 

Mr.  Triner  greatly  enjoys  traveling  during  his  vacation  and  he 
has  visited  all  parts  of  the  United  States  and  Europe. 

Being  in  good  health  and  full  of  energy  he  certainly  has  a  bi  illiant 
career  before  him. 

Hipolit  Uczciwek,  confectioner,  and  dealer  in  religious  articles, 
school  supplies  and  fancy  stationery,  at  1244  Noble  street,  was  born 
in  Poland,  August  13,  1861,  and  is  a  son  of  Frank  and  Domicela 
Uczciwek.  He  was  reared  to  manhood  in  his  native  land  and  was 
educated  under  the  instruction  of  his  father  who  was  a  teacher  by 
profession.  Early  in  his  adult  life  he  learned  the  confectionery 
business,  and  in  1886  crossed  the  Atlantic  to  the  United  States.  He 
located  in  Chicago  and  here  he  has  since  resided.  Upon  his  arrival 
here  he  was  employed  in  various  candy  factories  until  1896,  when 
he  embarked  in  that  business  for  himself  on  Noble  street.  His  busi- 
ness has  grown  steadily  and  is  now  large  and  lucrative.  He  is  well 
and  favorably  known  and  enjoys  and  merits  the  confidence  of  the 
community.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Holy  Trinity  Polish  Roman 
Catholic  church,  Polish  National  Alliance,  and  in  politics  is  in- 
dependent. In  August,  1888,  he  married  Julia,  daughter  of  Peter 
and  Catherine  Kuznicka,  of  Poland,  and  they  have  eight  children : 
Marie  E.,  Frank  A.,  Alexander  A.,  Joseph,  Louise,  Florence,  Irene 
and  John. 

William  Arthur  Vawter,  president  of  the  Baker-Vawter  company, 
was  born  at  Lafayette,  Ind.,  May  22,  1858,  and  is  a  son  of  Achilles 
and  Elizabeth  (Richardson)  Vawter.  He  was  educated  in  the 
schools  of  Indiana  and  on  September  24,  1881,  married  at  Plain- 
field  Alice  R.  Hadley  and  to  them  were  born  the  following  children  : 
Cora  C.,  William  A.  and  George  H.  He  learned  the  trade  of 

Vol.   I — 48. 


836  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

compositor  at  Indianapolis  in  the  office  of  Wright,  Baker  &  Com- 
pany and  in  due  time  became  foreman  of  their  composing  room. 
In  1881  lie  embarked  in  the  mercantile  business  at  Plainfield,  Ind., 
and  later  at  Danville,  continuing  until  1886.  In  the  latter  year  he 
came  to  Chicago  and  became  a  partner  in  the  printing  establishment 
of  Baker,  Vawter  &  Co.  Two  years  later  the  firm  was  incorporated 
under  the  name  of  Baker- Vawter  company.  After  two  or  three 
years  they  abandoned  the  printing  business  and  took  up  their  present 
line  of  loose  leaf,  binding  and  filing  devices  and  supplies  and 
originators  of  complete  business  systems.  Their  business  is  now 
large  and  important.  Mr.  Vawter  is  president  and  director  of  the 
Metal  Sectional  Furniture  company  and  vice-president  and  director 
of  the  Commercial  Life  Insurance  Company.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Union  League,  Chicago  Athletic,  Evanston,  Evariston  University 
and  Glenview  Golf  clubs. 

John  George  Wachowski,  a  successful  physician  and  surgeon  at 
1259  West  Fifty-first  street,  was  born  in  Chicago  on  July  9,  1880, 
and  is  a  son  of  Frank  and  Mary  (Iciek)  Wachowski,  both  of  whom 
were  natives  of  Prussia-Poland.  They  came  to  the  United  States 
in  1871  and  settled  in  Chicago  where  the  father  followed  his  trade — 
that  of  cabinet  making — until  1905,  when  he  retired  from  active 
business.  He  and  wife  were  the  parents  of  two  children  as  fol- 
lows :  Helen,  wife  of  Frank  Kwasniewski  and  John  George. 

The  latter  was  reared  in  his  native  city  and  was  educated  at  St. 
Adalbert's  Parochial  school.  St.  Patrick's  academy,  St.  Ignatius 
college,  North  Western  University  School  of  Pharmacy,  North 
Western  Medical  college  and  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons, 
graduating  from  the  latter  institution  on  May  22,  1902.  He  im- 
mediately began  the  practice  of  his  profession  and  has  already 
attained  a  high  degree  of  success.  His  skill  in  his  profession  has 
been  signally  recognized.  He  is  medical  examiner  for  the  Polish 
Roman  Catholic  union,  Catholic  Order  of  Foresters.  Polish  National 
Alliance,  Greek  Catholic  union  and  Columbian  Knights.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  Polish  Turners  and  the  Chi- 
cago Medical  society.  He  is  a  Republican  and  takes  an  active  in- 
terest in  the  success  of  his  party.  In  the  Fall  of  1908  he  was  the 
candidate  of  his  party  for  representative  to  the  Legislature,  but  was 
defeated  by  a  small  majority.  On  June  10,  1903,  he  married 
Martha,  daughter  of  John  and  Frances  (Staniszewski)  Czaja, 
Polish  pioneers  of  the  West  Side,  and  has  two  children — Adeline  and 
Eugene. 

Albert  Wachowski,  proprietor  of  the  large  savings  bank  at  3032 
West  Twenty-second  street,  Chicago,  was  born  in  the  province  of 
Posen,  German  Poland,  on  March  15,  1858,  and  is  a  son  of  Francis 
and  Jozefa  Kwapiszewski-Wachowski.  The  mother  died  in  Poland, 
but  the  father  came  to  the  LTnited  States  in  1889  and  located  in 
Chicago,  where  he  died  in  1902  at  the  age  of  90  years.  He  and  wife 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  837 

reared  a  family  of  twelve  children,  as  follows:  Mikolaus  (who  died 
November  11,  1908,  in  Poland),  Michael,  Albert,  Valentine, 
John,  Joseph,  Martin,  Peter,  Vincent  (deceased),  Paul,  Jadwiga, 
wife  of  Mr.  Wendt,  and  Constancia,  wife  of  Andrew  Staszewski. 
Constancia  still  lives  in  Poland. 

Albert  of  this  family  immigrated  to  the  United  States  in  1878 
and  located  in  Chicago  where  he  has  since  resided.  In  the  old 
country  he  had  learned  the  business  of  cabinet  making  and  this  he 
first  followed  after  coming  to  this  country,  but  later  conducted  a 
grocery,  and  still  later  was  a  contractor  and  builder.  He  was  also 
connected  with  the  wholesale  grocery  business  for  a  time.  Since 
1892  he  was  active  in  building  and  loan  associations.  He  organized 
and  incorporated  five  building  and  loan  associations,  which  are  at 
present  in  a  very  prosperous  and  healthy  condition.  They  are  as 
follows :  The  Casimir  Pulaski  Building  and  Loan  association  of 
the  10th  Ward,  King  John  3rd  Sobieski  No.  1  Building  and  Loan 
association  of  West  Hammond,  Prince  Vytauto  Lithuanian  Build- 
ing and  Loan  association,  Vincent  Barzynski  Loan  and  Savings 
association  and  the  Albert  Wachowski  Loan  and  Savings  company. 
In  1906,  he  bought  many  acres  of  land  on  the  Southwest  Side,  be- 
tween Fortieth  and  Forty-eighth  avenue,  Twenty-sixth  and  Thirty- 
first  street  and  made  "Krakow"  subdivision  as  a  new  settlement  for 
the  Polish  people.  He  also  organized  a  new  parish  and  built  the 
Polish  Roman  Catholic  church  of  "Good  Shepherd,"  of  which  Rev. 
Alexander  Yung  took  charge.  Since  June  1,  1909,  he  has  been 
engaged  in  his  present  business,  and  for  the  past  twenty  years  has 
been  engaged  in  the  real  estate  business. 

His  career  in  this  city  has  been  one  of  activity,  honesty  and  suc- 
cess. He  has  .become  identified  with  many  of  the  most  useful  and 
important  societies  and  organizations  of  the  city.  He  is  a  member 
of  St.  Casimir  Polish  Roman  Catholic  church,  Polish  National 
Alliance,  Polish  Catholic  Union,  Kurpinski  Singing  society,  and  in 
politics  is  a  Republican.  In  February,  1884,  he  married  Con- 
stancia, daughter  of  John  and  Frances  Korzeniewski,  of  Chicago, 
and  they  have  eight  children,  as  follows:  Jeannette,  Veronica,  Leon, 
Marie,  Stanley,  Eugene,  Casimir  and  Thaddeus. 

Joseph  T.  Wachowski,  attorney-at-law,  with  offices  at  1624  W. 
Forty-seventh  street,  Chicago,  and  at  Broadway  and  Seventh 
avenue,  Gary,  Ind.,  was  born  in  Gnesen,  province  of  Posen,  German 
Poland,  March  15,  1867,  and  is  a  son  of  Francis  and  Josepha 
(Kwapiczewski)  Wachowski.  The  mother  died  in  Poland,  but  the 
father  came  to  the  United  States  in  1889  and  located  in  Chicago 
where  he  died  in  1902  at  the  great  age  of  90  years.  He  and  wife 
were  the  parents  of  eleven  children,  as  follows :  Michael,  Albert, 
Walenty,  John,  Joseph  T.,  Martin,  Peter,  Vincent,  Paul,  Judwija. 
now  Mrs.  Wendt,  and  Constantia. 

Of  this  family,  Joseph  T.  was  reared  in  Chicago  after  the  age 


838  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

of  eight  years  and  was  educated  in  the  public  schools,  Metropolitan 
Business  college  and  the  Illinois  College  of  Law,  graduating  from 
the  latter  institution  in  1892  with  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Laws. 
He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  the  same  year  and  ever  since  has  been 
actively  engaged  in  the  practice  of  his  profession.  He  has  had  an 
office  in  Gary  since  the  foundation  of  the  city  in  1905.  His  suc- 
cess shows  his  fitness  for  this  most  learned  profession.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Polish  Catholic  church,  Polish  National  Alliance, 
Polish  Turners  and  the  Republican  party.  He  is  interested  and 
active  in  public  affairs.  In  1895  he  married  Veronica  Bogucki,  of 
Milwaukee. 

Thomas  R.  Warner  was  born  December  25,  1861,  at  Ottawa, 
111.,  a  son  of  Roger  Warner  who  served  in  the  Civil  war  and  rose 
to  the  rank  of  first  lieutenant  of  Company  K,  Fifty-third  Illinois 
Volunteer  Infantry.  While  on  a  steamboat  in  the  Mississippi  river 
the  vessel  was  set  on  fire  and  in  endeavoring  to  escape  from  the 
burning  vessel  he  was  drowned  and  his  body  was  never  recovered. 
Thomas  R.  Warner  is  the  youngest  of  four  children,  three  sons  and 
one  daughter.  He  was  reared  to  manhood  in  his  native  city  where 
he  received  his  primary  education  in  the  public  schools.  He  sub- 
sequently took  a  course  in  the  commercial  college  at  Onarga,  111., 
which  he  completed  in  1881.  He  came  to  Chicago  that  same  year 
and  began  building  and  selling  houses,  the  first  venture  being  the 
erection  of  a  house  on  what  is  now  Aldine  avenue,  between  Halsted 
and  Evanston  avenue.  Later  he  entered  into  a  general  contracting 
business  at  which  he  has  ever  since  continued  with  a  more  than 
average  degree  of  success.  Under  the  aggressive  management  of 
Mr.  Warner  his  business  outgrew  the  capacity  of  one  man  to  handle 
and  it  was  then  incorporated  as  the  Warner  Construction  company 
in  1899.  School  houses,  police  stations,  pumping  stations,  private 
residences,  life-saving  stations,  engine  houses,  public  bath-houses, 
factories,  the  new  town  hall  at  Halsted  and  Addison,  and  various 
other  State,  city  and  private  buildings  have  been  erected  by  this 
corporation.  Mr.  Warner  is  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus 
and  the  Carpenters'  and  Builders'  association.  He  married  Miss 
Susan  Murray,  daughter  of  Dennis  and  Ann  Murray,  farmers  of 
Dunton  Station,  111.,  and  to  this  marriage  have  been  born  two  chil- 
dren :  Thomas  LeRoy  Warner  and  Myrtle  Warner. 

Dr.  John  C.  Webster  was  born  at  Hopkinton,  Mass.,  on  April 
9,  1843,  and  is  a  son  of  John  C.  and  Rebecca  G.  (Russell)  Webster. 
The  family  was  first  represented  in  the  Colonies  in  1635,  when 
John  Webster  came  from  Ipswich,  England,  and  settled  at  Ipswich, 
Mass.  There  are  many  descendants  of  the  emigrant  John  and  they 
are  scattered  throughout  the  United  States,  probably  the  majority 
being  residents  of  New  England.  Dr.  John  C.  is  of  the  eighth 
generation  from  John,  the  emigrant.  His  father,  John  C.,  was  a 
clergyman,  holding  a  pastorate  at  Hopkinton  for  twenty-seven  years. 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  839 

He  was  a  distinguished  Congregational  churchman,  and  his  father 
was  also  a  clergyman  of  the  same  denomination.  In  1865  Rev. 
John  C.  Webster  came  West  and  located  at  Wheaton,  111.,  and  be- 
came professor  of  logic  and  belles  lettres  in  Wheaton  college.  There 
he  lived  and  labored  until  a  few  years  before  his  death,  which 
occurred  August  13,  1884.  He  was  a  very  aggressive  and  public- 
spirited  man,  and  contributed  many  articles  for  newspapers  and 
magazines  on  all  subjects  then  before  the  public,  such  as  anti- 
slavery,  temperance,  etc.  Before  coming  West  he  had  become  well 
known  throughout  New  England  for  the  range,  pith  and  correct- 
ness of  his  views  on  all  public  questions. 

Dr.  John  C.  was  educated  at  Hopkinton,  Mass.,  finishing  at 
Dartmouth  college  where  he  graduated  in  1864.  Soon  thereafter 
he  enlisted  in  the  First  Battalion,  Heavy  Artillery,  Massachusetts 
Volunteers,  and  served  with  credit  for  one  year.  After  returning 
from  the  army  he  continued  his  medical  studies  which  had  been 
commenced  before  his  enlistment.  He  was  graduated  March  13, 
1867,  from  the  medical  department  of  Harvard  university,  and 
immediately  came  to  Chicago  and  began  practicing  at  the  corner  of 
Lake  and  Leavitt  streets.  In  1870  he  moved  to  Jackson  boulevard 
and  there  he  has  since  lived  and  practiced.  He  is  thus  one  of  the 
oldest  practicing  physicians  west  of  Ashland  boulevard.  His  prac- 
tice is  general  and  very  satisfactory.  In  1884  -he  wrote  a  history 
of  the  Dartmouth  College  Class  of  '64  with  biographical  sketches 
of  each  classmate.  He  was  one  of  the  founders  of  Chicago  Dart- 
mouth Alumni  association  in  1876.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Illinois 
State  Medical  society,  the  Chicago  Medical  society,  the  Theraupetic 
club,  and  is  a  member  of  many  societies,  clubs  and  associations,  both 
professional  and  otherwise.  He  is  active  in  all  movements  to  im- 
prove the  condition  of  the  community  in  which  he  lives.  In  politics 
he  is  a  Republican.  On  March  15,  1869,  he  married  Elizabeth 
Doland,  of  Manchester,  N.  H.,  and  the  following  children  were 
born  to  them:  Mabel  Dana  (Mrs.  Herbert  W.  Allen),  Anna 
Russell  (died  August  10,  1903);  Gerald  Howe;  Harry  Damon; 
Rebecca  Elizabeth.  The  family  resides  at  2311  Jackson  boulevard. 

Willis  J.  Wells,  president  of  the  Binner-Wells  company,  design- 
ers, engravers  and  printers,  was  born  at  Geneva,  111.,  October  17, 
1857,  a  son  of  Charles  B.  and  Marietta  (Pierce)  Wells.  Charles 
B.  Wells  was  one  of  the  pioneers  of  Illinois,  having  located  at 
Dundee,  Kane  county,  in  1840.  He  practiced  law  many  years,  was 
elected  and  served  as  circuit  clerk  and  recorder  of  Kane  county,  and 
during  the  Civil  war  served  the  Union  cause  as  major  and  com- 
missary of  a  division. 

Willis  J.  Wells  is  descended  from  Scotch-Irish  ancestry.  He  at- 
tended the  public  schools  of  Geneva  when  a  boy,  and  in  1872  came 
to  Chicago  and  began  his  business  career  as  an  errand  boy  for  the 
old  printing  house  of  Culver,  Page,  Hoyne  &  company.  From  1882 


840  HISTORY,  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

to  1885  he  was  with  L.  H.  Evarts  &  Company,  of  Philadelphia,  in 
the  publishing  business,  but  in  the  latter  year  returned  to  Chicago 
and  until  1894  was  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Pettibone,  Wells  & 
Company,  and  then  Rogers  &  Wells,  engravers  and  printers.  In 
1903  he  organized  the  present  Binner- Wells  company,  engravers 
and  printers,  one  of  the  best  known  firms  in  its  line  in  the  city  and 
of  which  Mr.  Wells  is  president.  For  fifteen  years  he  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  First  Regiment  Infantry,  Illinois  National  Guard,  and 
during  the  war  with  Spain  served  as  battalion  adjutant  in  the  cam- 
paign in  Cuba.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Society  of  Santiago,  the 
Military  Order  of  Foreign  Wars,  the  Loyal  Legion,  the  Masonic 
Fraternity  and  the  Chicago  Athletic  association.  September  7,  1881, 
Mr.  Wells  married  Miss  Kate  Patten  and  they  are  the  parents  of 
three  children:  Gladys,  Marjorie  and  Douglas. 

Felix  J.  Wengierski,  general  broker  at  3137  South  Morgan  street, 
was  born  in  Zempelburg,  West  Prussia,  German  Poland,  June  10, 
1874,  and  is  a  son  of  Joseph  and  Tekla  (Szlezerski)  Wengierski. 
The  father  was  a  carpenter  by  trade  and  came  to  the  United  States 
soon  after  the  Civil  war  and  visited  all  parts  of  the  country  study- 
ing its  resources  and  characteristics.  For  a  while  he  was  in  the  em- 
ploy of  Jay  Gould  on  the  Erie  railway  system.  He  was  married  in 
the  early  fifties  and  he  and  wife  reared  a  family  of  four  sons — 
Frank,  John,  Felix  J.,  all  of  Chicago,  and  Theodore  of  DesMoines. 
Both  parents  died  in  Poland. 

Felix  J.  was  reared  in  his  native  land  until  the  age  of  16  years 
and  was  educated  at  the  common  schools.  He  arrived  in  this 
country  in  May,  1890,  and  on  the  tenth  of  that  month  located  in 
Chicago  and  here  has  ever  since  resided.  Upon  his  arrival  here 
he  attended  the  public  schools,  a  private  college,  and  thus  generally 
continued  his  education  and  improved  his  knowledge  of  the  Eng- 
lish as  well  as  the  Polish  languages  and  the  ways  of  the  Americans. 
He  first  found  employment  in  a  grocery  and  later  in  a  stained  glass 
establishment.  Then  for  five  years  he  worked  as  a  clerk  for  the 
Chicago  Title  &  Trust  company.  Since  1897  he  has  been  engaged 
in  the  general  brokerage  business  at  his  present  location.  He  has 
been  more  than  ordinarily  successful  and  has  built  up  a  large  and 
permanent  business  and  clientage.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Roman 
Catholic  church,  Polish  American  Alliance,  Maccabees,  Modern 
Woodmen  and  in  politics  is  a  Republican.  On  June  27,  1899,  he 
married  a  daughter  of  Albert  and  Anna  Neunert,  of  Chicago,  and 
they  have  two  children — Gregory  and  Margaret. 

Frederick  Wente,  a  son  of  Henry  and  Catherine  (Rust)  Wente, 
was  born  on  the  old  Wente  farm  in  Palatine  township,  Cook  county, 
111.,  February  20,  1860.  His  parents  located  there  in  1847,  at  a  time 
when  the  country  was  sparsely  settled  and  when  wild  game  could 
be  killed  from  the  cabin  doorway.  They  were  of  that  honest,  thrifty 
type  of  Germans  who  aided  the  colonies  in  their  struggle  for  in- 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  811 

dependence  from  Great  Britain,  who  contributed  to  the  preservation 
of  the  Union  when  Civil  war  threatened  the  destruction  of  the 
nation,  and  who,  in  peace,  were  law  abiding,  industrious  and  re- 
spected. Although  Mr.  Wente  has  long  since  passed  away  he  was 
of  that  contributory  element  that  laid  the  foundation  of  prosperity 
now  enjoyed  by  the  present  generation.  Henry  Wente  died  in  1881, 
after  having  lived  on  the  farm  he  first  secured  for  a  period  of 
thirty-four  years.  His  widow  is  yet  living  and  resides  with  the 
subject  of  this  sketch  on  the  old  homestead.  They  were  the  parents 
of  eleven  children. 

Frederick  Wente  has  always  made  his  home  where  he  was  born. 
In  youth  he  attended  the  district  schools  when  his  services  were 
not  demanded  in  helping  on  the  farm.  On  November  19,  1891,  he 
was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Bertha  Hunerberg,  and  to  their 
union  have  been  born  six  children  as  follows :  George,  Edwin, 
Martha,  Elmer,  Walter  and  Albert.  Walter  is  the  only  one  dead. 
Mr.  Wente  is  recognized  as  one  of  the  substantial,  enterprising 
farmers  of  Cook  county.  In  politics  he  is  a  consistent  Democrat; 
in  religion  he  affiliates  with  the  German  Evangelical  Lutheran 
church. 

Albert  Gallatin  Wheeler,  capitalist,  was  born  in  New  York  City, 
April  27,  1854.  He  is  the  son  of  Bethuel  Church  and  Julia  Catherine 
(Lawrence)  Wheeler,  and  is  descended  from  Ephraim  Wheeler  who 
came  from  England  in  1635  and  settled  at  Plymouth,  Mass.  His 
first  American  ancestor  on  the  maternal  side  was  William  Lawrence, 
who  settled  at  Flushing,  N.  Y.,  in  1645  and  was  the  progenitor  of 
the  famous  Lawrence  family  of  Long  Island. 

Mr.  Wheeler  was  educated  at  the  public  schools  of  New  York 
City,  and  entered  'the  New  York  college  in  1868.  Entering  the 
commission  business  he  had  at  the  extraordinary  early  age  of  18 
accumulated  sufficient  capital  to  purchase  an  interest  in  the  produce 
transportation  business  on  the  Hudson  river.  This  business  fur- 
nished an  outlet  to  his  genius  for  transportation  and  he  was  soon 
prominent  in  the  lighterage  transportation  in  New  York  harbor. 

The  numerous  and  complex  problems  incident  to  the  abnormally 
rapid  growth  of  our  large  cities  naturally  attracted  his  attention, 
and  to  him,  more  perhaps,  than  to  any  other  man  in  this  country,  is 
due  the  marvelous  success  with  which  the  difficulties  attending  them 
have  been  gradually  surmounted.  The  splendid  underground 
electric  traction  systems  which  have  so  much  enhanced  the  comfort 
and  convenience  of  the  citizens  of  New  York  and  Washington  owe 
their  efficiency,  if  not  their  very  existence,  to  his  efforts. 

But  it  is  especially  in  Chicago,  where  the  traction  problem  long 
seemed  well-nigh  insoluble,  that  Mr.  Wheeler's  services  were  pre- 
eminently notable.  While  present  in  that  city  on  a  business  trip,  the 
sad  state  of  the  city's  freight  transportation  facilities  appealed  to  him 
with  that  irresistible  fascination  which  great  difficulties  always  seem 


842  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

to  exercise  over  genius.  To  the  overcoming  of  the  difficulties  he 
set  all  his  great  energy  and  talent,  and  soon  evolved  a  traction  sys- 
tem greater  than  any  ever  before  attempted  in  this  or  any  other 
country. 

His  plan  was  for  a  network  of  tunnels  connecting  the  shipping 
departments  of  the  large  mercantile  houses  with  the  freight  yards  of 
the  railroad  companies.  Securing  a  franchise  from  the  city  he 
organized  the  Illinois  Telephone  and  Telegraph  company,  and  ob- 
tained for  the  company  the  right  to  establish  a  system  of  "sounds, 
signals  and  intelligence,  by  electricity  or  otherwise,"  and  to  run 
conduits  under  all  the  streets  and  alleys  and  under  the  Chicago 
river  and  its  branches.  "Intelligence"  was  taken  to  cover  news- 
papers and  mail  matter  and  it  was  argued  by  Mr.  Wheeler,  that  a 
tunnel  which  would  accommodate  cars  large  enough  to  handle  such 
matter  could  also  carry  merchandise.  These  cars,  he  decided,  should 
be  large  enough  to  take  in  the  largest  box  or  package  that  could 
be  put  through  the  doors  of  a  railroad  freight  car.  They  should 
also  be  of  such  a  size  and  weight  that  they  could  enter  any  mercan- 
tile building  and  be  raised  by  elevators  to  any  floor.  By  the  latter 
plan  he  wished  to  save  the  shippers  the  expense  which  might  be 
entailed  in  altering  their  buildings  to  accommodate  heavier  or  larger 
cars.  Transportation  experts  were  unanimously  of  the  opinion  that 
the  whole  scheme  was  impracticable.  But  neither  the  magnitude 
of  the  scheme  nor  the  adverse  opinion  of  the  experts  were  sufficient 
to  turn  the  edge  of  Mr.  Wheeler's  determination.  He  argued, 
trenchantly,  that  the  amount  of  business  handled  by  a  transporta- 
tion company  did  not  depend  on  the  size  of  their  cars,  but  on  the 
frequency  and  speed  with  which  they  were  kept  moving.  Cars  of 
the  size  which  he  had  planned  had  many  advantages,  and  tunnels 
larger  than  would  accommodate  such  cars  were,  obviously,  un- 
necessary. 

To  obtain  the  financial  backing  for  his  scheme  was  comparatively 
an  easy  task,  and,  in  July,  1903,  additional  grants  were  secured 
from  the  city,  authorizing  the  company  to  carry  freights  and 
merchandise  and  legalizing  the  tunnels.  A  new  company,  the  Illinois 
Tunnel  company,  was  formed  with  a  capital  of  $30,000,000  to  take 
over  all  the  rights,  property  and  franchises  of  the  Illinois  Telephone 
and  Telegraph  company.  This  company  was  in  turn  absorbed  in 
the  Chicago  Subway  company,  capitalized  at  $50,000,000,  and  the 
plans  were  enlarged  to  include  over  sixty  miles  of  tunnels.  The  con- 
struction was  carried  out  under  the  supervision  of  George  W. 
Jackson,  engineer,  and  in  September,  1908,  the  tunnels  were  opened 
for  service.  It  is  worthy  of  mention  that  the  unanimous  opinion 
of  the  experts  was  set  completely  at  naught  and  the  genius  and  fore- 
sight of  Mr.  Wheeler  were  amply  vindicated. 

The  franchise  obtained  from  the  city  of  Chicago  included,  as 
already  stated,  the  right  to  establish  a  system  of  "sounds  and 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  843 

signals."  The  hustling  methods  of  modern  business,  as  Mr. 
Wheeler  saw,  necessitated  the  transaction  of  a  large  mass  of  busi- 
ness by  telephone  and  consequently  in  the  hearing  and  liable  to  the 
interruption  of  outside  parties.  These  disadvantages  Mr.  Wheeler 
determined  to  overcome.  Carefully  examining  many  devices  claimed 
to  be  capable  of  eliminating  these  faults  in  telephony,  he  finally 
discovered  a  system  of  ingenious  mechanical  contrivances  that  could 
do  the  work  of  manual  operators.  The  Automatic  Electric  com- 
pany was  incorporated  in  1901  to  manufacture  and  market  these 
devices.  This  company  within  seven  years  has  increased  its  capital 
stock  to  $5,000,000  to  take  care  of  its  rapidly  growing  business,  and 
has  installed  the  automatic  system  in  over  one  hundred  cities  in  the 
.United  States  and  Canada  and  today  is  doing  business  the  world 
over. 

Mr.  Wheeler  was  married  at  Allentown,  Pa.,  on  February  12, 
1873,  to  Cassie  Gould,  daughter  of  William  H.  Taylor  of  New  York 
City,  and  has  two  children :  Cassie  Gould,  now  Mrs.  Edwin  W. 
Gearhardt  of  Scranton,  Pa.,  and  Albert  Gallatin,  Jr. 

He  is  president  and  director  of  the  Illinois  Tunnel  company,  the 
Illinois  Telephone  and  Telegraph  company  and  the.  Illinois  Tele- 
phone Construction  company.  He  is  also  director  of  the  Automatic 
Electric  company,  and  is  prominently  identified  with  many  other 
corporations.  His  office  is  The  Rookery,  Chicago. 

Carleton  White,  wholesale  dealer  in  upholstery  goods  and  cabinet 
hardware,  was  born  in  Cincinnati,  O.,  September  24,  1860,  the  son 
of  Carleton  and  Elizabeth  H.  (Dunn)  White. 

He  received  part  of  his  education  at  the  Cincinnati  public  schools 
and  when,  in  1868,  he  came  with  his  parents  to  Chicago,  continued 
his  studies  in  the  schools  here. 

His  first  business  venture  was  with  the  Chicago  agency  of  the 
Waterbury  Needle  Co.,  with  whom  he  remained  until  1877.  In 
1878  he  was  employed  by  W.  D.  Gibson,  dealer  in  cabinet  hard- 
ware and  upholstery  goods,  which  firm  was  succeeded  by  Gibson, 
Parish  &  Co.,  and  the  latter  in  1889  by  Lussky,  Payn  &  Co.,  of 
which  firm  Mr.  White  was  a  partner.  On  the  death  of  Mr.  Payn, 
of  the  last  mentioned  concern,  the  surviving  partners  acquired  his 
interest,  the  firm  becoming  January  1,  1903,  Lussky,  White  & 
Coolidge,  which  firm  was  succeeded  January  1,  1909,  by  Lussky, 
White  &  Coolidge,  Inc..  of  which  Carleton  White  is  now  president. 

Mr.  White  has  been  twice  married;  first,  October  17,  1887,  to 
Alice  L.  Luther,  of  Belding,  Mich.,  by  whom  he  had  one  son, 
Carleton  Luther;  second,  April  21,  1896,  to  Louise  A.  Wilson. 

He  is  a  Republican  in  politics  and  is  a  member  of  the  South  Shore 
Country  club,  the  Homewood  Country  club,  the  Chicago  Yacht  club, 
the  Chicago  Athletic  association,  and  at  the  present  time  is  one  of 
the  directors  of  the  latter  organization.  He  is  also  a  member  of 
the  Chicago  Association  of  Commerce  and  is  active  in  the  affairs 


844  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

of  that  organization.     He  resides  at  4610  Ellis  avenue,  his  place  of 
business  being  located  at  111-113  E.  Lake  street. 

James  H.  Wilkerson  has  achieved  a  national  reputation  as  a 
lawyer  connected  with  the  office  of  United  States  District  Attorney. 
He  was  born  December  11,  1869,  at  Savannah,  Mo.,  his  parents 
being  John  W.  and  Lydia  (Austin)  Wilkerson.  When  13  years 
old  he  moved  with  his  family  to  Mount  Ayr,  la.,  and  at  the  age  of 
15  years  entered  DePauw  university,  at  Greencastle,  Ind.,  from  the 
classical  course  of  which  institution  he  was  graduated  in  1889,  when 
but  19  years  old.  The  succeeding  two  years  he  was  principal  of  the 
high  school  at  Hastings,  Neb.,  then  returned  to  Greencastle,  Ind., 
where  for  two  years  he  was  a  member  of  the  faculty  of  his  alma 
mater  and  occupied  the  chair  of  English  and  Rhetoric.  During 
this  time  he  studied  law  and  attended  the  law  school  at  Greencastle, 
and  in  1894  came  to  Chicago,  passed  the  Supreme  Court  examina- 
tion, was  admitted  to  the  bar  and  for  eighteen  months  practiced 
law  with  an  office  in  the  office  of  Myron  H.  Beach.  He  then  be- 
came associated  with  the  firm  of  Tenney,  McConnell  &  Coffeen,  and 
so  continued  until  1900  when  he  was  admitted  as  a  partner  and  thus 
continued  until  January  1,  1908,  since  which  time  he  has  been 
engaged  in  individual  practice  in  connection  with  his  public  duties. 
Mr.  Wilkerson  has  always  been  a  Republican  in  politics.  In  1902 
he  was  elected  from  the  Thirteenth  Senatorial  district  to  the  State 
Legislature  and  as  a  member  of  that  body  his  services  were  note- 
worthy by  reason  of  his  conducting  the  fight  for  the  State  Civil 
Service  Law  which  failed  to  pass,  and  in  introducing  the  resolution 
for  the  charter  amendment  to  the  State  Constitution  which  was 
adopted  by  both  House  and  Senate  and  was  ratified  at  the  follow- 
ing general  election.  In  1903  Mr.  Wilkerson  was  appointed  county 
attorney,  serving  as  such  until  September,  1904.  In  1906,  he  was 
appointed  special  assistant  United  States  District  Attorney  and  has 
since  served  in  that  capacity.  In  this  position  he  was  the  attorney 
in  charge  of  many  important  cases  in  litigation  that  commanded 
national  attention.  Among  these  were  those  of  the  Government 
against  the  Standard  Oil  company,  which  resulted  in  the  fine  of  over 
$29,000,000;  the  rebating  cases  against  the  Lehigh  Valley  Rail- 
way company,  the  Nickel  Plate  Railway  company,  the  Atchison, 
Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  Railway  company,  A.  Booth  &  Co. ;  the  case 
against  express  companies  for  issuing  franks,  or  free  transportation ; 
the  case  against  the  Monon  railway  for  issuing  free  transportation 
for  advertising;  the  Allis-Chalmers  case  for  violation  of  the  Alien 
Labor  law ;  the  case  enjoining  the  Sanitary  district  from  diverting 
the  water  of  Lake  Michigan  to  the  Calumet  river,  and  many  other 
similar  cases.  As  a  lawyer,  Mr.  Wilkerson  ranks  among  the  first 
in  Chicago.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Union  League,  Hamilton  and 
Law  clubs,  and  the  Chicago,  State  and  National  bar  associations. 
He  is  married  and  resides  at  6448  Minerva  avenue. 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  845 

Johnson  Wilson,  an  early  settler  of  Oak  Lawn,  was  a  native  of 
Ireland,  born  in  County  Tyrone,  May  10,  1838,  being  the  son  of 
Robert  and  Susan  (Graham)  Wilson.  The  parents  also  were  both 
natives  of  County  Tyrone  where  they  were  born  in  1798  and  1804 
respectively.  They  grew  up  and  married  and  in  1854  crossed  the 
ocean  to  the  United  States,  landing  in  New  York  City  on  June  9. 
Soon  afterward  they  came  to  Chicago  and  thence  moved  to  Dupage 
county  where  the  mother  died  on  September  27,  1854.  In  the 
Spring  of  1856  the  family  returned  to  Cook  county,  settled  in  Palos 
township,  but  two  years  later  located  in  Worth  township  and  there 
the  father  resided  until  his  death  on  June  18,  1865.  He  and  wife 
were  members  of  the  Presbyterian  church  and  were  among  the  in- 
telligent and  highly  respected  citizens  of  the  community.  Their  five 
children  were  as  follows :  William,  who  died  when  seven  years  of 
age;  Eliza  J.  (deceased)  ;  Edward,  a  resident  of  Worth  township; 
Johnson  and  Charles,  the  latter  residing  in  Will  county. 

Johnson  Wilson  was  brought  to  America  by  his  parents  in  1854 
and  received  the  greater  part  of  his  education  in  this  country.  He 
was  reared  on  a  farm  and  ever  since  has  followed  farming  as  an 
occupation.  In  November,  1870,  he  married  in  Cook  county, 
Margaret  E.  Bartley  and  they  have  six  children  as  follows :  Robert 
E.,  a  professor  in  Northwestern  University  at  Evanston ;  Eleanor  M. 
at  home  with  her  parents;  Mary  E.  (deceased)  ;  Franklin,  engaged 
in  farming  in  Cook  county;  Grace  J.,  wife  of  Charles  Winslow 
of  Englewood,  and  Leonard  J.,a  farmer  of  Cook  county.  Mr.  Wilson 
is  one  of  the  substantial  citizens  of  this  portion  of  the  county.  He 
is  much  concerned  in  the  progress  and  welfare  of  the  community 
and  has  occupied  several  positions  of  responsibility  with  credit.  He 
served  as  highway  commissioner  six  years  and  has  done  much  to 
aid  generally  the  good  roads  movement.  He  served  as  school  di- 
rector and  school  trustee  and  generally  has  identified  himself  with 
every  movement  in  this  community  to  improve  the  schools  and 
educate  the  children.  He  is  a  Republican  and  a  strong  Prohibition- 
ist and  has  the  respect  of  all  who  know  him. 

Leo  J.  Witkowski,  M.  D.,  located  at  Forty-eighth  street  and 
Hermitage  avenue,  was  born  in  Joliet,  111.,  on  April  29,  1882,  and 
is  a  son  of  Anthony  and  Wladyslawa  (Dobyjanski)  Witkowski, 
natives  of  the  Province  of  Posen,  German-Poland.  The  father  came 
to  the  United  States  in  1874  and  settled  in  Joliet,  where  for  33 
years  he  has  been  in  the  employ  of  the  Illinois  Steel  company.  Since 
1899  he  has  had  charge  of  their  construction  department.  He  has 
taken  much  interest  in  politics  and  is  a  member  of  the  Republican 
party. 

Leo  J.  is  the  only  child  of  his  parents.  He  was  reared  to  man- 
hood in  his  native  city  and  attended  the  parochial  and  grammar 
schools,  and  was  graduated  from  the  Joliet  Township  High  school 
in  1903.  In  the  autumn  of  the  same  year  he  entered  the  medical 


846  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

department  of  Northwestern  University  and  was  graduated  there- 
from in  1907  with  the  highest  honors  of  his  class — Magna  Cum 
Laude.  After  receiving  his  diploma  he  spent  seven  months  in 
Northern  Michigan  in  mining  practice.  On  December  1,  1907,  he 
became  resident  physician  at  the  Cook  County  hospital,  where  he 
served  until  June  1,  1909,  when  he  opened  his  present  office.  Al- 
ready he  has  succeeded  in  building  up  a  lucrative  practice.  He  is  an 
instructor  in  the  surgical  department  of  Northwestern  University, 
and  designs  in  the  near  future  to  make  surgery  a  specialty.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Chicago  Medical  society,  Polish  Medical  association, 
St.  Joseph's  Polish  Catholic  church  and  the  Western  Catholic  union. 
He  is  medical  examiner  of  the  Catholic  Order  of  Foresters  and  in 
politics  affiliates  with  the  Republican  party. 

Frank  Zajicek  (pronounced  Zeicheck)  was  born  May  24,  1860,  at 
Skrchleby,  Bohemia,  and  came  to  Chicago  in  October,  1867,  to- 
gether with  his  parents  and  four  brothers  and  two  sisters.  His 
father,  Anton  Zajicek,  was  well-educated  and  highly  respected  in 
the  country  of  his  birth,  especially  in  the  Village  of  Skrchleby,  where 
he  served  as  mayor  for  several  terms,  and  where  his  only  wife, 
Marie  (nee  Knitl),  gave  birth  to  nine  of  his  children,  of  whom  two 
of  the  younger  boys  died  there  in  their  infancy.  The  elder  Zajicek 
loved  his  native  Bohemia  most  dearly,  but  was  bitterly  opposed  to 
the  military  duties,  which  prevail  up  to  this  date  in  Austro-Hungary, 
and  therefore,  reluctantly,  and  only  in  the  thought  of  saving  his 
little  army  of  five  healthy  and  able-bodied  boys  from  the  much  de- 
spised military  duty,  did  he  determine  to  immigrate  to  America. 
And  thus,  after  realizing  about  $3,200  for  his  real  estate  holdings  in 
and  about  Skrchleby,  he  departed  with  his  family  from  his  native 
land  in  the  autumn  of  1867  and  went  directly  to  Chicago.  The 
elder  Zajicek  was  then  46  years  of  age,  while  his  wife  was  34,  and 
the  ages  of  their  children  ranged  as  follows:  Mary,  17;  Anton,  15; 
Leopold,  13;  Vaclav  (alias  James)  II.,  Joseph,  9;  Frank,  7;  and 
Bessie,  5  years.  A  tenth  child  (the  eighth  son)  was  then  born  in 
Chicago,  but  died  in  its  infancy.  The  good  and  venerable  mother 
of  this  small  army  of  children  died  in  the  early  age  of  38  on  August 
13,  1871,  in  Chicago,  while  the  father  died  31  years  later  at  the 
age  of  77.  The  seven  Zajicek  children  named  above  are  still  alive 
and  live  in  Chicago,  are  married  and  have  children.  Anton,  Jr. 
served  five  years  in  the  U.  S.  Army  and  is  now  in  the  employ  of 
Uncle  Sam,  being  one  of  the  oldest  in  service  and  most  efficient 
carriers  at  the  Pilsen  P.  O.  station.  Leopold,  James  and  Joseph 
were  for  several  years  interested  in  the  manufacture  of  picture 
frames  and  moldings,  and  later  owned  sample  rooms;  the  first  two 
are  now  however  retired.  Bessie  Zajicek,  the  youngest  of  the 
Zajicek  children,  was  married  to  Dr.  Frank  J.  Jirka,  a  brilliant 
citizen  and  practitioner,  who  was  also  active  in  public  and  political 
matters  in  Chicago.  Dr.  Jirka,  during  his  lifetime,  was  a  member 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  847 

of  the  school  board  of  Chicago  for  two  terms  and  as  a  mark  of  re- 
spect to  his  memory  one  of  the  public  schools  bears  his  name. 

Frank  Zajicek  attended  the  public  schools  until  the  14th  year 
of  his  age,  and  a  private  school  for  a  short  period  and  in  the  latter 
part  of  1874  he  entered  the  printing  office  of  Joseph  Langmayer  as 
an  apprentice.  A  weekly  and  later  on  a  daily  newspaper  was  pub- 
lished at  this  office,  and  young  Frank  here  had  a  good  opportunity 
to  learn  the  printers'  art  in  all  its  details,  so  that  at  the  age  of  18  he 
became  foreman  at  said  office,  and  at  the  age  of  19  years  he  became 
foreman  in  the  composing  room  of  a  much  larger  printing  office 
of  August  Geringer,  where  the  Bohemian  Daily  "Svornost"  has  been 
published  for  over  34  years,  and  where  a  vast  amount  of  other 
literature  has  been  published  for  as  many  years. 

The  printing  office  of  August  Geringer  gave  Frank  Zajicek  bet- 
ter opportunities  in  executing  artistic  job  work,  which  was  his 
specialty,  and  he  was  at  that  time  known  as  one  of  the  best  job 
setters  in  the  city.  At  the  end  of  three  years  however,  striving  for 
further  advancement,  he  resigned  at  the  Geringer  office  and  ac- 
cepted a  situation  in  the  office  of  A.  Zeese  &  Co.,  at  an  advanced 
salary,  only  to  remain  engaged  there  for  a  few  weeks,  after  which  he 
accepted  a  still  better  position  with  the  printing  firm  of  Wagner  & 
Gross,  which  was  then  located  at  Clark  street  a  few  doors  south  of 
Madison  street.  His  advancement  with  this  firm  was  rapid,  so  that 
in  a  few  weeks  he  was  given  full  charge  of  this  well-known  printing 
establishment  of  that  period,  and  Frank  Zajicek  was  then  but  22 
years  of  age.  He  retained  his  position  with  said  firm  until  the  latter 
part  of  1883,  when  he  resigned  to  enter  into  the  real  estate  business, 
which  he  has  been  pursuing  ever  since. 

From  his  boyhood  days  young  Frank  was  inclined  to  economy, 
which  is  best  evidenced  by  the  fact  that  he  was  a  member  of  a  build- 
ing association  from  the  time  he  was  18  years  of  age,  and  to  his 
credit  it  may  be  said  that  he  acted  as  second  secretary  of  said  build- 
ing association  from  the  time  he  started  to  put  his  savings  therein. 
He  acted  in  this  capacity  until  his  maturity,  when  as  a  reward  for 
his  faithful  services  he  was  elected  as  first  secretary  of  said  asso- 
ciation, and  he  has  nothing  but  praise  for  those  young  people,  who 
learn  to  save  early,  as  thus  they  pave  their  way  to  prosperity  and 
independence.  He  was  also  a  stanch  lover  of  good  reading  and  spent 
a  great  deal  of  his  spare  time  in  this  elevating  recreation.  And  be 
it  also  said  to  his  credit  that  notwithstanding  the  fact  that  he  quit 
school  at  the  age  of  14,  still  he  did  not  give  up  his  studies  then,  but 
pursued  them  during  evening  hours  and  he  considers  it  a  pleasure 
to  say  that  almost  every  newspaper  or  printing  office  is  a  true  alma 
mater  to  the  vast  armies  of  self-made  men,  who  read  and  reason, 
and  who  are  ambitious  to  know  as  well  as  those  who  had  the  ad- 
vantage of  a  professional  education  at  some  college. 

In  1884  he  married  Marie  Houdek,  a  daughter  of  John  Houdek, 


848  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

a  well-to-do  and  prominent  Bohemian  merchant  of  Chicago,  who 
for  many  years  was  the  treasurer  of  the  First  Bohemian  Catholic 
Central  union,  of  the  United  States,  and  also  of  several  building 
associations.  After  his  marriage  Frank  Zajicek  opened  a  real  estate 
office  at  the  corner  of  Blue  Island  avenue  and  Eighteenth  street  in 
the  old  6th  ward,  where  he  was  very  successful  for  quite  a  number 
of  years  and  his  business  reputation  amongst  his  colleagues  and  in 
the  community  was  the  best.  He  also  took  active  interest  in  ward 
and  city  politics,  and  in  1889  he  ran  as  a  Democratic  candidate  at 
a  primary  in  the  old  9th  ward  against  Tommy  Carroll,  defeating  the 
latter  by  3  to  1  votes.  The  primary  was  conducted  however 
under  the  old  obnoxious  go-as-you-please  system,  with  one  polling 
place  at  the  corner  of  Ashland  avenue  and  Fourteenth  street,  with 
two  Carroll  judges  and  one  judge  favorable  to  Zajicek.  The  latter 
judge,  at  the  close  of  the  primary  and  while  the  votes  were  being 
counted,  was  obliged  to  absent  himself  just  for  a  couple  of  minutes, 
and  in  his  absence  the  other  judges  and  clerks,  who  were  all  favor- 
able to  Carroll,  immediately  destroyed  the  ballots  and  tally  sheets, 
and  then  declared  Tommy  Carroll  as  the  Democratic  candidate  at 
the  primary.  When  this  declaration  was  made,  the  friends  of 
Zajicek,  who  in  a  great  majority  surrounded  the  polling  place  and 
who  knew  the  true  condition  of  things,  that  Zajicek  was  elected  by 
a  vote  of  3  to  1,  threatened  to  make  it  hot  for  the  Carroll  cohorts, 
who  however  hastily  disappeared.  As  a  result  of  this  despicable 
outrage  however,  Tommy  Carroll  was  defeated  at  the  election  by 
his  Republican  opponent,  by  a  vote  of  about  4  to  1,  and  considering 
the  fact  that  this  ward  was  always  considered  as  one  of  the  strongest 
Democratic  bulwarks  in  the  city,  it  goes  without  saying  that  the 
Democratic  organization  did  not  benefit  much  by  this  sort  of  work 
of  some  of  its  ardent  judges  and  clerks.  As  a  soothing  balm  to 
Zajicek,  however,  and  on  account  of  harmony  Zajicek  was  given  the 
city  central  committeeship  at  the  convention,  which  he  accepted  re- 
luctantly, and  only  at  the  earnest  solicitation  of  some  of  the  Dem- 
ocratic leaders.  In  this  capacity  Zajicek  remained  for  one  term 
only,  assisting  some  of  his  friends  to  minor  positions  on  the  city 
roster.  He  was  mainly  however  instrumental  in  the  appointment  of 
his  brother-in-law,  Dr.  Jirka,  to  the  school  board  by  the  late  Mayor 
Cregier.  Zajicek  also,  during  the  first  few  years  of  his  short  political 
career,  acted  respectively  as  clerk  or  judge  at  several  regular  elec- 
tions, but  soon  realized  that  the  general  political  campaigning  as  it 
was  carried  on  about  15  years  ago,  was  very  unclean  and  required 
the  most  robust  health  and  persistent  doggedness,  to  which  he  was 
not  accustomed,  and  he  therefore  quit  politics  peaceably,  and  has 
since  inclined  to  the  Republican  party,  reserving  however  to  him- 
self the  right  to  vote  for  the  best  men  of  either  of  the  political 
parties. 

In  1896  Frank  Zajicek  entered  the  Chicago  College  of  Law,  where 


HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY  849 

after  three  years'  studies  he  was  awarded  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of 
Laws.  He  does  not  practice  in  the  courts  however,  but  still  carries 
on  his  real  estate  business  established  in  1883.  Frank  Zajicek  has 
been  a  devoted  lover  of  music,  and  an  active  member  of  the 
"Lyra"  Singing  society  for  over  eighteen  years,  and  eleven  years 
ago  he  organized  the  Smetana  Singing  society,  of  which  he  has  been 
the  president  since.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Pilsen  Turner  so- 
ciety, The  Phi  Alpha  Delta  Fraternity,  The  Royal  Arcanum,  The 
Royal  League  and  The  National  Union.  In  1907  (after  40  years) 
he  visited  his  place  of  birth  together  with  his  wife  and  his  brother 
James,  going  at  the  time  as  the  leader  of  a  party  of  more  than  180 
Bohemians  from  Chicago  and  other  western  cities  to  attend  the 
"Sokol"  (Turner)  festivities  at  Prague,  Bohemia.  He  has  four 
children:  Frank  E.  (24),  a  graduate  of  the  Chicago-Kent  College 
of  Law,  Edwin  (17),  Robert  (15)  and  Camille  (13).  He  resided 
for  many  years  at  1176  Douglas  boulevard  in  one  of  the  most 
beautiful  spots  of  Chicago,  and  at  present  resides  at  567  (or  new 
1415)  W.  Eighteenth  street. 

As  a  benefactor  Frank  Zajicek  deserves  to  be  ranked  amongst 
the  foremost  of  the  Bohemians  of  this  city,  having  some  years  ago 
donated  two  building  lots  valued  at  about  $2,500  to  the  Bohemian 
Old  Peoples'  Home  and  Orphan  asylum,  and  otherwise  performing 
many  charitable  deeds  in  a  quiet  but  effective  manner. 

Boleslaus  Zaleski,  a  prominent  pharmacist  at  4645  South  Ashland 
avenue,  was  born  in  Russian-Poland,  on  January  6,  1878,  and  is 
the  son  of  Anton  and  Mary  (Godleski)  Zaleski.  Their  son, 
Boleslaus  Zaleski,  was  reared  in  his  native  land  to  the  age  of  18  years, 
receiving  in  the  meantime  a  Gymnasium  education  at  Warsaw, 
Poland.  The  education  given  at  the  Gymnasium  was  similar  to 
that  imparted  at  the  high  schools  in  America.  In  1896  he  crossed 
the  ocean  to  America  and  coming  West  located  in  Chicago  where 
he  began  attending  evening  schools  to  improve  his  knowledge  of  the 
English  language.  At  the  same  time  he  began  the  study  of 
pharmacy  which  he  had  studied  for  two  years  in  the  old  country 
before  coming  to  America.  Later  he  took  a  special  course  of  private 
instruction  in  pharmacy,  succeeding  which  he  successfully  passed 
the  examination  and  received  his  commission  from  the  State  Board 
of  Pharmacy.  Soon  afterwards  he  established  his  present  business 
which  he  has  profitably  and  successfully  conducted  at  his  present 
location  ever  since.  At  this  date  he  has  the  largest  and  most  com- 
plete drug  establishment  on  South  Ashland  avenue.  In  1891  he 
married  Olympia,  daughter  of  Joseph  Kaczynski  of  Chicago.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Polish  Turners'  Alliance  of  America  and  is  the 
president  of  this  organization  in  the  United  States.  He  is  now 
serving  his  second  term  as  such  official.  This  organization  is  one 
of  the  oldest  of  the  Polish  people  in  the  United  States  and  the  most 
progressive  and  educational. 


850  HISTORY  OF  COOK  COUNTY 

John  V.  Zelezny,  proprietor  of  the  Zelezny  Savings  bank  and 
operator  in  real  estate,  loans  and  insurance,  at  3856  West  Twenty- 
sixth  street,  was  born  in  Bohemia,  on  April  25,  1852,  and  is  a  son 
of  John  and  Veronyka  (Los)  Zelezny.  He  was  reared  to  maturity 
in  his  native  country  and  there  received  a  broad  education  under  the 
instruction  of  his  father  who  was  a  teacher  by  profession.  Hoping 
to  better  his  condition  he  immigrated  to  the  United  States  in  1884 
and  for  a  short  time  stopped  in  New  York  City,  but  finally  located 
in  Chicago  which  he  has  since  made  his  home.  His  first  employment 
here  was  in  a  shoe  store  where  he  remained  for  two  years.  In  1888 
he  embarked  in  the  retail  shoe  business  on  his  own  account  and  was 
thus  engaged  until  1894,  when  he  erected  a  building  on  West 
Eighteenth  street  and  was  engaged  in  the  retail  liquor  trade  for 
three  years.  In  1896  he  attended  a  local  business  college  for  one 
term,  and  the  following  year  embarked  in  the  real  estate  business 
in  connection  with  insurance  on  West  Eighteenth  street.  This  busi- 
ness he  successfully  conducted  until  1909  when  he  moved  into  the 
building  he  now  occupies,  which,  including  the  ground,  cost  $20,000. 
He  conducts  a  thoroughly  up-to-date  banking  establishment,  and  has 
all  modern  fixtures,  such  as  safety  vaults,  deposit  boxes,  etc.  He 
has  organized  and  successfully  conducts  five  building  and  loan  as- 
sociations among  the  Bohemians  on  the  West  Side.  Mr.  Zelezny 
is  thoroughly  identified  with  Chicago  business  and  institutions  and 
is  well  known  and  respected  in  the  community  where  he  lives  and 
does  business.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Bohemian  Order  of  Foresters, 
North  Union  of  America,  and  in  politics  is  independent.  In  1876 
he  married  Marie,  daughter  of  George  Benda,  of  Bohemia,  and  they 
have  three  children :  Ottilie,  a  practicing  physician  of  Chicago  and 
the  wife  of  Dr.  Otto  Baumrucker;  Anna,  now  attending  the  Illinois 
College  of  Law ;  and  John  George. 


UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS-URBANfl 


